[TusharK]

Mod Note: Our Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupe Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

The Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupe has been launched in India at a price of Rs. 2.55 crore (ex-showroom).



The 2-door coupe gets a Panamericana grille and twin-pod headlights. The front bumper has a wide airdam with air intakes on either side. At the rear, the car comes with LED tail lights and a chrome garnish that runs across the boot lid. The rear bumper has vents on the sides and quad-exhausts. In India, the AMG S 63 Coupe is offered with 19-inch alloy wheels as standard.

On the inside, the S 63 Coupe has a leather-wrapped dashboard with a large split screen, which displays the instrument cluster on the right and the touchscreen infotainment system on the left. The car comes with a 3-spoke, flat-bottom multi-functional steering wheel. The seats are wrapped in Nappa leather and come with AMG badges.



The Mercedes-AMG S 63 Coupe is powered by a 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 engine that delivers 603 BHP @ 5,500-6,000 rpm and 900 Nm of peak torque @ 2,750-4,500 rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission. There are 4 driving modes - Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual. It also has features like cylinder deactivation, speed-sensitive steering and AMG performance exhaust. Mercedes claims that the coupe will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 300 km/h (with AMG Driver's Package).

The S 63 Coupe comes with various driver assistance and safety systems including Active Steering Assist, Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC, Active Braking Assist and Blind Spot Assist.

Link to Team-BHP News

[GTO]

Another week, another CBU launch from Mercedes. I think Mercedes' CBU team is the busiest in the auto industry. Equally, I might add, they have the easiest job of launching cars.

15th June: Mercedes reads about Jaguar's coupe launch - link.

Sleeps on it .

16th June: Calls HQ & places an order for a single piece of the S63 Coupe. PayTM's them the money.

17th June: Car is on a plane headed to India.

18th June: Get it cleared and transported to the factory. Draft press release based on a global press release. Change some things here & there (mainly, convert the $ or Euro to INR).

19th June: Call 3M to quickly detail the car from outside, put some boards behind, take some pics and send out a press release.

Voila! Another car launch . I think the car rags should add one more category to the 30 annual awards they hand out every year - 'Maximum car launches / year'. Mercedes would dominate that like Schumacher did in F1.

[avishar]

Originally Posted by GTO

Another week, another CBU launch from Mercedes. I think Mercedes' CBU team is the busiest in the auto industry.

I swear! They also fly everyone to these launches, but these are usually a fly-in, fly-out affair with a lunch thrown in at the showroom, or if they are being generous at the five-star launch venue. A good day's outing. Although I always used to wonder why do these manufacturers go to such expenses for niche imports, like for example, this S63 AMG Coupe facelift. But then I guess a couple of lakhs or ten is worth the launch-number bragging right.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by GTO

Calls HQ & places an order for a single piece of the S63 Coupe. PayTM's them the money.

Just heard that HQ is so busy with sending Mercedes India CBUs that, going forward, they are going to park a couple of CBUs at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Pune. Mercedes India can simply use 'Amazon Prime' for a quicker turnaround next time .

Originally Posted by avishar

A good day's outing. Although I always used to wonder why do these manufacturers go to such expenses for niche imports, like for example, this S63 AMG Coupe facelift.

Main reasons = Press coverage is cheaper than advertisements. And more people read articles than advertisements.

A nationwide ad in a newspaper can cost 5 - 10 lakhs. An ad in a car magazine can cost a lakh.

Now, if you host an event even for a pointless CBU:

- Journalists are happy as they get a fun day away from their desk. Notice how the invite of every such event specifically mentions "lunch".

- Because they attended your event, they are obligated to write a news item. If 30 people show up, that's 30 newspapers / publications / websites / magazines writing on you. Cheaper than paying for 30 ads .

If you don't hold an event, publications may or may not cover the launch.

We all know no one is going to buy this car. But the effort is to just ensure that people read about brand 'Mercedes' ever so often. This high performance car & the entire launch process is a brand building exercise.

Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these CBUs are sent back to Germany because no one bought them here.

[PrideRed]

Should not this car be tested by ARAI? If a car is to be launched in India, does it not go through series of tests/approvals etc?

[navin]

Originally Posted by GTO

15th June: Mercedes reads about Jaguar's coupe launch - link.

Sleeps on it .

16th June: Calls HQ & places an order for a single piece of the S63 Coupe. PayTM's them the money.

17th June: Car is on a plane headed to India.

18th June: Get it cleared and transported to the factory. Draft press release based on a global press release. Change some things here & there (mainly, convert the $ or Euro to INR).

19th June: Call 3M to quickly detail the car from outside, put some boards behind, take some pics and send out a press release.

Voila! Another car launch . I think the car rags should add one more category to the 30 annual awards they hand out every year - 'Maximum car launches / year'. Mercedes would dominate that like Schumacher did in F1.

I wanted to edit this quote but the whole damn thing was hilarious (just had to quote the whole thing). Thanks for making my morning GTO.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Should not this car be tested by ARAI? If a car is to be launched in India, does it not go through series of tests/approvals etc?

Not necessary if the car costs more than 40000$ or has an engine larger than 3 liter.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Not necessary if the car costs more than 40000$ or has an engine larger than 3 liter.

Really? Does that mean one can launch a left hand drive car that costs more than 40000$/3.0L? As I am aware any car, first is bought for homologation and will be launched only after this. If there is no approval/verification required, I consider this a security breach. What stops people from launching a 5.0L monster truck equipped with missile launcher? There will definitely be some buyer up in J&K

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by GTO

We all know no one is going to buy this car. But the effort is to just ensure that people read about brand 'Mercedes' ever so often. This high performance car & the entire launch process is a brand building exercise.

Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these CBUs are sent back to Germany because no one bought them here.

Exactly 1 person purchased the previous version of this and I believe it was totalled very early on in its life, I think I saw the thread on TBHP. The other one is a Frankenstein media car which was used and abused and now has no takers.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Really? Does that mean one can launch a left hand drive car that costs more than 40000$/3.0L? As I am aware any car, first is bought for homologation and will be launched only after this. If there is no approval/verification required, I consider this a security breach. What stops people from launching a 5.0L monster truck equipped with missile launcher? There will definitely be some buyer up in J&K

Really old news but still relevant:

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com...2902500600.htm

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Should not this car be tested by ARAI? If a car is to be launched in India, does it not go through series of tests/approvals etc?

Most likely, this is not applicable to cars costing 40000 USD. This used to be the norm before but I am not certain at this time.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Really? Does that mean one can launch a left hand drive car that costs more than 40000$/3.0L?

Homologation is different, it confirms specification or adherence to certain standards & regulations. I think we now accept certifications from other countries so this practice.

There are a different set of rules to get cars imported to India. You need to adhere to those rules to get your car cleared from Customs

https://taxandregulatoryaffairs.word...es-into-india/

[dean5545]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

Exactly 1 person purchased the previous version of this and I believe it was totalled very early on in its life, I think I saw the thread on TBHP. The other one is a Frankenstein media car which was used and abused and now has no takers.

There is one more car here in Mumbai. Which I personally saw, as I stay nearby. I think they must have sold a couple of those.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Really? Does that mean one can launch a left hand drive car that costs more than 40000$/3.0L?

LHDs are prohibited, unless of course you are a bigshot (Ratan Tata famously imported one LHD car after the ban) or it comes on carnet (temporary import).

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Most likely, this is not applicable to cars costing 40000 USD.

Yep, I believe that still holds.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

Exactly 1 person purchased the previous version of this and I believe it was totalled very early on in its life, I think I saw the thread on TBHP. The other one is a Frankenstein media car which was used and abused and now has no takers.

There are two in Bangalore

[Anand123]

Originally Posted by ajmat

There are two in Bangalore

...and another two of these in Delhi too.