Mercedes-Benz has brought its global ‘140 Years. 140 Places.’ anniversary expedition to India, with three S-Class vehicles travelling across the country as part of the automaker’s 140th anniversary celebrations.
Conceptualised by BBDO India (team X), the India chapter of the campaign reframes the country as more than another stop on the global journey, positioning it as a homecoming. The wider expedition covers 140 destinations across six continents and spans 60,000 kilometres.
The three S-Class vehicles — Bertha, Carl and Gottlieb — followed different routes across the country. Gottlieb travelled from New Delhi through Amritsar, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, including a drive across Umling La, before continuing through Lucknow, Varanasi and Patna and onwards to Bhutan before returning to Delhi.
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Bertha and Carl travelled through Hampi, Bengaluru and Goa, before reaching Mumbai, where the India leg culminated.
The Mumbai chapter features Kiara Advani and Karan Johar, who join Bertha’s journey and bring their individual associations with the city into the campaign.
In Advani’s film, she welcomes Bertha as her 'new bestie' and takes the car through different sides of Mumbai, from the heritage and architecture of Old Bombay to the city’s contemporary skyline and nightlife. The film ends with Advani placing a Mumbai location sticker on Bertha, marking the city as another stop in the vehicle’s global journey. Johar’s film brings his own connection with Mumbai into the campaign, offering another perspective on the city and its character. The campaign also draws on Mercedes-Benz’s origins, tracing its automotive history back to Carl Benz’s Patent-Motorwagen, widely recognised as the world’s first automobile.
Speaking about the campaign, Santosh Iyer, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said, "Mercedes-Benz’s much awaited '140 Years. 140 Places.' world tour is coming to India, celebrating the Three-Pointed Star’s 140 years global legacy of innovation and progress. In India, this world tour aims at capturing the rich cultural tapestry, awe-inspiring architecture, the unique geographical diversities and the unmatched energy and spirit of our customers, who define Mercedes-Benz’s legacy. India is the famed land of tradition and cultural heritage, as much it is for technological innovation and rapid progress- qualities that strongly resemble S-Class’ own distinguished journey over the decades. We are proud to host ‘140 Years. 140 Places’ global journey in India, narrated through our flagship S-Class."
Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India (team X), said, “We didn’t want India to be just another destination on a 140-year global journey. We wanted it to feel like a homecoming. Through Bertha, Carl and Gottlieb, we celebrated the people, places and spirit that make India unique, bringing Mercedes-Benz’s global legacy to life through a distinctly Indian lens.”
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