The largest luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz, which controls over 40 per cent of the market, Thursday launched a new C-Class, one of its most popular executive saloons, with BS VI diesel engine.

The fifth generation C-Class, for the first time, is mounted on a BS-VI engine, and is priced at Rs 40 lakh (C 220 d Prime), at Rs 44.25 lakh for C 220 d Progressive, and the topend C 300 d AMG line comes with a price tag of Rs 48.50 lakh, the Pune-based company said in a statement.

The new C-Class has about 6,500 parts changed over its pre-facelift version, with almost 50 per cent changes from the initial C-Class range, the company said.

So far, the German company has sold over 30,500 C-Classes in the country, making it one of the most successful models here.

Mercedes recorded its best quarterly volume by selling 8,061 units in the January-March 2018 period and best ever fiscal by selling 16,236 units in FY18.

The company also offers a new service package for the C-Class range starting at Rs 72,700 which will be available for two years.

The new C-Class combines added luxury with progressive design dynamics, modern multimedia system and new safety features.

The C 220 d and the C 300 d AMG Line will have a new four-cylinder OM 654 diesel powertrain, Michael Jopp, vice- president for sales and marketing at Mercedes-Benz India said, adding the C 220 d will be available from today while the C 300 d will be available from the December quarter.

The new C-Class has the biggest updates in the history of the saloon as the new car comes with some 6,500 new components, more than half the number of components in an average C-Class sedan.

"We are confident that these enhancements will add a dash of athleticism and uniqueness to one of the most popular models in our product portfolio," Jopp said.

"Selling over 30,500 units since its inception here, the C-Class has been one of the best-selling luxury sedans here and remains a key contributor to our continued success in the market," he added.

Since its entry in 1994, Mercedes-Benz India has been the largest luxe car maker in the country enjoying over 40 per cent of the over 40,000 units per annum market.

Its Pune assembly lines began in 2009, and 2015, at an investment of over Rs 2,200 crore, plays an import role in the group's facilities in Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

It locally assembles Maybach S 560, S-Class, E-Class, C-Class, CLA luxury sedans and the GLA, GLE and the GLS luxury SUVs and GLC-Class  and sells imported units of the A-Class, B-Class, CLS, E-Class Cabriolet, S-Class Coup, C-Class Cabriolet, S-Class Cabriolet and the S 600 Guard plus a range of other Guard vehicles apart from the AMG range.