Premierele Mercedes de la salonul german

• New E-Class Estate – the largest and most comfortable
  luxury estate in its segment, and yet still a five-litre
  car
• New SLS AMG – super sports car with a highly-efficient
  V8, also available with electric drive starting 2013
• S 400 HYBRID – the first, and so far the only,
  European hybrid model, with the lowest CO2 emissions in its
  class
• Vision S 500 Plug-in HYBRID – en route to a
  three-litre car in the luxury class
• Concept BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS – electric car with a
  range extender for a range of up to 600 kilometres
• Dr. Dieter Zetsche – „Mercedes-Benz possesses the best
  technological basis of all the premium
  manufacturers.”

„No other premium auto maker has such good overall prerequisites
as we do to fulfil the entire bandwidth of expectations from
sustainable mobility for today and tomorrow,” this is the
conclusion delivered today by Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the
Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars,
at the Mercedes-Benz press conference at the 63rd International
Auto Show in Frankfurt.

Exemplifying the excellent efficiency and environmental
compatibility of the current Mercedes-Benz product line up is the
new E-Class Estate, which celebrates its world premiere today at
the world’s largest auto show and is among the event’s most
anticipated new models. Refined driving pleasure is delivered by
the E 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY with as little as 5.7 litres per 100
kilometres and 150 grams CO2 per kilometre. The new E-Class Estate
enters the market with a choice of five powerful and fuel-efficient
power units – three diesels and two petrol engines, including the
V6 petrol direct injection unit in the E 350 BlueEFFICIENCY.
Further engines, including four-cylinder petrol units, will follow
shortly.

„Our new E-Class Estate offers the perfect combination of
elegance and space and is equally impressive when it comes to
efficient and environmentally compatible drivelines,” says Dr.
Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing for
Mercedes-Benz Cars. „Since 1977, our station wagon has been the
most elegant way to drive an estate car. This has been experienced
by more than one million Mercedes customers so far, and it goes
without saying that the fifth generation also comes with the same
comprehensive safety equipment as the saloon version.”

With the E-Class Estate, Mercedes-Benz is driving forward its
„green” product offensive launched at the IAA 2007. Mercedes
customers can now choose from a broad range of 58 exceptionally
fuel-efficient BlueEFFICIENCY models – from A-Class through
S-Class. Dr. Zetsche again, „Overall, we have already sold more
than 190,000 BlueEFFICIENCY vehicles. And every single one of them
keeps the promise made by our BlueEFFICIENCY badge – the very
highest levels of efficiency and cleanliness. Next year, our
BlueEFFICIENCY fleet will grow to a total of 76 vehicles – which is
almost half of the entire Mercedes-Benz line up.”

Vision S 500 Plug-in HYBRID – a three-litre car in the
luxury class

With the unveiling in Frankfurtof the Vision S 500 Plug-in
HYBRID, Mercedes-Benz demonstrates that large, safe and refined
automobiles do indeed have a future. The close-to-production
prototype of the innovative plug-in hybrid driveline enables a fuel
consumption of only 3.2 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres and an
electric-only range of 30 kilometres. Dr. Zetsche, „The roughly 370
hp S 500 Plug-in HYBRID offers a clear glimpse of the future for
luxury automobiles ‘Made in Germany’. Green technologies in
fascinating vehicles for the most demanding customers – that is our
approach, and we are sticking steadfastly to it.”

BlueZERO
E-CELLPLUS –
more range piggyback-style

Mercedes-Benz is showing a further close-to-production prototype
at the IAA, in the shape of the Concept BlueZERO E-CELLPLUS. „This
innovative electric car proves that we have very definite ideas
about where this journey is taking us in terms of compact cars,
too,” comments Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Daimler AG,
responsible for Group Research and Development Mercedes-Benz
Cars.

„On the basis of one vehicle architecture, our modular concept
enables three electric vehicles for different customer requirements
– the BlueZERO E-CELL with battery drive only, the BlueZERO F-CELL
with fuel cell drive and – as the third and newest version – the
BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS, which combines battery-electric drive with a
compact and efficient internal combustion engine.”

The three-cylinder range extender is mounted in the rear and
functions as an electric generator. It charges the battery while
driving and thus enables a total range of 600 kilometres – of
which, around 100 kilometres are electric only and therefore local
emissions-free. Dr. Thomas Weber again, „As a full-blooded
5-seater, the BlueZERO E-CELLPLUScombines local emissions-free
electric mobility with unrestricted long-distance, everyday and
family usability. This is only possible because we at Mercedes-Benz
possess a unique vehicle architecture with a sandwich floor that
has proven itself extremely well in the A and B-Class. I am certain
that this will convince even the electric mobility sceptics.”

A further Mercedes milestone on the route to emissions-free
mobility is the B-Class F-CELL with clean fuel cell drive and a
range of around 400 kilometres. With this, Mercedes-Benz will put
its first fuel cell passenger car built under series production
conditions on the road before the end of the year. The
environmentally friendly electric car boasts impressively refined
driving performance on a par with that of a 2.0 litre petrol
engine, while offering full everyday usability. The emissions-free
driveline has an NEDC consumption that equates to 3.3 litres of
fuel per 100 kilometres (diesel equivalent). Low-volume series
production of the B-Class F-CELL will commence at the end of
2009.

SLS AMG – The new Mercedes-Benz gullwing

For automotive fascination and hi-tech at the very highest
level, one of the absolute highlights of the IAA is the new
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, which – like the E-Class Estate – is
celebrating its world premiere in Frankfurt. The super sports car
boasts a unique design, extensive lightweight construction,
outstanding handling and exemplary safety. This is the result of a
unique technology package consisting of a lightweight aluminium
space frame bodyshell with gullwing doors, the AMG 6.3 litre V8
front mid engine with dry sump lubrication, plus 420 kW/571 hp
output and 650 Newton metres of torque, the seven-speed dual clutch
transmission in transaxle format and sports suspension with
aluminium double wishbone geometry. The gullwing accelerates from 0
to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and goes on to reach a top speed of 317
km/h. Its combined fuel consumption is 13.2 litres per 100
kilometres (all values are preliminary).

Dr. Zetsche, „The new SLS AMG is a contemporary reinterpretation
of the dream in the form of a star. And this exceptional car is far
from being a nostalgic glimpse backwards. It is a determined step
into the future. From the very start, we conceived this amazing car
with an electric-only driveline.”

At IAA 2009, Mercedes-Benz is also presenting the technology for
an electric-drive SLS AMG with an emissions-free hi-tech driveline.
Powerful propulsion is provided courtesy of four electric motors
with a combined output of 392 kW and a maximum torque of 880 Newton
metres. The „electric” gullwing handles the sprint from 0 to 100
km/h in around four seconds, putting it on the same high level as
the SLS AMG with its 420 kW/571 hp AMG 6.3 litre V8 engine.
„Therefore,” continues Dr. Zetsche, „the SLS is perhaps the most
stunning proof that driving fun has a future at Mercedes-Benz –
with state-of-the-art internal combustion engines and
emissions-free electric drive.”