Mercedes-Benz India Bets on Hybrids to Bridge EV Transition; Launches AMG E 53 PHEV at Rs.1.45 Crore

Mercedes-Benz India launched the AMG E 53 plug-in hybrid at Rs 1.45 crore, reaffirming its commitment to hybrid vehicles despite a lack of policy incentives. The luxury automaker emphasized a powertrain-agnostic approach to serve evolving consumer demand

New Delhi: German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz will continue to bring hybrid vehicles in India to serve latent consumer demand, irrespective of lack of policy support for such technology, a senior company official on Thursday.

Mercedes-Benz India, which launched its AMG E 53 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (EV) in two editions priced at Rs 1.45 crore and Rs 1.48 crore, respectively (ex-showroom, all-India), sees hybrid as the bridge option for consumers who are not yet ready to go for full EVs, company Managing Director & CEO, Santosh Iyer told PTI.

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“Electrification is the long-term roadmap to reach and final destination. But that’s one way to look at the story. The other way is there are still 75 per cent of customers who are not preferring electrification for valid reasons,” he said.

Factors such as charging infrastructure, range anxiety and residual value, still hamper the drive towards electrification, he noted.

“For us, the plug-in hybrid powertrain helps us to bridge that gap. It offers you a combustion engine, and the pleasure of an EV,” Iyer said.

If it meant the company will launch hybrids irrespective of lack of policy support, such as the Delhi EV policy not offering any incentive to such vehicles, he said, “Wherever opportunities exist and possibilities exist, we will continue to introduce plug-in hybrid as well.”

Iyer asserted that Mercedes-Benz India offers a range of technologies, from E25-compliant full portfolio of petrol vehicles to BS-VI phase two compliant diesel cars to electric vehicles in order “to be ahead of the curve as far as consumer demand is concerned”.

Stating that the company fully recognises the policymaker’s focus on EVs and appreciates that, Iyer said, “But we would like to offer consumers choice and give them the time to live with hybrid powertrain before many of them shift to EV powertrain.”

On the new AMG E 53 PHEV, he said, “This performance sedan combines genuine AMG performance with plug-in hybrid’s efficiency, balancing an AMG customers need of racetrack performance with practicality of daily usage, perfectly.”

He further said, “The AMG E53 Hybrid furthers our ‘powertrain agnostic’ strategy for India, where customers decide the powertrain of their choice, suiting their requirement.”

MercedesBenz India on Thursday also announced a multi-year partnership with the Indian Padel Tour, becoming the title partner for the 2026-27 season.

This collaboration marks the brand’s first foray into competitive padel.

“The association with Indian Padel Tour reflects our commitment to creating such distinctive experiences, championing performance and creating emerging lifestyle trends,” Iyer said.

The Mercedes-Benz Indian Padel Tour 2026-27 season will feature 19 tournaments across 10 cities, including 10 City Opens, 5 Grand Slams, and 4 Special IP events.

It will commence in Mumbai in August 2026 and culminate with the season finale in Bengaluru in June 2027, the company added.