Mercedes-Benz is taking the new S-Class across India as part of its “140 Years. 140 Places” global journey, with the luxury sedan set to travel through major cities and climb to Umling La in Ladakh, a 19,024-foot-high mountain pass regarded as the world’s highest publicly accessible road pass.
The India leg will take the S-Class through destinations including Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Jaipur and Leh, before heading towards Umling La, which sits at an altitude of 5,799 metres.
The journey forms part of Mercedes-Benz’s celebrations marking 140 years of innovation and is designed to bring together customers, fans, Mercedes-Benz Club members and local communities across multiple countries.
The global tour began after the world premiere of the new S-Class on January 29, 2026. Three S-Class sedans subsequently set off on a journey covering more than 50,000 kilometres across six continents and 140 selected locations.
According to Mercedes-Benz, the locations have been chosen to reflect different aspects of the company’s history, pioneering work and international presence.
New S-Class Takes on One of India’s Highest Roads
The drive to Umling La is expected to be one of the most demanding and visually striking sections of the India tour.
At 19,024 feet, the high-altitude road presents a rather different environment from the city streets and autobahns more commonly associated with an S-Class. For the luxury flagship, it is effectively a journey from executive lounges to thin air — quite literally.
Beyond the mountain route, stops in major Indian cities will allow Mercedes-Benz to showcase the car to customers and enthusiasts while connecting the global anniversary programme with local communities.
The company said the S-Class will be joined at various stages of the worldwide journey by classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles, current production models and locally relevant vehicles.
The format is intended to bring together different periods of the company’s automotive history, placing heritage models alongside the latest S-Class.
Journey Has Already Crossed Europe and the Americas
The first leg began in Stuttgart before travelling through Europe, including Switzerland, France, Spain and Belgium.
The convoy subsequently moved through South America, visiting Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, before continuing to North America.
The journey has also covered other parts of Asia, followed by Australia and New Zealand.
Throughout the tour, Mercedes-Benz is organising customer and enthusiast activities including meet-and-greets, presentations, storytelling sessions and opportunities for participants to experience parts of the journey firsthand.
Local community events are also being incorporated into individual stops.
Global Tour to Return to Stuttgart in October
The “140 Years. 140 Places” journey is scheduled to conclude in Stuttgart in October 2026, bringing the S-Class back to the city where the Mercedes-Benz story began.
Mercedes-Benz is also documenting the journey online through its Community Hub, social media channels and Media Site, where photographs and videos from different stages of the tour are being published.
The company is producing YouTube coverage with different hosts accompanying individual sections of the journey. Callum Mullin is covering Europe, Karl Shakur South America, Benjamin Ortega North America, Tom Exton Australia and Tucker Doss India.
For Mercedes-Benz, the tour serves as both an anniversary celebration and a rolling demonstration of the global reach of its flagship sedan. In India, however, the climb towards Umling La gives the journey an especially dramatic chapter — taking a car synonymous with comfort and refinement to a road where altitude, terrain and scenery are likely to command just as much attention as the three-pointed star.
