New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS) Mercedes-Benz Tuesday launched Cabriolet, another version of its E-class sedan, priced Rs.65 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and said it would launch more models this year to reinforce its leadership in the Indian luxury car market.

The Cabriolet comes with a new technological innovation called AIRCAP which provides the four seater convertible the option to deflect the air out of the car when the hood is down.

‘The Cabriolet will herald in a new era of open top motoring with its new and innovative features. We are confident that it will reinforce the present brand of E-class in the country,’ said Managing Director Wilfried Aulbur.

The car is Mercedes’s seventh offering in the E-class range.

The German car maker is very bullish about its growth prospects in India and is preparing to launch few more models soon.

‘Till date we have launched 17 models in the country and we expect to launch a few more by the end of the year,’ Aulbur said.

The company’s sales grew by a whooping 80 percent in July this year at 2,524 cars as against 1,629 in the like period of previous year.

‘This signifies the fact that mindset of people regarding luxury is changing like in places like Aurangabad where people have money and now they are coming out to buy, plus infrastructure is also improving,’ Aulbur added.

About AIRCAP, Aulbur said the technology works best at 40 km per hour speed. ‘You can enjoy the open air experience and won’t worry about messing your hair with this feature.’

Some 12,700 E-Class cars, which include Saloon and Coupe, have been sold since the first car rolled out of the Indian manufacturing plant in Chakan, Maharastra, in 1995.