Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Shanghai, China, Apr 20, 2009

At Auto China, Mercedes-Benz presents the 2009 S-Class, thus delivering another automobile that combines fascination and responsibility at the highest level. The flagship of the Stuttgart premium brand has been extensively updated and, at its world premiere in Shanghai, sets new benchmarks in terms of safety, comfort and environmental responsibility. One highlight of China’s most important auto show is the new S 400 HYBRID, the most economical luxury saloon with a petrol engine (7.9 l/100 km). In the world’s largest S-Class market, Mercedes-Benz is also showcasing its re-designed top model, the S 65 AMG. The new E-Class celebrates its Asian
premiere at Auto China. The most notable characteristics of the new luxury saloon include the unique combination of driver assistance systems. The production-ready BlueZERO concept gives a definitive perspective on the future of environmentally-sustainable electric vehicles from Mercedes-Benz.


During the first quarter of 2009, China has confirmed its position as the world’s leading market for luxury class automobiles. With more than 11,000 vehicles, Mercedes has achieved sales growth here of 30 percent, thus exceeding the positive market performance. In March, the increase was as much as 50 percent compared with the same month last year. “This means that March saw Mercedes-Benz achieve its best month ever in China. The new generation S-Class will further boost this strong performance,” comments Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

With a more dynamic design, even greater comfort and more forward-thinking innovations, the extensively updated 2009 S-Class underpins its position as the benchmark for automotive advancement. Dr. Dieter Zetsche once more, “With a host of innovations, the S-Class will further expand its leading global position. Thanks to its state-of-the-art driveline technology and groundbreaking safety systems, the Mercedes-Benz flagship is a technological leader and a pioneer of automotive development.”

New to the S-Class is the world’s first series production hybrid powertrain to feature lithium-ion batteries, making the S 400 HYBRID the most fuel-efficient luxury limousine with a petrol engine. Fuel consumption is only 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres. With carbon-dioxide emissions of 186 grams per kilometre, the new S 400 HYBRID takes the crown as the “CO2 Champion of the Luxury Class”.

The engine line-up for the 2009 S-Class also features eight modern petrol and diesel power units. By means of targeted aerodynamic refinements, optimised rolling resistance tyres and modifications to the steering, fuel pump and 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission, Mercedes-Benz development engineers succeeded in reducing fuel consumption and CO2emissions by up to seven percent against the preceding model, while maintaining the same levels of performance.

Hallmark S-Class safety is increased by the unique combination of camera and radar-based driver assistance systems such as Speed Limit Assist, ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection and Adaptive High Beam Assist. For the 2009 S-Class, the Night View Assist feature with infrared camera has been further developed and equipped with pedestrian detection. As soon as the system recognizes pedestrians in front of the car, they are highlighted in the display in order to make them more noticeable.
Agility and driving pleasure are heightened by direct steering and modified Active Body Control running gear with crosswind stabilization for the eight and twelve-cylinder models. In a further world premiere, the Stuttgartautomaker has equipped the COMAND and COMAND APSoperation and display systems, located in the centre console, with new optional SPLITVIEW technology.

Asian premiere for the new E-Class

The new E-Class celebrates its Asian premiere in Shanghai. The latest generation of the world’s most successful luxury saloon sets the standard for safety, comfort and environmental sustainability in its market segment. Its highlights include drowsiness detection, Adaptive High Beam Assist and automatic emergency braking, which can help in the avoidance of accidents.

Concept BlueZERO – proves everyday usability of zero-emissions vehicles

With its production-ready BlueZERO concept, Mercedes-Benz is showing the way in Shanghai towards environmentally-sustainable electric mobility, without any restriction in everyday usability, interior space or luggage capacity. The intelligent, modular concept supports three models with different powertrain configurations on the basis of one vehicle architecture:

- the BlueZERO E-CELL with battery electric drive and an electrical range of up to 200 kilometres,

- the BlueZERO F-CELL with a fuel cell that achieves an electrical range of considerably more than 400 kilometres,

- and the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS with electric drive and an additional internal combustion engine as a range extender. This version achieves an overall range of up to 600 kilometres and drives up to 100 kilometres on electric power alone.

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