Mercedes-Benz 140-Year Anniversary World Tour Reaches India

Mercedes-Benz is bringing its global "140 Years. 140 Places" transcontinental road trip to India this July. The commemorative tour honors the 1886 patent filing by Carl Benz for the world's first automobile, the Patent-Motorwagen. Three flagship S-Class sedans, named Gotlieb, Carl, and Bertha, are conducting the journey, having already covered 60,000 km across 55 countries and six continents since their departure on January 29, 2026. The India leg seeks to document diverse cultural landscapes, local innovations, and unique traditions across two specific nationwide routes.

The Indian traversal features two distinct paths for the three vehicles. The S-Class named Gotlieb will travel from New Delhi toward Amritsar, continuing into the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. This route includes crossing the Umling La, recognized as the highest motorable pass globally, before descending to Manali and passing through Lucknow, Varanasi, and Patna, with a scheduled foray into Bhutan. The remaining two vehicles, Carl and Bertha, will depart New Delhi to traverse Agra, Jaipur, Udaipur, and Ahmedabad, before heading to Pune, the location of the brand's primary manufacturing facility.

The tour functions as a high-visibility marketing initiative for the German luxury automaker, underscoring its historical legacy and modern engineering capabilities. The S-Class vehicles are set to converge in Bengaluru, home to the brand's India R&D center, before the journey concludes in Mumbai. This leg of the tour highlights the importance of the Indian market to the global brand. Industry observers will monitor the event for its potential to deepen consumer engagement and showcase the brand's commitment to the evolving Indian automotive landscape during its landmark 140th anniversary year.