The Mercedes-Benz S-Class made-in-India is here

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class which was launched as a completely built unit got a massive price drop thanks to Mercedes-Benz India announcing that it will be assembling the car locally.

In what is a huge vote of confidence in India's manufacturing capabilities, the S-Class, Merc's luxury flagship, often considered the best car in the world, gets a dedicated assembly line in Mercedes-Benz India's manufacturing plant in Chakan, Maharashtra.

Launched at a price of Rs 1.57 crore (for the S-Class S350d) and Rs 1.62 crore (S 350d) the models see a drastic drop of almost Rs 55-60 lakh from the CBU models. Although the E-Class remains the best-selling Mercedes-Benz in the country, the brand has seen an uptick in demand for superlative luxury.

Launched originally in its top-end "Launch Edition" and an "AMG" line trim, the made-in-India version loses out on a few nifty features such as rear-wheel steering etc, while dialling down the visual extravagance with less busy looking front and rear bumper designs.

What's new is a fresh set of 19" alloy wheels, while the engine and multimedia options remain the same. Yes, the S 350d will be replacing the S 400d, but it packs the same 3.0-litre, in-line six-cylinder engine, albeit in a lower state of tune, producing 286hp instead of 330 hp on the S 400d. Torque levels also see a drop of 100 Nm from the 700Nm founder under the hood of the diesel import.