MERC PROMISES BS-VI CARS IN DELHI NEXT YEAR

Mercedes-Benz would start introducing vehicles meeting the stringent Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission standards in India from next year. It would be the first in the segment to do so. The first such cars would be rolled out for the Delhi market; the Centre has decided only BS-VI fuel must be supplied in the capital from April 1, two years before the national rollout. All new vehicles sold at present comply with BS-IV norms. In another move, oil marketing firms have decided to automate systems and ensure real-time monitoring of their 55,000-odd outlets by December 2018, to check scams.

Mercedes-Benz, the country’s biggest luxury carmaker, will start introducing vehicles meeting the stringent Bharat Stage-VI (BS-VI) emission standards in India from next year. It is the first in the segment to say so.

The first such cars will be rolled out for the Delhi market; the central government has decided only BS-VI fuel must be supplied in the capital from April 1, two years before national rollout. All new vehicles sold at present comply with BS-IV norms.

“The government is taking a courageous decision in the right direction. We will be ready to introduce our first BS-VI cars next year. The engine will be largely locally made. We don’t know the increase in price levels but it has to be expensive,” Roland Folger, managing director and chief executive officer of the German company’s India unit, told

Business Standard.

The government announcement on BS-VI came last week, in response to the city’s smog condition. “We believe this is just a start. A lot of other cities will follow this as well (before 2020),” said Folger, stressing on the importance of making this fuel available in places outside Delhi.

“We need to make sure our BS-VI car owners find this fuel when they decide to drive out of the capital for work or leisure. You cannot use BS-IV fuel in a BS-VI vehicle; that could cause damage and even lead to a lapse of the warranty.”

Mercedes sold 11,869 cars in the domestic market during the January-September period, up 19 per cent over a year before. Delhi is one of its top markets in the country.