Mercedes-Benz To Add Petrol Engines Across Lineup

German carmaker Mercedes-Benz is set to introduce petrol engines across its model range on sale in India.

The German carmaker's decision is due to the fact that its diesel engine range on sale in India only starts at over 2,000cc which makes it impossible for the carmaker to sell its cars in the extremely crucial Delhi-NCR region.

Currently, only two models in the Mercedes range on sale in India are sold without the option of a petrol engine – the GLE and GLS SUVs.

Both SUVs are expected to get the same 3.0-litre V6 engine found in the locally assembled S 400 sedan. The twin-turbo V6 engine produces produces 329bhp and 480Nm of torque which will be sent to all four wheels through a 7-speed automatic gearbox.

Both the GLE and GLS currently use a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 diesel engine that produces 255bhp and 600Nm of torque. The GLE also uses a 2.1-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel engine that makes 201bhp and 500Nm of torque. All three engines are mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox that sends the power and torque to all four wheels.

Speaking to Autocar India, Roland Folger, Managing Director And CEO of Mercedes-Benz India said, "I think that the most important thing that we did to mitigate the impact of the ban is to register the petrol versions of our cars, and by September this year, we will have a petrol version of each of the cars in our model line-up, right from the A-class, B-class, and so basically, we are going back to where we were 10 years ago."