Mercedes E-class long wheelbase India-bound in 2017

Update: New E-Class LWB India launch in March 2017

Mercedes unveiled the all-new E-class at the Detroit motor show in January 2016. Based on the MRA platform underpinning the C-class, the new sedan is lighter and larger than its predecessor along with featuring Mercedes’ new design language from the C-class and the S-class.

Mercedes had planned to offer the new E-class in six body styles including a long-wheelbase and a Maybach variant. While the E-Class Maybach is expected to be a global model and will be an affordable alternative to the Maybach S-class, the LWB E-class is being developed for only select markets. Confirmed for the Chinese market, which also gets the E-class LWB in its older W212 generation, Mercedes also revealed to Autocar India in November 2014 that it was considering introducing the next-gen E-class in its long-wheelbase guise alongside the standard sedan in India. This has now been confirmed with the model set to arrive here in early 2017.

Images of the China-bound E-class LWB have now surfaced on the web. The E-class LWB in question, an E300 L (L signifying long-wheelbase), gets a wheelbase stretched by 140mm over the standard sedan with the new wheelbase of the car measuring 3,079mm. Most of this extra space is used up in the second row with longer doors and improved cabin space for the rear passenger.

The E-class L will use the same powertrains as the standard E-class, which in this case is expected to be a 2.0-litre petrol motor developing 241.6bhp. A less powerful version equipped with a  detuned version of the same engine is also expected.

The long-wheelbase E-class will have a familiar interior, with its dashboard derived from the S-class. However, the car is expected to get more upmarket trimmings than its standard counterpart.

The E-class L for China is set to be built within the country by the Beijing-Benz joint venture and is expected to make its debut at the Beijing motor show this year.