Mercedes, Toyota to roll out BS VI compliant vehicles

Mercedes Benz India and Toyota Kirloskar Motor, which were hit by the ban on big diesel engines in the NCR for much of last year, will be rolling out Bharat Stage VI compliant vehicles well ahead of the 2020 deadline, possibly spurring rivals to also introduce vehicles with improved emission norms. When the government decided to skip BS V and move to directly BS VI emission norms in 2016, the industry had protested, citing the accelerated four-year deadline. Mercedes Benz may introduce BS VI vehicles by next year. Toyota Kirloskar’s Camry hybrid sedan already meets the standard in large part and the company is considering the introduction of another such model, possibly the Corolla, this year. “It is my target to bring in BS VI vehicles by 2018 into the Indian market,“ said Mercedes Benz India Managing Director Roland Folger. “By bringing in the BS VI vehicles, one can make the cities of Delhi, Pune and other cities a cleaner place.“