There will always be a premium on excellence...and Mercedes knows that.

No wonder it has priced its SLS AMG sports car, launched in India last week, at a hefty Rs2 crores.

The two-seater coupe uses the gullwing doors made famous by the iconic Mercedes 300SL of the 1950s and has its 6.3-litre V8 engine supertuned by Mercedes-AMG GmbH, which is a Mercedes-Benz subsidiary specialising in high-performance luxury cars.

It also packs an AMG Speedshift T DCT 7-speed sports transmission, AMG speed-sensitive sports steering and an aluminium space frame.

Mercedes Benz India says the SLS AMGs sold in India will be built at its parent company’s plant in Affalterbach, Germany. Mercedes-AMG GmbH’s global CEO Ola

Kaellenius said: “Today India joins the elite ranks of the first few right-hand-drive markets globally to launch this mean machine. Given the strong demand for this car,

I assure you that it is really a very strong and positive statement and shows the esteem that India as a market holds for us.”

And despite the steep price, Mercedes-Benz India has already received about 10 confirmed bookings as of last month.

The SLS is also slated to land in Singapore soon, and deliveries are expected to begin in September.

The price could be in the region of $900,000.

This article was first published in tabla!