Mercedes-Benz’s operation in India still need to be fed with the blow of excitement every interval despite being this country’s one of the oldest luxury carmakers for past many years. A source revealed this German automaker is on the verge of launching the E400 Cabriolet in the year 2015.
The new E-Class that was launched with the integrated headlamps will give its underpinning to the cabriolet. However, the E-Class convertible earlier that Mercedes-Benz used to sell in India was based on the past-generation with the split headlamps model, which now seems to be replaced due to the revamping product-line.
On the new front, it will be the single-louvre freshly made grille and an integrated headlamps unit to make the differentiation. One more of it will be the ‘two-door’ configuration rather being a four-door version for the layout of a 4-seater car.
Mercedes-Benz India will import the E400 Cabriolet as a CBU (completely built-up) unit and would be sold as a lifestyle product rather than a mass seller of the brand.
Under the bonnet, E4000 will hold the 3.-litre V6 engine of 329bhp and 480Nm of torque. All of it are said to be married with a 9-speed auto gearbox which will send the 0-100kmph in just a handful of 5.3 seconds. In fact, the roof can be operated for opening or closing down till the speed of 40kmph.
The cabin as claimed will not be as generous as the E-Class sedan, especially that rear legroom, due to the storage of roof at the back, and even that narrow dimensions of the cabin will make it a strict four-seater with no rooms for anyone else – like the A-Class. Well, as said above the car is a lifestyle model and not a utilitarian of the brand. Further to enhance that appeal on the comfort level inside, there is Mercedes’ latest COMMAND system and a retractable deflector at the edge of windscreen to deflect the air above the cabin when in high speed, in order reducing the gush of sound for the passenger space when roof laid down.
Expected to be priced at Rs 90 lakh and maybe launched by mid-2015, Mercedes-Benz E400 Cabriolet will have scanty number of rivals in this country.
