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  • Renault India To Double Sales In India By 2021

    Renault India To Double Sales In India By 2021

    Renault India found success with the Duster and even the Kwid in India and now it’s readying to bring in its compact MPV – the Triber – into India. The Triber too, like the Kwid is based on the CMF-A platform and comes with a heavy dose of local content, so prices will be competitive for sure. But Renault India has grand plans for the Triber and it’s made its intention to export the compact MPV to other markets too and with it help the company improve its sales in India too. In fact, the company is looking to double its sales in the country by 2021 and the Triber will play a big role in making this happen. Thierry Bolloré, CEO, Groupe Renault said, “It’s (The Triber) a significant contributor to the progress we want to make in order to double the sales of Renault in India for sure.”

    The Triber is actually a seven-seater tucked under the four-meter mark. At that size, the new Renault Triber is a direct rival to the Datsun GO+ and also the upcoming compact seven-seater from Maruti Suzuki. It gets a completely different design language from its rivals that help make for a roomier cabin. In fact, Renault is comparing the Triber to a number of B-segment hatchbacks, with the French model offering the additional third-row seating that is more practical. Renault also says the new offering will be 20 percent more affordable in terms of ownership than a conventional B-segment hatch.

    But it’s not just the sales in India that will help Renault achieve this target. The company is banking on exports as well, something it has been doing with the Kwid too. Bolloré said, “Export is key because this is a car made in India, for India and having the genes for a great exporter to other markets.”

    Not everything has worked for Renault in India though. Cars like the Lodgy and the Capture have failed to pick up in terms of sales and establish themselves as strong contenders in their respective categories and Renault isn’t shying away from that reality. Bolloré explains, “The mistakes we have done sometimes, well, we have learned from that. We are quite humble you know, and we know it’s necessary, step-by-step, to understand, and to be better and better for sure, Triber is one key contributor.”

    There will be some other contributors, coming fast after the Triber which will help Renault achieve its set target for 2021.

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  • Kia Seltos Teased Again Ahead Of India Debut

    Kia Seltos Teased Again Ahead Of India Debut

    It was February 2018 when Kia Motors showcased the SP Concept, which was supposed to be the first Kia offering in India. Needless to say, it was an SUV too. Fast forward a year and a half and Kia Motors India is all set to take the wraps off the Kia Seltos, the first model from Kia for India. The company has been releasing teasers of the Kia Seltos SUV for some time now and the latest teaser reveals certain features on the SUV along with insight into the design language as well. The latest teaser video of the Kia Seltos reveals in-cabin features such as steering mounted controls for audio and cruise control. There is climate control along with analogue tachometer and speedometer. Plus the Seltos Compact SUV also gets front parking sensors along with a sunroof, not a panoramic one, but similar to the one on the Hyundai Creta.

    Spy images of the Kia Seltos’ interior reveal piano black finish inserts on the dashboard, black leather seats and rear AC vents. The front and rear seats both get hand rests for added convenience, while there are a couple of cup holders and storage spaces. Kia Motors India has already confirmed a number of features on the upcoming Seltos SUV that will include a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, 360-degree camera, wireless charging, head-up display (HUD), MID, cruise control and more. The model will also come with ambient lighting, electronic parking brake, hill assist and multiple driving modes.

    As far as exterior design is concerned, the Kia Seltos will feature Kia’s signature ‘Tiger-Nose’ grille along with LED headlamps and stylish fog lamps which are vertical. Also, we expect the top trims of the Seltos to have a dual-tone colour scheme (The roof having a different colour). The design of the 5-spoke diamond-cut alloy wheels is also different from that of the concept model. The teaser video also shows the Seltos taking on some off-road terrain but we don’t know if the SUV will get an off-road kit such as driving modes, AWD or anything on those lines.

    The Kia Seltos will get a 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel and both engines will get manual and automatic gearbox options. It may be possible that Kia also offer a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine which could have a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. As far as competition is concerned, the Kia Seltos will be going up against the likes of the Tata Harrier, Nissan Kicks, Renault Captur and its sister model, the Hyundai Creta. The top-spec models of the Kia Seltos could also rival the MG Hector and the Jeep Compass.

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  • Rezvani Tank Teased

    Rezvani Tank Teased

    In just a few weeks Rezvani Motors will debut the all-new 2020 Tank. Designed to be an antidote to the current dull SUV segment, the Tank is a military-inspired, purpose-built, extreme utility vehicle loaded with a ton of features. The 2020 Tank is all new and shares no parts with its predecessor, but it sure has the DNA. Thanks to a body on steel frame design, massive off-road tyres, and sports suspension, the Rezvani Tank will be able to tackle some serious off-roading trails.

    The optional TANK X will offer a 6.2-litre Supercharged V8 sourced from the Dodge Demon and further tuned to produce over 1000 horsepower. In addition to the list of standard features in the previous generation, Tank Military Edition will feature standard military grade EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) protection covering E1, E2 and E3 electromagnetic pulses to protect critical electronic systems.

    Ferris Rezvani, CEO Rezvani Motors said, “The vision was to offer a fresh design for a purpose-built, rugged, off-road capable vehicle that was muscular, well proportioned, and brand new; as exciting to the eyes as it is to drive. The design was inspired by extreme off-road concepts typcially never seen on the road, but is completely street legal and ready for production to be able to be driven and enjoyed as a daily driver.”

    The 2020 Rezvani Tank gets a 6.2-litre Supercharged V8 sourced from the Dodge Demon and further tuned to produce over 1000 horsepower.

    The new 2020 Rezvani Tank will make its debut in the next few months in international markets with deliveries beginning by the end of 2019

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  • Niti Aayog Recommends Sale Of Only Electric Cars From 2030

    Niti Aayog Recommends Sale Of Only Electric Cars From 2030

    In another ambitious move, Niti Aayog has proposed that only electric vehicles should be sold in the country after 2030. Government’s think tank had earlier suggested banning all conventional three-wheelers and two-wheelers which are equipped with engines of up to 150 cc. According to Times Of India report, the committee has forward a cabinet note asking to assign roles to different ministries. Ministry of Road Transport And Highways (MoRTH) has been asked to work on a new framework to phase out the sale of diesel and petrol vehicles by 2030.

    That said, the proposal penned down by Niti Aayog is not only limited to vehicles and also talks about the infrastructure to push their sales. It suggests starting an e-Highway program with an overhead electricity network to facilitate operation for long distance trucks and busses. However, it has suggested piloting the project with selected National Highways which is likely to begin with the upcoming Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Along with the electrification of national highways, Niti Aayaog has also proposed local manufacturing of 50 GWh batteries by 2030.

    In a bid to meet the target, Niti Aayog has also proposed extending financial incentives like cash subsidy on the basis of overall domestic value addition per kilowatt hour (KWh) which will be around Rs 8000 crore. If domestic manufacturing of batteries can be made possible, the maximum cash subsidy will go up to ₹ 2000 crore for up to 20 GWh per firm which will be for just one KWh for total value capture. The think tank is also planning to procure 10 lakh direct and indirect job opportunities if the proposal is implemented.

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  • Hyundai And Kia To Invest In Self-Driving Start-Up Aurora

    Hyundai And Kia To Invest In Self-Driving Start-Up Aurora

    Hyundai Motor Co said on Thursday it would invest in self-driving car software startup Aurora along with Kia Motors Corp to speed up development of autonomous vehicle technologies.

    “With the new investment, the companies have agreed to expand research to a wide range of models and to build an optimal platform for Hyundai and Kia’s autonomous vehicles,” Hyundai said

    Aurora said in a blog post that Hyundai and Kia’s investment is part of a series B financing round, which has now raised more than $600 million.

    Aurora, which just announced a partnership with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, competes with Alphabet’s Waymo and General Motors’ majority-owned Cruise, among others.

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  • BMW Motorrad Files Patent For Electric Front Wheel Drive

    BMW Motorrad Files Patent For Electric Front Wheel Drive

    BMW Motorrad has filed patents for an electrically-driven front wheel that is likely to be featured in future generation adventure bikes. The patent drawings are ostensibly of an electric front wheel drive system, which will be able to supply drive force in combination with the conventional rear-wheel drive on motorcycles. The drawings show what is an all-in-one unit mounted around a front wheel hub, which will offer drive to the front wheel when needed in particularly steep inclines or slippery surfaces. The system isn’t a full-time two-wheel drive, but can be engaged only when the rider wishes to use it.

    The accompanying patent description does not say much about how it works, or what goes behind the front wheel drive concept, but BMW Motorrad states that it can be applied to motorcycles, as well as other vehicles, including three-wheelers and four-wheel vehicles. A patent application doesn’t always mean that such technologies will be introduced, or neither are these a sure-shot guarantee that BMW Motorrad will in fact introduce an electric two-wheel drive system.

    In fact, more than two years ago, there were reports of BMW Motorrad’s all-wheel drive system as well, on what was to be the world’s first series-production all-wheel drive travel enduro motorcycle with hybrid drive. Called the xDrive Hybrid, that system is similar to the one filed in the new patent application, but two years hence, it is yet to see something of a production form.

    If BMW Motorrad is indeed working on such an all-wheel drive system for motorcycles, with an electric front-wheel drive system, two years is a long time to be working on it, and about time we saw something, at least in concept form. Our guess is, something may be shown at the EICMA show in Milan, in November this year. But then again, who knows? Either ways, it will be interesting to see what the next generation motorcycle technology will be showcased at the world’s most popular motorcycle show in November 2019.

  • Official Designs Reveal Aprilia RS 660

    Official Designs Reveal Aprilia RS 660

    The Supersport class may not be getting much interest from consumers, across all brands, but now Aprilia seems intent to introduce a new 660 cc motorcycle, the Aprilia RS 660, which was showcased as a concept at the EICMA 2018 show in Milan, Italy, last year. Aprilia has revealed production drawings of the RS 660. From the concept showcased at the EICMA show, the design is nearly identical, but a closer look reveals that the production drawings show reveals that almost every body panel has been completely redesigned.

    The powerplant and other elements though remain the same as the concept, including the 660 cc, parallel-twin engine. The bike’s fairing has undergone some changes in design on the production drawings, with reshaped side panels as well as some changes in the cycle parts. The production design reveals the bike will sport Sachs suspension and Brembo Monoblocs, while the concept featured Ohlins suspension and Brembo Systema calipers. A top-spec production variant could also feature the Ohlins and Systema hardware which could be introduced at a later stage once Aprilia introduced the production model of the RS 660. The wheel design is also different on the production drawings.

    The triple clamp on the steering is a straight lift from the Aprilia RSV4, while the clip-on handlebars have a less aggressive riding position – placed higher and are significantly straighter than the ones shown on the concept. The swingarm seems to be completely new, but the single seat design has remained the same on the production model. We expect the production-spec Aprilia RS 660 to be showcased at this year’s EICMA 2019 show in November.

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  • Volvo Cars Partners With POC To Develop Safer Helmets For Cyclists

    Volvo Cars Partners With POC To Develop Safer Helmets For Cyclists

    Volvo Cars are one of the pioneers in the development of safer modern cars and the Swedish carmaker is now coming up with something innovative to take the safety quotient one step ahead. Volvo is partnering with POC for a series of world’s first crash test of bike helmets against cars in a bid to protect cyclists in case of a collision. Accidents between cars and cyclists often result in severe injuries and even death of the rider. Cyclist detection with full auto brake uses cameras and radars to detect cyclists, warn the driver of an imminent collision and apply the brakes as a precautionary measure.

    The Volvo-POC research project consists of a number of specially designed crash tests at the Volvo Cars safety research facilities in Gothenburg, Sweden and is part of a wider research project to understand the types of long-term injuries sustained by cyclists. Speaking about the new project, Malin Ekholm, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre said, “This project with POC is a good example of our pioneering spirit in safety. We often develop new testing methods for challenging traffic scenarios. Our aim is not only to meet legal requirements or pass rating tests. Instead, we go beyond ratings, using real traffic situations to develop technology that further improves safety.”

    The tests are based on existing regulatory test procedures for pedestrian head protection. During these tests, POC bike helmets are worn by crash dummy heads mounted on a testing rig, from where they are launched towards different areas of the hood of a static Volvo car, at different speeds and angles for various measurements. The learnings from the research project will help POC make its helmets safer and more protective in the event of a car-bike accident, while the tests will also provide valuable insights and learnings for Volvo Cars into these types of accidents for future development.

  • MG eZS Electric SUV Will Be Made In India

    MG eZS Electric SUV Will Be Made In India

    MG Motor has announced that it will be manufacturing its pure electric SUV, the MG eZS, in India, at its plant in Halol, Gujarat. The MG eZS will be one of the first ever fully electric SUVs in India when it is launched. The eZS will be MG’s second launch in India after the upcoming MG Hector. The company further said that its electric vehicles will get over-the-air (OTA) technology and would go over 300 km in a single charge from its lithium-ion battery. MG is yet to announce the exact specifications for the eZS.

    By the end of 2019, MG Will have a total of 120 sales and service outlets across India and the company said it will also reach out to Indian target audience and educate them about electric vehicles and look to address issues such as range anxiety and charging infrastructure. Like the MG Hector, the eZS will also feature MG’s iSmart Next-Gen connected technology.

    “The MG eZS, as one of the first locally produced global EVs, will mark a new chapter in environment-friendly mobility in India. We are delighted to be one of the first carmakers to enter this space in India. We aim to bring accessible electric motoring to the customers in India upon its introduction by the end of this year,” said Rajeev Chaba, President and Managing Director, MG Motor India.

    Till date, MG Motor India has made an investment of ₹ 2,200 crores at its Halol plant. The company has installed an all-new assembly line, a press shop, a body shop, a parts distribution center, a testing track along with a new training facility in the plant. MG has also set up a vendor park in and around the plant so as to increase the localization content for upcoming MG models.

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  • Skoda India Opens Its Largest Workshop Facility In Coimbatore

    Skoda India Opens Its Largest Workshop Facility In Coimbatore

    Skoda Auto today announced opening a new workshop facility in India in association with SGA Cars India, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The new facility is Skoda Auto’s largest workshop in the country and is spread across 49,585 sq. ft. of the premium service area, equipped with 50 bays, and a capacity to serve 20,000 vehicles per annum. The service workshop also has more than 40 dedicated aftersales personnel, and the company says that it has been built in line with Skoda’s new corporate identity and design.

    Skoda India feels that the new modern workshop facility will further strengthen its position in Tamil Nadu, and help the company achieve a strong foothold in the southern markets. Inaugurating the new state-of-the-art service facility, Zac Hollis, Director – Sales, Service and Marketing, Skoda India, said, “Skoda Auto India is set to strengthen its presence in the southern markets of our nation. The dimensions of the new facility are a reflection of the region’s potential for the brand. We are confident that our partnership with SGA Cars India will play an important role, in scaling up the brand, by offering our patrons a hassle-free ownership experience and utmost peace of mind.”

    Commenting on their partnership with Skoda, Arputharaj, Dealer Principal, SGA Cars India said, “We are delighted to partner with Skoda Auto India to introduce our newly designed workshop facility. The state-of-the-art service infrastructure and optimized business processes will enable us to deliver an unmatched service experience. The advancement of Skoda makes us more confident and committed to our valued customers.”

    Skoda India currently has a network of 64 sales and 62 service outlets across the country. However, as part of its ‘INDIA 2.0’ project, Skoda Auto plans double its dealer network across 50 new cities, over the next 3 years, to further increase the accessibility of the brand. As for some of its customer initiative programmes, the company recently also introduced ‘EasyBuy’, an assured introductory 57 percent buyback value programme for the Skoda Superb model range, at the end of the three-year contractual term. This is in addition to the company’s existing Skoda Shield Plus plan which offers motor insurance, 24×7 roadside assistance, and an extended warranty for all Skoda cars.

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  • SM Retail Achieves Small Profit Boost

    SM Retail Achieves Small Profit Boost

    SM Retail has achieved a first-quarter profit increase of 5 percent to P2.7 billion (US$51.7 million).

    Retail revenues in the first three months rose by 13 percent year-on-year to P79 billion, while sales from specialty retail stores grew by the same percentage to P19.6 billion.

    As at the end of March, SM Retail had 2385 stores, comprising 63 department stores, 1388 specialty retail stores, 57 SM Supermarkets, 53 SM Hypermarkets, 194 Savemore, 52 WalterMart, and 578 Alfamart stores.

    The figures were included in the quarterly report of SM Investments, which boosted its profit by 26 percent to PHP10.7 billion (US$205 million).

    The gains reflected improved sales from the retail business as well as its property and banking activities.

    Consolidated revenues during the period were up 15 percent year-on-year to PHP109 billion ($2.1 billion).

    “We continued to deliver double-digit growth to both our top and bottom line in the first quarter,” said SMIC president Frederic DyBuncio. “Performance was strong across our businesses, particularly for our banks.”

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  • BMW Group Plans To Launch 25 Plug-In’s

    BMW Group Plans To Launch 25 Plug-In’s

    Since 2013, BMW has been in the game of electric cars and it was then that the company envisioned the future of electrification in automobiles. The ‘i’ brand has been very successful right from the i3 all-electric car to the i8 plug-in hybrid. And now, BMW is looking to expand that portfolio and bring in a lot more cars for its customers. The company announced at an investor meeting that it is going big on its electrification plan. The company plans to launch 25 Plug-In hybrids and 12 All-Electric cars by 2025. Over the next couple of years, the company will focus on bringing out plug-in hybrid versions of its existing models.

    Back in 2017, deliveries of electrified vehicles for BMW jumped by 65.6 percent to 103,080 units. Considering the strong growth it has seen in this space, the BMW Group announced that it will spend more on research and development in 2018. The company spent 6 billion euros in 2017 and that figure jumped to 7 billion in 2018.

    The company met its target of selling 1,40,000 EVs worldwide and has already sold 4 lakh electrified cars across the globe. The company is eyeing the 5 lakh unit sales milestone in 2019. The surge in sales will be helped by the introduction of new products and these will include all-electric BMW iX3, the new i4, and MINI. The BMW Group already manufactures electrified vehicles at ten production facilities.

    In 2019, Plant Oxford will join this list with the start of production of the fully-electric MINI. The BMW i4 is just one of the 25 electrified models that the BMW Group intends to bring to market by 2025. Half of these models will be fully electric. Powered by the fifth generation of battery and drivetrain technology, from 2021 the BMW Group will of offer all-electric vehicles with a range of up to 700 kilometers and plug-in hybrids with an electrical range of up to 100 kilometers.

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  • Elon Musk Owes $507 Million To Banks Helping Tesla Raise Capital

    Elon Musk Owes $507 Million To Banks Helping Tesla Raise Capital

    Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk personally owes $507 million to Wall Street banks involved in Tesla’s stock and debt sale, backed by his stake in the electric car maker, a company filing showed on Thursday.

    The lending was disclosed in Tesla’s prospectus on Thursday to raise up to $2.3 billion with new shares and convertible debt, and it was $117 million less than the personal loans to Musk disclosed in Tesla’s previous prospectus in 2017.

    Still, Tesla said that if the price of its stock falls and the banks force Musk to sell some of his shares, that could create additional pressure on the stock.

    Tesla jumped over 4% after Tesla disclosed capital raising plans, which soothed investors’ recent concerns about the Palo Alto, California company and pulled its stock up from two-year lows.

    Musk, who owns 20% of Tesla, has taken personal loans from Wall Street banks for years. A Tesla 2017 prospectus showed $624 million in loans to Musk.

    The filing on Thursday showed Musk owed money to three banks working on the capital increase.

    Goldman Sachs Group Inc has $213 million in loans outstanding to Musk, while he owes Morgan Stanley $209 million, and another $85 million to Bank of America Corp . Goldman was not mentioned as a personal lender to Musk in the 2017 filing.

    Those loans are backed by Musk’s shares in Tesla, currently worth a total of around $8 billion. If Tesla’s stock declines, then Musk could be forced to sell some of those shares under terms of the loan, according to the Tesla filing.

    Mark Williams, a professor of finance at Boston University, said that investment banks can run into conflicts of interest with their deals with companies, their founders and CEOs, testing their rules to keep different businesses separate.

    “This is particularly true in the case of Tesla where you have an aggressive and vocal CEO who is prone to pushing the legal limits and gain terms that might run counter to Goldman’s conflict of interest policies,” Williams said.

    Goldman and Citigroup Inc, the top-line book runners in Thursday’s capital raise, both have “sell” ratings on Tesla’s stock, which is unusual but not exceptional on Wall Street.

    At the end of 2018, Musk and his trust had 13.4 million Tesla shares pledged as collateral for personal debts, according to another filing. That is down from 13.8 million shares at the end of 2017.

    Tesla, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs declined to talk about the loans. Tesla has a policy that caps executives’ borrowings at a quarter of the value of the shares pledged as collateral.

    With Tesla repeatedly pushing back forecasts for turning a profit, its stock has dropped 27% year to date.

    Musk plans to buy another $10 million worth of shares as part of the sale announced on Thursday.

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  • Hyundai Introduces Smartphone Based EV Performance Control Technology

    Hyundai Introduces Smartphone Based EV Performance Control Technology

    Hyundai Motor Group has announced the development of ‘smartphone-electric vehicle pairing based performance adjustment technology,’ which allows users to customise primary functions through a smartphone app. The company says that it is in fact an industry first innovation. Drivers can use this technology to adjust seven performance features including the maximum torque output of the motor, ignition, acceleration and deceleration abilities, regenerative braking capacity, maximum speed limit, responsiveness, and energy use on climate control.

    As electric vehicles continually expand their market share, especially in rental or car-sharing industries, the new technology will allow drivers to use their custom settings in whichever electric vehicle they drive by downloading their profile from the server. The application provides optimised settings for a designated destination by analysing the remaining distance and electric energy requirement. It can also accommodate sportier driving by recommending tailored performance settings.

    The application provides optimised settings for a designated destination by analysing the remaining distance and electric energy requirement

    Beyond the driver’s seat, users can share their customisation settings online as well as try out other users’ custom settings. Customers can also apply recommended settings by Hyundai based on the condition of roads, from country roads to the city centre or mountain ranges. Hyundai Motor Group will utilise blockchain technology to prevent security issues while users upload and share their custom sittings on the server.

    In the process of uploading and sharing custom settings, the system encrypts major performance parameters in a blockchain network by creating new data blocks and stores them in the distributed data storage system to block unauthorised manipulation.

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  • Next Generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class Interior Leaked

    Next Generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class Interior Leaked

    Mercedes-Benz is readying the next generation of its flagship S-Class sedan and while we’ve seen test mules in the past, a leaked image of the interior have now made its online. The next generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class due to make its debut sometime in 2020 and going by the leaked image, the car appears future ready. Confirmed by earlier spy shots, the W223 S-Class replaced the dual infotainment screen with single unit for the instrument console and a massive vertically-stacked display for all other controls. The Tesla like touchscreen system replaces a tonne of switches on dashboard that gets a clutter-free appearance with sleek looking air-con vents and a new steering wheel. The leaked image also reveals the dual-tone treatment to the cabin in pristine while and black shades.

    The new generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class will be based on the automaker’s MRA platform and will come with a range of six and eight cylinder petrol and diesel engines. There will also be an electrified version called – the EQ S – and will be based on the company’s new Modular Electric Architecture (MEA). The new electrified version is expected to sport a range of 500 km on a single charge, as the automaker’s new top-of-the-line electric saloon. Not to forget, there will be the Affalterbach versions too with the AMG-tuned S-Class drawing power from the 4.0-litre V8 bi-turbo motor that is likely to go hybrid.

    In addition, the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is expected to be offered in only the long-wheelbase guise globally. That said, do expect the Pullman and Maybach versions to follow suit packing in tech and comfort over the current W222 S-Class. It needs to be seen if Mercedes will continue with the Coupe and Convertible versions on the next generation. With respect to new tech, expect improved autonomous driving capability possibly up to Level 3; a new and updated version of the Airmatic suspension and more segment-first creature comforts on the offering.

    In terms of design, the new S-Class is likely to get an evolutionary styling along lines of the new A-Class, CLS and the likes. The current version is one of the most gorgeous looking saloons out there, which really sets the benchmark for the new version. It is also likely to serve as the design inspiration for the next C-Class and E-Class models, when its time for their respective new life cycles.

    More details on the new S-Class will be available in the months to come. A global debut will happen next year while sales globally should commence by 2021 or 2022, depending on the market. The W222 S-Class is assembled in India, and given the sheer demand for the flagship Mercedes, expect the new model to be locally assembled as well.