Mercedes was one of the many automakers to be affected by the ban on registration of diesels above 2,000cc in Delhi-NCR with all the company’s diesel engines above the 2.0-litre mark. Some automakers looked to circumnavigate the ban – Mahindra decreasing engine capacity of its 2.2-litre diesel to 1.99-litre especially for the NCR region – while others managed to squeeze through – BMW and Audi’s 2.0-litre diesels squeezed past as it displaced 1,995cc and 1,968cc respectively.
Now with resurgent demand for petrol cars, its rivals remaining unaffected by the diesel ban and other states also considering imposing similar diesel bans in core cities, Mercedes is bolstering its line-up with more petrol models.
The first in this new sprint to introduce petrol models is the GLC 300. Powered by a 2.0-litre 245hp four-cylinder turbo-petrol motor, the GLC is the company’s fourth petrol SUV in its current line-up after the smaller GLA 200, the larger GLE 450 AMG Coupe and the iconic G63 AMG.
Mercedes is also mulling the launch of the C 300 Cabriolet. A halo product from the brand, the C-class Cabriolet will use the same engine as the GLC 300 and will be the company’s second cabriolet model following the E 400 Cabriolet currently on sale. The C 300 Cabriolet will also mark the debut of the C-class Cabriolet in India.
Mercedes is also weighing up the launch of the GLS 400 – the petrol variant of the recently updated full-size SUV. The GLS 400 will be equipped with the same 333hp 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 as the S 400 and E 400 Cabriolet and should offer Mercedes a unique standing in the segment with most rivals being diesel only.
As things stand, the standard GLE, the company’s best-selling SUV in the country, seems the only model to not get a petrol option though that could also change.
Mercedes has plans to introduce 12 new models in India this year and while some of them have already arrived, the petrol GLS and the C-Class Cabriolet could be a part of the models yet to come.
While in India Mercedes is looking to strengthen its foothold by offering petrol engines, internationally, it is investing heavily to develop new engine technologies to meet the stricter standard set to come in place in Europe.