Mercedes Benz launches S class in India

It has been termed as the "Mercedes of Mercedes". Unarguably, it is likely to emerge as the object of envy on the Indian roads, given its hefty price tag of Rs 56 lakhs (ex-factory) at Mumbai and Rs 59 lakhs (ex-factory) at Delhi. (Add Rs 3 lakhs more towards insurance, sales tax and other local levies.) Snob value apart, it offers the ultimate in luxury and comfort on four wheels.

That's the Mercedes Benz S 320 L, launched in the country where, despite the steep price, it has already found 84 buyers. "That's the number of S class cars we would be making," said Mr. Jurgen Ziegler, managing director and chief executive officer, Mercedes Benz India Ltd (MBIL), addressing the media, at the vehicle launch at the factory in Chikhali, near Pune.

Contrary to popular belief that the Indian consumer would balk at the price, Mr. Ziegler said the existing demand was for at least 500 cars, but MBIL would be making only 84 cars this year, and perhaps a 100 the next calendar year. This would be out of a total of 1,200 cars that would be made during the full calendar year, of which a hundred would be vans, and about a 1,000 E class cars in both petrol and diesel versions.

The manufacture of a limited number is not due to any constraints of capacity at the Pune plant, which has the capacity to make 9,000 cars annually, in two shifts. "The S class is a popular model globally, and the demand for it so much that the German plant is unable to supply enough number of kits to us," said Mr. Suhas Kadlaskar, general manager, corporate affairs. The S class, like the other Mercedes models, are brought into India in semi-knocked-down (SKD) and completely-knocked-down (CKD) units, and assembled here. Thus, neither paucity of demand nor of capacity will hinder the increasing presence of S class Merc's on Indian roads, but paucity of kits will.

The main demand for the S class is understood to have come from the North, mainly Delhi, and Chandigarh, besides Mumbai and Chennai. Fifty-five cars are expected to be delivered before the end of September, in time to catch depreciation benefits, while the rest of the 84 vehicles will see delivery by November.

So what is it that makes the mew Mercedes S Class so special? Apart from the safety standards that are so well identified with Mercedes vehicles, extra safety comes in the form of brake assist system, laminated windscreens at the side and front of the car, air bags at the sides as well as front of the vehicles, both for the front  and back seat passengers.

Super sensitive sensors react to differences in climatic conditions including sunlight, humidity and rain, and activate protective mechanisms, including sunscreens, and windshield wipers. In-built mechanisms are at hand to adjust individual seating positions and climate comforts, so you can recline, get lumbar support or warm up or ventilate your seats at will!

Combined with its technologically advanced control systems including adaptive pneumatic suspension which automatically adapts shock absorber hardness to the condition of the road surface, the payload of the car and the driver's driving style, five speed automatic transmission, aerodynamic design and plush interiors, the S class offers truly optimised riding comfort. "We call it the flying carpet," said Mr. Ziegler. He is not very much off the mark. You could call it the flying carpet on wheels.

Mercedez Benz India, the Rs 600 crore (investment thus far), 86:14 joint venture between DaimlerChrysler and Tata Engineering, which has been making the E class of passenger cars in two models -- E 240 (petrol) and the E 220 CDI (diesel), has added a new feather to its cap with this S class offering.