Mercedes-Benz Descends Upon 2016 Auto China with a Thunderous Product Lineup

By Gong Zhengzheng (China Daily) Updated: 2016-04-25 09:08

E-Class sits at the core and backbone of the Mercedes-Benz brand. PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINADAILY

Witness the Mercedes-Benz legend as it enters the future, Gong Zhengzheng reports.

China's position as the world's largest passenger car market remains unchanged as both the overall passenger vehicle market and the premium market evolve to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse Chinese customer base.

Nowhere is this more evident than at this year's Auto China in Beijing, where Mercedes-Benz is continuing its multi-pronged product offensive with a strong lineup of groundbreaking new vehicles.

No vehicle better demonstrates the German automaker's confidence in and commitment to the Chinese market than the All New Mercedes-Benz Long-Wheelbase E-Class, which sits at the core and backbone of the Mercedes-Benz brand and is positioned as the most intelligent executive sedan in the world.

The All New Long-Wheelbase E-Class is very much China-facing, and the vehicle's overall "Made in China, For China" concept was introduced at the very beginning of the vehicle's research and development phase, which resulted in the addition of personalized appointments tailored for local consumers.

In terms of the basic differences between the All New Long-Wheelbase E-Class and its standard-wheelbase variant and predecessor, the vehicle has a wheelbase of 3,079 millimeters, which is 140 millimeters longer than the standard wheelbase version and 65 millimeters longer than its predecessor. As a result, the total body length has been increased by 39 millimeters to 5,063 millimeters.

As "the most intelligent executive sedan in the world", the All New Long-Wheelbase E-Class fuses state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz intelligent technologies with its extraordinary design philosophy, opening up a whole new landscape within this segment.

"The All New E-Class is at the core of Mercedes-Benz. And this is the most 'grown-up' and sophisticated E-Class we've ever built," said Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the board of management Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

"It provides all you can expect from a true Mercedes-Benz. It is the most efficient, most interactive and most autonomous series-built car ever made by Mercedes," he said.

As the third generation Chinese-manufactured model, the All New E-Class is not only "Made in China", but "Designed for China" as well, meeting customers' expectations for quality and comfort as the "Master of Intelligence" while underscoring Mercedes-Benz's commitment to China.

Well-positioned as a technologically sophisticated vehicle, the All New Long-Wheelbase E-Class is Mercedes-Benz' bid to redefine the executive sedan segment, and will be available in China starting this autumn.

'Year of the Dream Car'

"Life is too short to drink bad wine," said Thomas Weber, member of the board of management, Daimler AG, responsible for the Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, who quoted a poet as saying. "I think this can also be applied to boring cars. That's why we are putting our focus on dream cars this year."

It is with this spirit in mind that Mercedes-Benz announced 2016 as their "Year of the Dream Car". To give substance to the thought, the company has brought two exciting dream cars to this year's Auto China in Beijing - the Mercedes-AMG C 63 and SLC 300 Luxury, both of which are premiering in Asia - to give customers and car fans a glimpse of what to expect.

First and foremost is the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coup, which is the latest heavyweight product from Mercedes-AMG and represents everything a dream car should be. With a design influenced by motor-sport and showcasing advanced technology, the vehicle perfectly merges Mercedes-Benz' "sensual purity" design philosophy with the sportiness which defines AMG.

The Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coup fascinates at first glance with its impressive proportions. Aside from the vehicle's doors, roof and boot lid design, the car's expressive exterior design differs significantly from the standard Mercedes-Benz model.

Like the AMG GT, the new C 63 Coup embodies the independence of the Mercedes-AMG brand, offering longitudinal and lateral dynamics at an extremely high level along with improved fuel economy. All these high-performance features are encased within a muscular design, delivering customers an unparalleled driving experience.