New Delhi: Makers of the Mercedes-Benz cars in India, DaimlerChrysler India Pvt Ltd, today flagged off a unique pan India drive from its manufacturing facility in Chikhali, Pune. Participating in this drive are top auto industry experts from all over the country.

Titled "Mercedes-Benz: The India Trail", this drive will feature the complete portfolio of diesel cars from the Mercedes-Benz stable in India- S-Class, C-Class, E-Class, M-Class, the Bio-Diesel C-Class and the Viano. The seven cars in this entourage will cover a cumulative distance of more than 40,000km from 17 September to 10 October.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Dr Wilfried Aulbur, MD and CEO DaimlerChrysler India, said, "We are pioneers of the luxury car segment in India and have completed 12 successful years of our operations in this country. We also see a lot of parallels between the country and the Mercedes-Benz brand- both have a distinguished history, a strong lineage and epitomise diversity.

"To celebrate this connection and commemorate our strong ties with the nation, we have organised this pan-India drive. Modern Mercedes diesels are powerful, economical and environment-friendly. Hence our portfolio of diesel cars emerged as an obvious choice for the drive."

The drive will touch upon larger parts of south, west and northern India.