Mercedes-Benz unveils innovative line-up

German carmaker, hoping to overtake the Chinese market, brings broad range of models to Guangzhou Auto Show

To end the year of innovation that has already seen Mercedes-Benz continue its steady and sustainable growth in China, anything less than an excellent showing at the 2016 Guangzhou Auto Show expo would disappoint.

With their innovative approach to customer service, the Stuttgart-based premium carmaker has continued to maintain strong momentum in China. This is the result of the company enriching not only its automotive product offerings but also incorporating a wide range of services and customer experiences, to the delight of customers in China.

To live up to this momentum, the company brought to the southern coastal city 40 models from its Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and smart brands, with over 2,300 square meters of exhibition space, delighting customers and media personnel alike.

Obviously, the Guangzhou Auto Show was the perfect occasion to introduce these splendid models, such as the All New E-Class, All New smart BRABUS Xclusive fortwo and All New smart BRABUS Xclusive forfour, as well as a rich array of SUVs including the G 500 Premium Edition and G 350 d. Also present was the recently launched All New GLC Coupe, filling out an already impressive product line.

But what stunned the booth's visitors the most was the Concept EQ, the pure electric-drive concept car that recently debuted at the Paris Auto Show, and made its Asian debut on Friday.

The All New E-Class

Among the most stunning models shown to the public at the Mercedes-Benz booth in Guangzhou this year was the All New E-Class Sport, recently launched to infuse a dash of sportiness to the already intelligent E-Class Long wheelbase.

With the 'designed for China' long wheelbase version already a strong driver of the company's growth this year, the E-Class Sport, coming in three variations, offers a completely new, more athletic choice.

Produced in China at the company's plant in Beijing, the E-Class Sport is firmly focused on providing a more dynamic driving experience, with supreme handling for those who want to enjoy the pioneering technology of the new E-Class, but still want to be the ones behind the wheel.

Like the long wheelbase model, the E-Class Sport features numerous segmentexclusives, including two 12.3-inch high-resolution displays and a 64-color ambient lighting system as standard.

To these it adds the Chinaexclusive power dome on the hood, giving the bonnet the look of a sports car, a style that is accented by its AMG body styling. The front's two-louver lamella grill, AMG bumper and the black front wing make it look ready to leap into action.

The E-Class Sport maintains the intelligence of the long-wheelbase E-Class with Active Brake Assist and Distance Pilot DISTRONIC, which further enhance the safety of dynamic driving, while retaining features such as wireless charging.

To reinforce the E-Class Sport, the German automaker also launched two new variants of the long wheelbase version in Guangzhou: the E 200 L 4MATIC and top-end E 320 L 4MATIC.

Enriching the customers' selections, the E 320 L 4MATIC, which had debuted earlier this year, also truly represents Mercedes-Benz's cutting-edge technology and lives up to its reputation as a "masterpiece of intelligence".

The model comes standard with a range of state-of-the-art features, including the rear touchscreen, Remote Parking Pilot, MULTIBEAM LED and Drive Pilot, outshining competitors' models in its segment.

With the addition of the E-Class Sport and more variants of the E-Class long wheelbase, Mercedes-Benz hopes to provide more options for those looking for a premium sedan, particularly those looking for a winning combination of intelligence and sportiness.

New SUV offerings

This year at the Guangzhou auto show, the company introduced several new SUV models to the public, including the All New GLC Coupe, fresh off its launch just four days ago in Beijing. The model fills out Mercedes-Benz's SUV portfolio, giving the three-pointed star the most extensive and diverse SUV line-up of any premium auto brand.

To a body with all the hallmarks of Mercedes-Benz's traditional SUV design, the new model adds the sleekness of a coupe for a powerful and emotional design. Its tailored body projects elegance, highlighted by the restyled dropping roofline and pronounced shoulders, giving added emphasis to the vehicle's coupe gene.

With its 4MATIC system and 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission, refined Sport Steering System and Sport Suspension, it is able to hug the road for a dynamic driving experience.

Few SUVs are as iconic as the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, widely recognized as the original off-roader. Now, the company has brought two new models to China, the G 500 Premium Edition and the G 350 d.

The G 500 Premium Edition features an even more powerful, efficient and energy-saving 4.0-L biturbo V8 engine with output of up to 310 kW and a peak torque of 610 Nm.

The G 350 d comes as a new diesel choice of SUV, featuring a 3.0-L V6 diesel engine with power output of up to 180 kW and a peak torque of 600 Nm.

Also appearing onsite was the GLE 500 4MATIC Coupe, bringing local consumers even more options in the all-size SUV segment. With a 4.0-L V8 biturbo engine, the GLE 500 4MATIC Coupe features power domes on the bonnet, large wheels, a single-louver sport grille, a flat LED taillamp design and other genes unique to Mercedes-Benz coupes.

Stylish smart options

In terms of style, the auto show's clear standouts were the All New smart BRABUS Xclusive fortwo and All New smart BRABUS Xclusive forfour.

These new editions embody the smart brand's iconic personality while adding highend performance to both two- and four-seat models. Equipped with a powerful turbo-charged three-cylinder engine, the BRABUS Xclusive models feature the exciting RACE START function, enabling drivers of the All New smart BRABUS Xclusive fortwo and All New smart BRABUS Xclusive forfour to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 9.5 and 10.5 seconds, respectively.

With 2016 coming to an end, Mercedes-Benz is set to cross the finish line with another successful year of delivering on its promises to local consumers. If the exciting new models on hand at Auto Guangzhou 2016 are any indication, next year looks to be another strong year for the three-pointed star.

lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn