Mercedes-Benz redefines the luxury business sedan segment, introduces the first-ever ‘Made in India’ Long Wheel Base new E-Class

The all new Long Wheel Base (LWB) Right Hand Drive E-Class which is ‘Made in India, for India’ is the first India specific product from Mercedes-Benz

 The E-Class sedan is India’s highest selling luxury executive sedan | It comprises about 34% of the total Mercedes-Benz cars sold in India till date
 The long wheelbase version of the new E-Class will be Made in India, for India, the first new generation car to be locally produced since market launch
 Mercedes-Benz’s first India specific car: India is the only country to launch the RHD version of the ‘longwheelbase’ new E-Class | It took 48 months for the development of the new E-Class
 Astounding Performance: The E 350 d features a 2987 cc V6 diesel engine that churns out 190 kW (258 hp) and 620 Nm of torque available at as low as 1600 rpm, 0 -100 km/h in 6.6 secs
 First time in the E-Class: Air Body Control | Chauffeur Package | 37 degree recliner rear seats | 9G-TRONIC transmission | Burmester® surround sound system | Parking Pilot, a wide high-resolution and bright display with a next-generation 12.3-inch screen as standard | 64 colour ambient lighting
 Intelligent service packages: Unsurpassable Cost of Ownership starting at Rs. 64,700 for 2 years | 45 service packages | Unlimited mileage, first in the luxury car industry
 “My Mercedes My Service” program offer customers lower cost of ownership and lower maintenance cost. It also offers hassle free Online Service appointment booking for the New E-Class

 The Mercedes-Benz E 200 is priced at INR 56.15 lakhs and the E 350 d is priced at INR 69.47 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai)

Mumbai: India’s largest luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz today, redefined the luxury executive sedan segment with the launch of the first ever right hand drive (RHD) long wheelbase (LWB) version of the new E-Class luxury business sedan. From its launch, this intelligent business sedan will be ‘Made in India, for India’. With over 13 million units sold globally, the E-Class sedan and Estate are the best-selling vehicles for Mercedes-Benz. The new E-Class with its high quality appointments is an illustration of excellent craftsmanship and reflects modern luxury synonymous with Mercedes-Benz. The new E-Class sedan in its 10th generation, is a comprehensive luxury business sedan that intelligently blends driving performance with unmatched luxury and comfort, boasting of the ‘most spacious’ rear cabin in the segment. The new LWB E-Class was launched by Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.

Roland Folger, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India commented, “The new E-Class with its rich history spanning over 2 decades with around 34,000 units on Indian roads, remains a very important product in our portfolio, playing a vital role in the product strategy of Mercedes-Benz India. Majority of our E-Class customers in India are chauffeur driven, and hence it was a natural decision for us to introduce the long wheelbase new E-Class in India and create a new benchmark in the luxury executive segment. India becomes the only country in the world to offer the right hand drive long wheelbase version of the new E-Class, and it took almost 48 months to develop this masterpiece from scratch. As a part of offering the ‘Best Customer Experience’ to our customers, we are glad to introduce to them their favourite luxury business sedan, which will be made in India, for India, from the day of its launch.”

Markus Schaefer, Member of the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain Management elaborated, “With the start of production of the new long-wheelbase E-Class, we are continuously expanding our portfolio of ‘Made in India’ products, offering our Indian customers numerous technical innovations of the most intelligent executive sedan. Building nine different model derivatives for local demand in top quality, Pune has become one of our most flexible plants and an absolutely integral part in the global and efficient production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars. This is a great success story made possible by the hard work and dedication of both the management and the workforce in Pune.”

Mr. Folger further added, “The new long wheelbase E-Class is truly a ‘Masterpiece of Intelligence’ with its various path breaking innovations. The new E-Class is delightful to drive and fulfills the desire for individuals seeking driving performance, while ensuring it presents the most luxurious rear cabin experience, comprising unparalleled luxury appointments, for those preferring to be chauffeur driven. What makes the new E-Class an even more intriguing value proposition for the customer, is the highly competitive service packages that start at just INR 64,700 and sets an industry benchmark for lowest cost of ownership in the segment. We are very confident that the new long wheelbase E-Class will continue the success story of the business sedan in India.”

Key Product highlights:
Long wheelbase:
The long-wheelbase version of the new E-Class sedan built in India, for India, introduces numerous technical innovations of the most intelligent luxury executive sedan, and also offers an even more spacious rear compartment with a first-class character. It exceeds the E-Class sedan sold in the world where both the wheelbase (3079 millimetres) and the length (5063 millimetres) are increased by 140 millimetres. The rear compartment of the luxury sedan offers an extra 134 millimetres of legroom for the occupants.

Sublime exterior and design elements:
 LED headlamps and tail lamps | Panoramic Sunroof | 17” Light Alloy Wheels
 Rear design highlights: Chrome trim | Rear bumper inserts black diffuser-look finish | Full LED tail lights | Two fixed tailpipe trim elements integrated into bumper | Illumination Specific to E-Class | Single-piece design | Crystal look during illumination

Emotive interior highlights:
 Ambient lighting: 64 colours and five dimming levels for the desired lighting mood
 World first: Touch-sensitive touch controls on the steering wheel
 Electric sunblind for rear windows | First: 37 degree recliner rear seats

Unmatched driving dynamics:
 Air Body Control – First time for the E-Class in India (E 350 d)
 9-G TRONIC: 9-Speed Automatic Transmission
 DYNAMIC SELECT Drive (E, C, S, S+, I) – influences the response of the engine, the ESP® and shift characteristics of transmission
o Suspension (C, S, S+) with Air body control
o Steering (C, S, S+) – In “S” and “S+” a more direct steering ratio noticeably increases the vehicle’s agility

Cutting edge infotainment system:
 Burmester® surround sound system with 13 high-performance speakers (E 350 d)
 COMAND online as standard
 Touchpad: Intuitive operation by finger gesture
 World first: Touch-sensitive touch controls on the steering wheel
 Firsttime in the E-Class – A high-resolution and bright display with a next-generation 12.3-inch screen
 Smartphone Integration Package compatible with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto

Unparalleled comfort &convenience:
 Panoramic sliding sunroof
 THERMOTRONIC automatic climate control
 Memory package – Front & rear seats (E 350 d)
 First time in E-Class: Memory rear seats with comfort headrest

Benchmarking safety and assistance systems
 ESP®
 LED High Performance Headlamps
 PRE-SAFE®
 First Time: Parking Pilot with Active Parking Assist PARKTRONIC and visual aids (360° camera for E 350 d)
 Adaptive brake lights
 Dual front airbags, Front side airbags, Curtain airbags, knee bag for driver (7 overall)

Technical specifications:

Lowest Cost of ownership in the luxury car segment:
According to the Indian Blue Book’s Residual Value Analysis of Luxury Car Segment Report 2016, Mercedes-Benz has the lowest average maintenance cost amongst its peers. The new long wheelbase E-Class comes with affordable and convenient service packages that drives tremendous value proposition for the customers. Based on the consumers’ needs and preferences, service packages of various age & mileages have been introduced for the new long wheelbase E-Class. The standard packages start at Rs.64,700 for the petrol variant and Rs. 94,400 for the diesel variant for two years. These new standard packages are offered with unlimited mileage (a first in the luxury car segment) covering maintenance related jobs. These customer focused packages offering various options and flexibility, can last up to 10 years from the date of sale, for a hassle free ownership experience. The low maintenance costs of the new long wheelbase E-class significantly reduces the total cost of ownership and sets a new benchmark in the luxury car segment in India.

Local production of the new long wheelbase E-Class:
Each stage of production of the new long wheelbase E-Class at Mercedes-Benz India’s world-class manufacturing facility in Pune reflects the stringent quality standards of Mercedes-Benz, as applicable to the entire value chain. A contributory factor to this is the ongoing transfer of knowledge between the competence centre for luxury-class cars in Sindelfingen, Germany, and the colleagues in Mercedes-Benz India. During the initial phase, the start of production is being assisted by members of staff from Sindelfingen. The increasing trend towards customised vehicle manufacturing is demonstrated in the assembly of the new long wheelbase E-Class. Numerous equipment variants as well as safety and assistance systems mean that every vehicle running off the production line in India, is unique.