Mercedes-Benz India has launched the S 450 e Launch Edition, the brand’s first-ever plug-in hybrid in its flagship S-Class lineup. The launch marks a significant step in Mercedes-Benz’s powertrain-agnostic strategy, bringing electric mobility to India’s top-end luxury limousine segment for the first time.
Mr. Santosh Iyer, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said, “The S-Class embodies Mercedes-Benz’s extraordinary legacy of timeless luxury, setting the global benchmark for automotive excellence. In India, it leads the top-end luxury segment and redefines customer aspiration — with serene first-class comfort in every seat, sublime driving, quiet strength and safety, unparalleled presence and personalisation, and an intuitive digital experience powered by MB.OS. With more than 2,700 new and updated components, the new S-Class enhances comfort, safety, digital experience and refinement to become the most advanced S-Class ever. We are confident it will exceed customer expectations and carry the S-Class legacy forward in India. Mercedes-Benz follows a flexible, powertrain-agnostic strategy, and bringing a PHEV to the S-Class for the first time in India reflects exactly that. There is growing demand for a plug-in hybrid among our top-end customers, and the S 450 e PHEV answers it directly. With ICE, BEV and PHEV powertrains now in our line-up, customers have the flexibility to choose the one that suits them best.”
At the heart of the S 450 e is an updated 3.0-litre inline-six turbo-petrol engine producing 326 hp and 540 Nm, paired with a 120 kW electric motor integrated between the engine and the 9-speed automatic transmission. The combined output stands at 435 hp and 680 Nm of torque — making it more powerful than the petrol S 450 4MATIC. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 kmph in 5.7 seconds and is electronically limited to a top speed of 250 kmph. Unlike most S-Class variants, the S 450 e is rear-wheel drive only — a configuration that prioritises rear passenger refinement and gives the car a distinctive character within the S-Class family.
The 22 kWh lithium-ion battery provides a pure electric range of approximately 115 km on the WLTP cycle — enough to cover most urban commutes in India’s major cities without engaging the combustion engine at all. For longer journeys, the petrol engine is available on demand, eliminating range concerns entirely. The transition between electric and combustion power during everyday driving is seamless and imperceptible to occupants.
The 2026 S-Class is also the most extensively updated in the model’s history, with over 2,700 components new or revised. The front receives new twin-star DIGITAL LIGHT headlamps with micro-LED technology, projecting up to 600 metres ahead — approximately 40% further than the previous generation. The radiator grille has grown by around 20% and is now illuminated, while newly designed tail-lamps with chrome-framed signature stars reinforce the car’s identity at the rear.
Inside, the new S-Class is powered by the purpose-built Mercedes-Benz Operating System — MB.OS — which connects all vehicle systems into a single intelligent ecosystem. The standard MBUX Superscreen brings AI-based voice interaction, an enhanced Zero Layer interface, and MBUX Surround Navigation based on Google Maps. Chassis highlights include standard AIRMATIC air suspension and rear-axle steering at 4.5 degrees, upgradeable to 10 degrees — cutting the turning circle by almost two metres for easier city and hotel manoeuvring. Safety credentials include an enhanced adaptive restraint system, PRE-SAFE Impulse belt pretensioners, and up to 15 airbags.
