Mercedes launches new E Class luxury sedan at Rs 63.6-80.9 lakh

India's largest luxury carmaker Mercedes Benz on Tuesday launched the next generation version of its best selling luxury sedan E class at Rs 63.6-80.9 lakh.

First introduced in India way back in 1995, the car has been the company's mainstay in the country with a commanding lead in its segment. It accounts for 30 per cent of Mercedes' overall sales in the country. In 2020, Mercedes sold 7,893 cars and was comfortably ahead of its two biggest rivals BMW and Audi. Till date, the company has sold about 46,000 units of the E class alone in India.

"The E-Class remains one of the most successful product in our portfolio, and a much anticipated one. With the new E-Class, we seamlessly combine rear seat luxury, wide space owing to the LWB, various comfort features with that of latest generation telematics, avant-garde design and exciting driving dynamics," said Martin Schwenk, managing director and CEO, Mercedes Benz India. "The new E-Class once more raises the benchmark significantly in the luxury saloon segment and we are confident of its stellar market performance and continuing its segment leadership," he added.

The car has been launched in three variants in India -- E200 petrol, W 220D diesel and for the first time ever the E 350 D diesel, which is an India specific sporty AMG exterior line version. The new model features an all-new front fascia with new headlamps, new grille design, new bumpers and new split tail lamps. The interiors have been updated with a new generation steering wheel, latest telematics including NTG6 MBUX head unit with touchscreen,  dual 12.3-inch displays in the cockpit that includes a central touchscreen.

"Listening to our customers' wishes and introducing the latest products and continuously honing them has been key to our customer strategy. We have to advance the launch of the new E-Class owing to the successful run out of the outgoing model much ahead of our planning and for an overwhelming interest for the new model," Schwenk said. "We have completely reimagined the new E-Class by making it more dynamic, more fun to drive and more tech enriched than ever before. We are confident that with our balanced variant strategy, the new E-Class will strongly appeal to not only the chauffeur driven luxury dweller, but also to the driving enthusiast who wants a sporty and fun car to drive around, without compromising on any of the luxury features," he said.

Underneath the bonnet are 2-litre petrol and diesel engines. The petrol engine has a peak power output of 197 bhp and torque of 320 NM. The diesel engine has an output of 194 hp and 400 NM of torque. Both engines are capable of hitting three digit speeds from standstill in 7.6 seconds. The top of the line AMG line has a 3 litre diesel engine that has a peak power output of 286 bhp and torque of 600 NM and gets to 100 kph much faster in 6.1 seconds.  

Besides the changes, the car continues to be loaded to the hilt with features. Some of them include Burmester surround sound system with 590 KW output, panoramic sunroof, wireless charger at the rear and rear seats that can be reclined by 37 degrees. In terms of safety the car comes with active brake assist, active bonnet for pedestrian protection and seven airbags including a knee airbag for the driver.

With the unprecedented 2020 behind it, the company is geared up to launch 15 new cars this year which it hopes will help it log a strong double-digit growth in sales this year.

"We will launch 15 new products this year and the new E-Class with its new attitude is just the beginning of an intense product intervention planned," Schwenk added. "Our sedan segment remains one of our key focus areas this year and we are confident the E-Class will continue to remain the most successful luxury sedan of India," he said.

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