Mercedes Benz, a synonym for luxury, launched its luxury flagship in India in 1996. Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler-Chrysler, has seen consistent rise in its car sales in India. The Mercedes S-Class has always been referred to as the most luxurious and most spacious vehicle in the Mercedes Benz line-up. The "S-class" is an abbreviation for the German word "Sonderklasse" which means "special class" or a specially outfitted car.

In March 2003, the new S-Class, S 350 L, was launched in the Indian market in a petrol version. Currently, the S-Class comes in two variants: S 350 and S 320 CDI. The new S-Class sedan reflects the Mercedes tradition of modest grace that is universally gorgeous, and instills excitement into its overall design theme. The S-Class has always been the choice of kings, statesmen, and business tycoons. The new S-Class continues the tradition of resetting the luxury and safety benchmark for this segment.

The S 350 variant comes with a powerful 3.5L V-6 petrol engine that produces 272 bhp and forks out 350 Nm of torque. The S 320 CDI variant has a smaller 3.0L V-6 engine that generates 210 bhp and 490 Nm of torque. Both variants come standard with a '7G-TRONIC,' 7-speed automatic transmission, which is unique globally. In addition, 'DIRECT SELECT,' an attractively styled steering-column selector lever is provided, which can be gently pressed to operate the 7G-TRONIC. The S-Class returns 6 km/l in the city and it renders 9 km/l on the highway. This sedan adopts the Mercedes-Benz brake assist system, which gives audio and visual warnings if the S-Class trains a vehicle in front that is too close. If the warning is ignored, the car will automatically engage the brakes to slow down or simply bring itself to a stop. The S-Class keeps cabin noise to a minimum, even when revved hard beyond 120 km/h. Its active body control prevents roll-over and improves handling during hard cornering.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, with its awe-inspiring looks and technical innovations, offers some classy interior amenities. Some of the interior features include a flexible glass sunroof equipped with a sliding roof and a new wind deflector system for panoramic country view. LEDs provide ample ambient lighting under the wood trim in door linings and the dashboard. The 4-Zone Climate Control option allows for a separate temperature environment for each quadrant of the cabin. The brilliant aerodynamic feature produces minimal drag. The car is equipped with a speed-sensitive power steering. The self-adjusting suspension system reduces the car's height for least air resistance. The S-Class gets the 'night view assist' (optional), which is a Mercedes-Benz innovation that makes a valuable contribution to perceptual safety. By means of infrared main-beam headlamps, the 'night view assist' ensures better detection of objects and surroundings at night. The new reversing camera (optional) makes reverse parking easier and safer.