It was released in Turkey
Turkey is one of the countries with the highest taxes on cars, so some brands are forced to install small engines in their larger models in order to fall into lower tax brackets.
For example, Mercedes sells the latest E-Class with a 1.5-liter engine, or rather a 1496 cc unit. The premium sedan starts at the equivalent of $63,400. That's about the same price as an E350 4Matic in the US.
But this is the price before taxes. Special consumption tax (OTV) for new cars with an engine capacity of less than 1.6 liters starts at 45% of the vehicle price, provided the price does not exceed $5,600. The tax rate increases gradually based on the vehicle's base price, reaching 80% for vehicles costing more than $8,500. Since most cars fall into the latter category, almost all buyers have to shell out an additional 80% of the manufacturer's asking price.
Consequently, an E-Class with the modest 1.5-liter engine and included OTV costs about $114,000. Then you add 20% value added tax (VAT) and the total comes out to just over $136,000. Including registration taxes, the Mercedes E180 will cost approximately $137,000.
This E-Class produces 168 hp. with a torque of 184 Nm. The mild hybrid vehicle accelerates to 100 km/h in 8.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 225 km/h.
At the same time, OTV in Turkey can reach 220% of the starting price of the car if the engine capacity is more than 2.0 liters.