Mercedes-Benz
Rupee Depreciation Impact: Mercedes-Benz Likely To Announce Price Hike In India Reuters

Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz has rolled out its all-new luxury Sports Utility Vehicle called GL-Class in India on Thursday with a price tag of ₹77.50 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Unveiled by former tennis star and the company's global brand ambassador, Boris Becker, GL-Class is pegged to raise standards in the Indian car market. The company will seel only 130 units of the vehicle in the form of completely built units. Mercedes will start the production of its newly launched premium car locally at its Chakan plant near Pune from September.

"2013 is the 'Year of Offensive' for Mercedes-Benz India. We have already succeeded with the new M-Class and now the introduction of the new GL-Class will further strengthen our dominance in the luxury large SUV segment. The GL-Class with its proven off-roading prowess is ideal to suit the taste of the growing number of off-roading aficionados in India, "said Eberhard Kern, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.

Under the hood, the all new SUV packs a 2987cc engine, V6 diesel engine which churns out a power 190/258 at 3600rpm and 619Nm of torque at 1600-2400. It comes with features like AMG body kit, heated leather seats, nine airbags, attention assist and temperature-controlled cup holders.

The car will be pitted against Audi's top end SUV model Q7. Mercedes which has aggressive plans for the Indian market hopes to achieve double digit growth in the country in the current financial year. It also has plans to increase the number of dealers across the sub-continent.