Mercedes-Benz announces local manufacturing of the new S-Class 350 CDI in India, backed by high demand of the new S-Class

Mercedes-Benz announces local manufacturing of the new S-Class 350 CDI in India, backed by high demand of the new S-Class

Demonstrates Excellence in production facility by commissioning an unique ‘Roof Top Solar Plant’ for power generation contributing back to environment

·         Mercedes-Benz India commences the production of the all new S 350 CDI in its world class manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune

·         Introduces for the first time body manufacturing for the S-Class in India

·         The S-Class 350 CDI will be priced at INR 1.07 Crores ex-showroom Pune

·         Installs roof top solar panels following the ‘Grid Tie System’ generating 150,000 units of power annually, which can power up to 400 households: –An eco-friendly initiative on World Environment Day

·         The new S-Class 350 CDI is launched in the Mercedes-Benz India campus which houses the Center of Excellence, which is equipped with a one-of-its-kind Helipad facility, and fascinating retail infrastructure

·         Mercedes-Benz India’s doubling of manufacturing capacity to 20,000 units annually, will make it the Largest Luxury Car Manufacturer in India

Pune, India: Mercedes-Benz India today commenced the local production of the New S-Class 350 CDI from its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune. The new S-Class 350 CDI was launched in the company’s unique Centre of Excellence which is situated within the Mercedes-Benz India premises and is known for its fascinating retail infrastructure showcasing the dream cars, having a one-of-its-kind world class Helipad facility and also an adrenaline rushing off-road track. In line with the Year of Excellence strategy, the decision to commence the local production of the new S-Class 350 CDI will boost the company’s effort to cater to the overwhelming demand of the S-Class for the Indian customers and will offer a diesel engine in the new S-Class. The new S-Class remains one of the most coveted luxury saloons across the globe and the recent accolade of it’s winning the ‘World Luxury Car of the Year’ authenticates the S-Class’ claim of being the Best Car in the World.  Continuing the spirit of creating excellence in its operations, Mercedes-Benz India also strives to create excellence in conserving environment as part of its environmental sustainability mission. On the occasion of World Environment Day, Mercedes-Benz India took a significant step towards conservation of energy by installing a unique Roof Top based Solar Plant based on the ‘Grid Tie System’.  The Roof Top solar plant will be instrumental in generating 150,000 units of power annually. 

Eberhard Kern, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India commented “True to its legacy the new S-Class has emulated its global success in India as well and has been a phenomenal success. We are delighted to manufacture the new S-Class 350 CDI at our state-of-the-art production facility in Chakan, Pune, and offer the much awaited diesel option of the new S-Class for our discerning customers. Quality has all along been the strength of Mercedes-Benz India, and the new S-350 CDI production in India is set to take this success story even further. The installation of solar power plant also reiterates our commitment to achieve excellence in manufacturing by introducing environment friendly initiatives in India.”

Mr. Kern further added, “The team working on the production of the new S-Class 350 CDI comprises the most experienced colleagues at Mercedes-Benz India and they are extremely proud of their accomplishment in producing the S-Class over the years. Mercedes-Benz India for the first time is commencing the body manufacturing for the new S-Class and this is an important step towards local value addition for the new S-Class. We are confident that with the manufacturing of the new S-Class 350 CDI in India, we will be able to create a new benchmark and also meet the rising demand for the car in India.”

New S-Class 350 CDI:

Exteriors

The exteriors of the new S-Class 350 CDI are sure to grab one’s attention with its arched roofline with flowing contours, the dropping lines that descend elegantly from the front to rear and the large grille with four louvers clubbed with the three-dimensional design of the chrome trim and grille interior. The attractive design of the S-Class 350 CDI is further enhanced by the all LED high performance sharply contoured headlamps and the beautiful panoramic sunroof. The S-Class has a drag co-efficient of 0.24, one of the lowest for a luxury car of this caliber.

Interiors

The interiors of the S-Class 350 CDI are sure to wrap one in luxury, fit for a king - seven colour ambient lighting with a choice of five dimming options, two 31.2 cm high-resolution TFT screens and a multi-function two-spoke steering wheel that  offers all controls at one go. The dashboard is a combination of contemporary design featuring sleek horizontal lines, which along with the WOOD EUKALYPTUS trim imparts the plush touch.

The new S-Class 350 CDI offers power packed hot stone massage function with six different programs ranging from relaxing and stimulating to an energizing effect. Occupants can choose from two intensities –low and high and the rear seat backrest comes with a massage mat with 14 air chambers which can be inflated or deflated via fast responding solenoid valves, developing a wave-like massage effect. The massage function can be operated via remote with durations ranging from 12 – 15 minutes. The new S-Class also comes with a Chauffeur package, which creates up to 77mm more rear leg room on the front passenger side with electrically extending footrest and has easy adjustable luxury head restrains for driver and passenger.

Ride safety and other features

The new S-Class features an AIRMATIC suspension which ensures smooth ride quality. Active Park Assist automatically steers the vehicle into parking spaces, relieving the driver of steering and braking effort. ESP with eight airbags and PRE Safe assure driver and passenger safety, while the brake assist offers better control during emergency braking. The new S-Class also comes with Adaptive Brakes with HOLD function, ASR and Hill Start Assist.

The stylishly matched combination of high-quality features also meets the highest standards of comfort, quality and design. Keeping this in mind Mercedes–Benz will offer a unique chauffeur training program. This will involve comprehensive training for chauffeurs on the new S-Class technology and lifestyle features so that they can offer complete luxury driving experience to the new S-Class owners.

Power and transmission:

·         The new S 350 CDI features a 3 litre V6 engine mated to a 7G-TRONIC PLUS 7 speed automatic transmission. The new S-Class 350 CDI also features Direct Select Lever with Paddle Shifters for rapid gear shifts and smooth operations. The new S-Class 350 CDI produces 190 Kw of power @ 3600 rpm and 620 nm @ 1600-2400 rpm and accelerates from 0-100 in 6.8 seconds with a top speed of 250km/hr.

Price

The S-Class 350 CDI is priced at Rs. 1.07 crores ex-showroom Pune.

Unique Roof-Top Solar Plant

The Mercedes-Benz India administrative building is installed with a 100 kW rooftop solar power plant. This installation is spread across 12000 sq mt and will help in saving approximately 150,000 Kilo Watts hours annually- enough to power a small town with 400 households. The system is a unique blend of energy generation and synchronization and is based on Grid Tied Photo Voltaic system. A Grid Tied Electrical System, also called ‘Tied to grid’ or ‘Grid tie system’, is connected to the mains to feed surplus capacity back to the local mains of the electrical grid. Additionally, the installation can also work with alternative power sources like diesel generator to reduce the load on the generator. The batteries in the system acts as a buffer, replenishing the energy when the consumption is less than the generation and substituting diesel during grid failures. This results in reduced energy consumption during sunny days.

Piyush Arora, Senior Vice President, Operations, Mercedes-Benz India commented “Environmental sustainability is a top priority at Mercedes-Benz India, and our efforts here take into account the entire production process. Our measures focus on efficient energy utilization, climate protection, air pollution control, and the responsible utilization of raw materials and resources. Continuing this environment friendly operation further, I am happy to share that our factory will be partly powered by energy efficient solar panels using the Grid Tie System. This initiative is our own way of contributing to the cause of the environment protection by conserving energy which reduces the carbon footprints subsequently”.

Roof Top Solar Plant helps in protecting and preserving resources. Some of its salient benefits are:

•           A 1 KW PV system each month prevents 150lbs of coal from being mined

•           It prevents 300lbs of CO2 from entering the atmosphere

•           Saves 105 gallons of water from being consumed

•           Prevents toxic NO and SO2 from being released into the environment

Mercedes-Benz India Production Facility

The manufacturing plant in Chakan, Pune was completed within 13 months from the start of construction and is among the fastest green-field projects to be created. With an area of 100 acres of land and independent assembly facilities, the facility was created to address future expansion needs, underscoring the long-term growth plans of Mercedes-Benz in India. The current expansion plan which aims at doubling the capacity to 20,000 units annually will ensure Mercedes-Benz India is ‘future ready’. The plant manufactures the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, E-Class, S-Class sedans and the ML-Class and GL- Class SUVs. It is also flexible to accommodate additional production of other models from the Mercedes-Benz model range on the same assembly line, if required by future market demand.

Paint Shop

Mercedes-Benz India also operates its state of art and technologically advanced paint-shop located within its Chakan facility. The Paint Shop is capable of water based painting using highly sophisticated and environment friendly water based painting technology. The paint shop of Mercedes-Benz India is fully automated and maintains identical painting standards in line with stringent global standards of Daimler. The key highlights of Mercedes-Benz’s technologically superior paint shop include the flow of cars with latest communication systems for conveyors and tracking of each and every car at every stage with RFID systems. The control of all the equipments are through a central server and automated feedback loops for equipment ensures optimum settings according to the process and environmental conditions. The paint shop also boasts of sophisticated checking laboratories with the latest equipment. The automated selections of colors are enabled for robots and an online status of input and output offers flexibility and complete control in production sequencing.

The paint shop has an annual capacity of 20,000 units which is extendable to 40,000 units annually. The level of refinement, implementation of advanced technology and flexible processes positions this amongst the most sophisticated in India. With an approximate total area of 17000 square meters, the new paint shop of Mercedes-Benz India was created within a record time of 16 months and is operational since October 2012.

Center of Excellence:

Mercedes-Benz India ‘Center of Excellence’ is one-of-its-kind facility that boasts of a modern Helipad which is used for exclusive customers. The ‘Center of Excellence’ also houses the latest and globally acclaimed high-performance Mercedes-AMG range of vehicles and also other fascinating specialty cars. Customers can not just experience their favourite car, but also personalize it with their style by using ‘iConfigurator’. The ‘iConfigurator’ empowers customers to preview the entire range of Mercedes-Benz and AMG car portfolio digitally and experience the look and feel of the exterior paints, upholstery and alloy wheels. Further customers can personalize according to their choice of leather, color of stitches and pedals too. Customers can take a complete guided tour of the world-class production facility of Mercedes-Benz India enabling them a one of a kind opportunity to witness the making of the Three Pointed Star.

They can unleash the off-roader in them by an adrenaline pumping experience of driving Mercedes-Benz’s SUV range in company’s Off-road track located within the premises. The customers can experience the build quality and safety features while cruising smoothly through challenging terrains.

The Centre of Excellence boasts of a complete luxury atmosphere with segmented wall panels and integrated elements on the wall panels including brochures, latest accessories display and audiovisual display into wall panels unit.