PUNE: One of the oldest luxury carmakers to begin production in India, Mercedes Benz on Friday rolled out what its India managing director Roland Folger calls the firm’s next ‘bread and butter’ model for India— the E 220d.
Priced at Rs 57.14 lakh and boasting of a new ‘Made in India’ diesel engine (OM 65) made at the Chakan facility in Pune, the new E 220d variant comes after the E350d diesel and the E200 petrol models. The E-class of sedans is Mercedes Benz’s largest-selling range in the luxury automobile segment.
“This is the bread-and-butter variant of the E-Class and it is unique to India. We spent a lot of effort into finding what our customers in India needed, a lot of big data analysis and this car is the result,” said Folger.
The new OM 654 engine will be the fifth one from Mercedes Benz India to be locally produced. The Chakan facility is one of the firm’s most important international facilities – with nine different models locally manufactured.
Mercedes-Benz’s India product portfolio comprises the locally produced Maybach S 500, S-Class, E-Class, CLA luxury sedans and the GLA, GLE and GLS luxury sports utility vehicles. The CKD GLC was its ninth product added to the local production portfolio.
The company has also decided to pass on the GST benefits of around 2.5 per cent to consumers before actual implementation, bringing down the overall price by another Rs 1.44 lakh. According to the firm, the OM654 1.95 litre four cylinder diesel engine is 13 per cent more fuel-efficient than its predecessor, achieves 0-100 kmph in 7.8 seconds. Mercedes Benz is also banking on a strong after sales network to give a further fillip to its growth plans. “With focus on new product launches..., we are confident of sustaining the growth momentum,” said Folger.
product portfolio
Mercedes-Benz’s India product portfolio comprises the locally produced Maybach S 500, S-Class, E-Class, CLA luxury sedans and the GLA, GLE and GLS luxury SUVs. The CKD GLC was its ninth product added to the local production portfolio.