Mercedes Benz

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

- Mercedes-Benz takes first place in the Safety category and overall
- Significant improvement in the CO2-ranking: Star brand moves up 11 places
- Mercedes-Benz the most successful brand since the introduction of AutomarxX, capturing first place a total of 13 times

Stuttgart, Germany, May 26, 2011 – Mercedes-Benz has once again defended the top position in the ADAC AutomarxX study, making it Germany’s strongest automotive brand. Mercedes-Benz is the most successful brand since AutomarxX was introduced in 2001, capturing first place a total of 13 times and beating its competitors in more than half of all the rankings. The ADAC AutomarxX study assesses the automotive brands sold in Germany in six categories: Brand Image, Market Strength, Customer Satisfaction, Product Strength/Vehicle Quality, Environment, and Safety. The results reflect the current capabilities of all automakers that are of relevance in Germany. A winner is ascertained for each category and out of this the overall winner is determined.


“We’re very pleased that we once again are ranked first in the ADAC AutomarxX study,” says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars. “The result confirms our ambition to deliver our customers the very best. Our first place finish demonstrates that Mercedes-Benz continues to be the strongest brand. This also includes Mercedes-Benz being a pioneer in the development of active and passive safety systems. We also want to set benchmarks when it comes to continuous improvement of our vehicles’ efficiency. The significant improvement in the CO2-ranking shows we are successful in this as well.”

Taking the number four slot, Mercedes-Benz moved up 11 places in the CO2-ranking, far ahead of its competitors in the premium segment. The improvement was mainly due to the introduction of new, highly efficient engine variants in high-volume models such as the new-generation C-Class. The new engines, the enhanced 7G TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission, and the ECO start-stop function reduce fuel consumption by up to 31 percent compared to the figure for the predecessor model.

The main factors in the Safety category are availability of active and passive safety systems and the fact that the systems are fitted as standard. The new-generation C-Class, for example, impresses not only as a result of its greater efficiency, but also because of its many new assistance systems. Thanks to features ranging from the ATTENTION ASSIST fatigue detection system to DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control, the C-Class reaches a new level of safety.

The evaluation for the Brand Image category incorporates the results of the ADAC Motorwelt image survey of 4,000 German respondents as well as an assessment of vehicle residual values. In the image survey, the participants were primarily interested in maximum quality and the highest-possible safety standards. Not only did Mercedes-Benz take first place in both of these areas; the people surveyed also ranked the brand at the top with regard to automotive research and development.

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