In 2016, when it was decided that India would leapfrog from BS IV to BS VI, India’s largest luxury car brand, Mercedes-Benz, went all out, and in 2018, the results speak for themselves. Today, Mercedes-Benz, launched the first ‘Made in India, for India’ BS VI compliant vehicle in Mumbai, and the honour was done by Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport Highways & Shipping and Water Resource, River Development, & Ganga Rejuvenation.
Gadkari, while speaking at the event, congratulated Mercedes-Benz for being the first manufacturer in India for having a certified BS VI vehicle. He further went on to heap praises on Mercedes-Benz for achieving this. “Mercedes proved and succeeded in this mission,” he said.
Recalling meetings from two years back, with various car manufacturers, who met him thrice, and tried to convince him to see how difficult it was to become BS VI ready, and that too in such a short span of time, Gadkari said that his answer to them was “Do or die.” “Pollution is a big concern,” and in Delhi particularly, they are “facing a lot of problems,” said Gadkari. That is why, he said, the Government had taken the decision that before April 1st, 2018, we will have standards of BS VI. Gadkari went on to say that BS VI would be a “game changer” and that “this will drastically reduce pollution and help us advance to better technologies used globally.”
Gadkari, in his speech, also urged Mercedes-Benz to introduce Ethanol and Electric cars in the future.
Roland Folger, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer congratulated the Indian Government “for a welcome step towards achieving a cleaner environment” and said that “the Indian public will benefit greatly from these efforts and the implantation of BS Stage VI.” “This only means we contribute significantly to reducing emissions which remains a key challenge for all Indians,” he said. He went on to add, “In February 2016, we stated that we will launch the first BS VI vehicle in India by 2018, and we have fulfilled our promise by introducing the first ever Made in India, for India, BS VI vehicles in less than two years now.”
The introduction of the Mercedes-Benz S350 d, which is also the most powerful diesel car in Mercedes-Benz’s history, is only the beginning. The car has undergone stringent emission test related to BS VI emission and has been certified as BS VI compliant. At Mercedes-Benz where “innovation is key,” they have introduced the first BS VI engine where the NOx limit reduction is upto 68% and PM (Particulate Matter) limit reduction has been achieved at 82%, as compared to a BS IV diesel engine.
