India’s leading luxury car brand Mercedes-Benz today delivered a personally curated Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 to Ms. Geeta Goradia, spouse of city-based business person, Amit Goradia. The luxury SUV was delivered to Ms. Geeta Goradia by Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian (Dr. B), Professor and Executive Director Center for Advanced Vehicle Technology at College of Engineering, University of Alabama, (also an Ex-Board member of Mercedes-Benz India & Chairman of Mercedes-Benz R&D India and former Vice President of Daimler Group Research and Advanced Engineering), in the presence of Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India. This luxury SUV becomes unique and even more special as Dr. Balasubramanian personally witnessed and documented the making of the vehicle from ground zero following all mandated security protocols, at Mercedes-Benz US International’s SUV manufacturing plant at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
Commenting on this unique delivery, Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, stated, “It is a matter of great privilege for me to personally deliver this very special GLS Maybach to our valued customer. The making of this particular vehicle marks the spirits of friendship, unmatched enthusiasm, and excitement of two friends, the passion for excellence, and an endearment for brand Mercedes-Benz. This indeed is a rare and highly inspiring story of celebrating decades of friendship between two IIT-Bombay classmates, and we at the Mercedes-Benz family are extremely proud to be part of this story.”
“To witness the making of a Maybach GLS, the pinnacle of automotive craftsmanship is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for any customer across the world. We are grateful to Dr. Balasubramanian for his unparalleled passion and enthusiasm towards curating this special GLS Maybach for his friend. We are also thankful to our colleagues at Mercedes-Benz AG and Mercedes-Benz US International, for making this customer wish a reality, that too in a special way.” added Mr. Schwenk
The story of two friends since 1968:
As two extremely accomplished men in their respective fields, IITians Bharat and Amit’s friendship dates back to 1968, when they shared the same hostel room in IIT Bombay. Both remained close friends through decades after college, as Bharat joined Daimler-Benz and Amit forayed into building his industry in Vadodara, after graduating from IIT. Amit always remained involved with Germany through his company’s affiliation with Kuenkel-Wagner, a foundry equipment manufacturer in Hannover, Germany.
Though Amit and Geeta visited Bharat multiple times at Mercedes-Benz Germany, since 2015 onwards, Bharat convinced the Goradias into becoming staunch brand loyalists of the Three-Pointed Star. Influenced by the positive experience of using the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class himself, in the fall of 2021, Amit decided to gift his wife the global symbol of automotive excellence and motoring luxury in a SUV, the Maybach GLS, made in Tuscaloosa, USA. Bharat who was now a distinguished member of the University of Alabama stepped in to help his classmate make this the most special experience ever. The Mercedes-Benz US International team echoed Dr. Bala’s desire to make this order an extremely special one, thus commencing a very rare journey of curating the vehicle from its production.
Witnessing the ‘Making of GLS Maybach’ in Tuscaloosa, USA:
Dr. Balasubramanian collaborated with MB USI team in Tuscaloosa and Mercedes-Benz AG team in Sindelfingen, Germany to document the making of the Maybach GLS. Given, the Maybach demands the ultimate perfection in automotive workmanship, only a few thousand Maybachs are handcrafted every year. Dr. Balasubramanian was invited by MBUSI to be a part of this exclusive experience, which he witnessed and documented, following all safety protocols and captured the stage-by-stage manufacturing of the ultimate in luxury automobile- A Mercedes-Maybach.
During this Maybach GLS’ production, Dr. Balasubramanian shared his expert opinion on its customization especially the e-suspension, which was invented by his group in MB-Sindelfingen, Germany. The luxury SUV was finally hand delivered on September 18^th^ 2022 to Ms. Geeta Goradia by Dr. Balasubramanian who travelled from Tuscaloosa to Vadodara, alongside Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India.
Key Customizations available in the Mercedes-Maybach GLS personalized for Amit Goradia:
- Color: Hyacinth Red Metallic Color
- E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL: The vehicle benefits from a fully active e-suspension, which has been redeveloped from the ground up. It is able to assess the road conditions, speed and load. For this, the high-performance control units analyse the driving conditions 1000 times per second. Damping and level control are automatically adjusted for each wheel accordingly and this results in outstanding ride comfort and excellent stability on any road condition.
- Burmester® high-end 3D surround sound system: It produces a high-end audiophile experience with 26 speakers and a system output of 1610 W. It conducts the system like a personal orchestra in a concert hall.
- MBUX Rear Seat Entertainment System: Films, music, photos, internet, or video games – the system features diverse interfaces for the use of external media.
- MAGIC Vision Control: Greater visibility, greater safety: the innovative MAGIC VISION CONTROL system ensures perfect visibility – even during the wiping process. It makes use of intelligent, heated water ducts in the windscreen wipers. These spray washer fluid directly onto the windscreen in front of the wiper blades – precisely where it is needed.
The digital (60Sec) and television spots (30 Sec) that follow, also convey Ford’s Feels-Like- Family commitment message, using the power of emotional storytelling.
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