Mercedes-Benz India has commenced the local assembly of its oldest official offering in the Indian market, the E-Class sedan. This is the sixth-generation model and will be assembled at the Mercedes Chakan facility. The new E-Class LWB will be launched on 9th October, while official bookings are already open. As usual, India is the only market in the world to receive the LWB version in a right-hand-drive configuration. It also happens to be the most popular Mercedes in India.
Mercedes-Benz has announced that it has received homologation certification for criteria such as the BS6-2 emission tests, crash tests, pedestrian protection, and equipment. The tests were conducted in Pune, Chennai, and Indore, as well as overseas locations like Germany and Spain.
Vyankatesh Kulkarni, Executive Director and Head of Operations at Mercedes-Benz India, said, "Mercedes-Benz started its India journey with the E-Class in 1995, and to this day, it remains a key product in our local production portfolio. The start of local production of the new Long Wheelbase E-Class is an important milestone, reiterating Mercedes-Benz India's world-class manufacturing capabilities, flexibility, and digitalization. With this new LWB E-Class, we have further deepened and expanded our localization footprint by sourcing various commodities from India, emphasizing our dedication to the 'Make in India' initiative. We are immensely proud of our expert team, who are highly skilled, motivated, and agile in manufacturing both world-class ICE and BEV products according to market requirements."
The E-Class LWB will be offered with a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine (204 hp/320 Nm) and a 2.0-litre diesel engine (197 hp/400 Nm). Both are mated to a 48V mild hybrid system, and transmission duties are handled by a 9-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.
The E-Class LWB will renew its rivalry with the recently launched BMW 5 Series, which retails for Rs 72.90 lakh (ex-showroom). It is expected to be priced north of Rs 80 lakh.