German auto major Mercedes-Benz today unveiled a BS-VI-compliant S Class produced at its Pune facility, more than two years ahead of the government deadline of April 2020 for switching to new emission norms. Along with the unveiling of the new car, the company also received the certificate of compliance to the CMVR (Central motor vehicles rule) from the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) at an event attended by Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari.
Government in a move to fight the growing pollution, had in October 2016 decided to skip one stage and migrate to BS-VI directly from BS-IV from April 2020. At present, all new vehicles being registered are BS- IV-emission compliant. The new car, which can be run on the BS-IV fuel, will bring down NOx by 68 percent and PM by 82 percent, the company said and when the country moves to BS-IV fuels, this will lower the CO2 burden by 13 percent and fuel demand by 10 percent.
"We are glad to fulfill our commitment to customers and to the government vision by introducing BS-VI compliant vehicles. Our vehicles are world-class and they comply with the most stringent emission standards, and the ARAI-certified new BS-VI vehicles reiterate this high benchmark," Mercedes- Benz India managing director and chief executive Roland Folger said at the event. Also Read: All-New Maruti Suzuki Swift First Drive Review: Everything Done Right
Later Folger told PTI that the newly introduced S- Class diesel sedan will be rolled out at the forthcoming Auto Expo and commercial launch and pricing will be announced later. The introduction of the country's first BS-VI vehicles is a significant milestone and Mercedes strongly believe that this will pave the way for other manufacturers to introduce their vehicles which are compliant with new emission regulations, he said.
This will further accelerate adoption of cleaner vehicles and thereby achieve the objective of cleaner air, he added. Stating that the introduction of the new fuel emission norms will drastically reduce pollution and help India advance to better technologies used globally.Also Read: Jaguar-Land Rover Launches 2018 Range Rover Velar in India for Rs 78.83 Lakhs
Gadkari urged the German luxury car maker to hand-hold industry in implementing BS-IV technology here. "I want to congratulate Mercedes for their efforts towards not only making safe vehicles but also greener vehicles, by introducing the first BS-VI vehicle much ahead of the deadline," he said.
Gadkari also said when government announced its decision to put in place the new regulations from April 2020, the industry felt that it was an impossible task to be achieved. "But Mercedes has proved it that it is possible, and they have achieved it much ahead of the deadline," he said.
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