Mercedes Benz India plans to begin assembly of the high-end S-500 car in India shortly. The first of the locally made cars will roll out of the Chakan plant by April, said Eberhard Kern, the company’s MD and CEO.

The model was launched in the Indian market earlier this month, and will be the first eight-cylinder car to be assembled in the country.

The engine aggregates and gear box will also be assembled at Pune.

“Demand for the S-500 is quite high, and we will roll out the petrol variant first, and bring in the diesel model later,” Kern said, adding that the capacity expansion was almost complete and the company would take a call on other models it will produce here.

Grand edition

To commemorate the rollout of the 50,000th made-in-India car, Mercedes Benz launched a new C-Class Grand Edition on Tuesday.

The diesel model has been priced at Rs 39.16 lakh and the petrol version at Rs 36 lakh.

The C-Class remains one of Mercedes-Benz India’s bestsellers in the competitive entry-level luxury-sedan segment, with more than 19,000 units sold till date.

Kern said that the company plans to roll out 10 new models this year.

With two new launches already done, the next two on the anvil are the CLA 45 and the ML-500 guard, which will be launched at the Auto Expo next month.

The Grand Edition C-Class has AMG body styling with front and rear aprons and side sill panels, and17-inch, 5-twin-spoke light alloy wheels and black AMG hub-caps.

The exterior appointments include chromed tailpipe trims, Bi-Xenon headlamps, a finned radiator and tinted-panoramic glass sunroof with one-touch function.

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