Mercedes-Benz is marking 140 years of automotive innovation with a global expedition spanning 140 destinations across six continents, and its India chapter – conceptualized by BBDO India (team X) – reframes the country not as just another stop, but as a homecoming.
Three S-Class vehicles, named Bertha, Carl, and Gottlieb, traced separate routes across India as part of the 60,000-km global journey. Gottlieb travelled from Delhi through Amritsar, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh – crossing the Himalayas via Umling La, the world’s highest motorable pass – before moving through Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna, and Bhutan, and back to Delhi. Bertha and Carl journeyed through Hampi, Bengaluru, and Goa before arriving in Mumbai for the campaign’s finale.
In Mumbai, Karan Johar and Kiara Advani each fronted their own film alongside Bertha, offering personal, contrasting takes on the city. Advani’s film frames Bertha as her “new bestie,” guiding her through Old Bombay’s heritage architecture and the city’s modern skyline and nightlife, ending with a symbolic Mumbai location sticker placed on the car. Johar’s film brings his own distinct voice and relationship with the city into the narrative.
Santosh Iyer, MD & CEO of Mercedes-Benz India, called the tour a celebration of India’s cultural diversity and innovation spirit, paralleling the S-Class’s own legacy. BBDO India’s Josy Paul added that the campaign was designed to make India “feel like a homecoming” rather than a checkpoint – using Bertha, Carl, and Gottlieb to spotlight the people, places, and character that define the country.
