Automotive Design Guide: September 2010

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Mercedes-Benz at the 2010 “Mondial de l’Automobile” in Paris: Style icons and technology trendsetters - three world premieres from the inventor of the automobile

- World premiere of the new CLS – the four-door premium coupe enters its second generation
- World premiere of the A-Class E-CELL – electric family car with a range of more than 200 kilometers
- World premiere of the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY – the world’s first 5-liter car in the luxury class
- Efficiency push – new BlueDIRECT engines, new 7G-TRONIC PLUS, 50 models with ECO start/stop function by mid-2011

Paris, France, Sep 30, 2010 – With three world premieres at the 2010 “Mondial de l’Automobile”, Mercedes-Benz is making an emphatic statement about the power of its innovation to combine automotive fascination with the highest levels of efficiency and environmental compatibility. At the same time, the new models represent the intelligent drive mix created by Mercedes-Benz as the basis for individually tailored “green” mobility. The new generation of the successful CLS four-door coupe combines groundbreaking design and cultivated sporting character with fuel consumption benefits of up to 25 percent compared with its predecessor. As an electric family car with a range of more than 200 kilometers, the new A-Class E-CELL facilitates entry into e-mobility on a broad front. And, as the first 5-liter car in the luxury segment, the new S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY is the perfect illustration of how well-prepared the premium automobiles from Mercedes-Benz are for the future.

With its new models, Mercedes-Benz is using key accents to set the scene in advance of the 125th birthday of the automobile, “We are celebrating this anni-versary by forging ahead with the re-invention of the automobile – with groundbreaking technologies from the A to the S-Class,” says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars at the Mercedes press conference on the completely re-designed exhibition stand that creates a fascinating three-dimensional brand experience on more than 2,000 square meters. “And in the next 125 years of automotive history, Mercedes-Benz will do exactly what the inventors of the automobile have practiced with great success for the past 124 years – we will move forward.”

A-Class E-CELL – zero emissions, zero compromise in everyday use

With the A-Class E-CELL, Mercedes-Benz is putting its third electric car on the road – after the B-Class F-CELL with fuel cell and Vito E-CELL van with battery-electric drive. The full-size five-seater combines unrestricted family and everyday usability with the latest safety technology and refined performance. For quiet, zero local emissions drive, there is a 70 kW (95 hp) electric motor with a high torque of 290 Nm. Two extremely efficient lithium-ion batteries enable a range of more than 200 km (NEDC).

“Electro-mobility is increasingly becoming a part of our everyday lives. And we are well prepared,” says Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research and Development Mercedes-Benz Cars. “We also know that electro-mobility will not arrive at the touch of a button. For this reason, we are focusing on an intelligent drive mix for our current and future vehicles that incorporates something more – fascination. Because the automobile – especially the premium automobile – will remain in the future what it always was, a highly emotional product.”

S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY – first 5-liter car in the luxury segment

Mercedes-Benz is underscoring the future potential of the internal combustion engine with the new S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, the first 5-liter car in the luxury class. The first four-cylinder in the more than 60-year success story of the S-Class – a highly efficient turbodiesel – achieves fuel consumption of only 5.7 liters per 100 kilometers in the NEDC, which equates to CO2 emissions of 149 g/km. This makes the new S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY the first vehicle in its class to undercut the 150 gram mark for CO2 emissions. Zetsche, “We want to be efficiency world champions, and we will make it happen. In order to achieve this target, we are also doing things that were previously considered unthinkable – for example, putting a four-cylinder engine into an S-Class. Some might see it as sacrilege, we call it progress.”

The new CLS – design icon and technology trendsetter

With its fascinating and sensuous design and its cultivated sporting character, the new-generation CLS benefits from the fact that, as founder of the segment, Mercedes-Benz is a full generation ahead. All engines in the CLS are new and deliver fuel consumption improvements of up to 25 percent compared with the outgoing models. Also contributing to this increased efficiency is the electro-mechanical direct steering, which celebrates its premiere in the CLS.

The highest level of efficiency is the common denominator in all four engines featuring in the new CLS. All the power units have increased output and torque compared with their predecessors, while fuel consumption has dropped by up to 25 percent. When sales begin in Europe in January 2011, it will be available in two six-cylinder engine variants – the CLS 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY with 195 kW (265 hp) and the CLS 350 BlueEFFICIENCY with 225 kW (306 hp). They will also feature the ECO start/stop function as standard. Just two months later, the engine range will be expanded by the CLS 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY with 150 kW (204 hp). In the ECE fuel cycle it consumes only 5.1 liters of diesel/ 100 km. The CLS 500 BlueEFFICIENCY with a V8 engine and 300 kW (408 hp) will follow in April. Both of these variants are also equipped as standard with the ECO start/stop function that Mercedes-Benz will offer in more than 50 models throughout its entire product portfolio by mid-2011.

Dr. Weber, “For us, the new CLS is a design icon and technology trendsetter at the same time. On the one hand, this fascinating automobile functions as a guide for our future design language. At the same, the new CLS substantiates our assertion of technological leadership.”

The new CLS also set benchmarks in the field of safety. Features of the new four-door coupe include twelve intelligent driver assistance systems. Furthermore, the CLS is the first car in the world available with optional innovative high-performance LED headlamps. These combine for the first time the Intelligent Light System already available in Mercedes models with bi-xenon headlamps with LED technology.

Dr. Zetsche, “The CLS brings together all typical Mercedes values – excellent safety and first-class comfort are as much a part of it as outstanding efficiency, impressive dynamics and unmistakable style. The original four-door premium coupe is a clear example of what we mean by ‘contemporary luxury’.”

The new-generation CL-Class – efficiency in the top luxury segment

With the new-generation CL-Class, Mercedes-Benz is pushing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions into the spotlight in the exclusive top segment, too. The fundamentally redesigned and further enhanced two-door coupe features the same highly efficient engines that are now available in the S-Class and the new CLS. Alongside the newly developed BlueDIRECT technology with third-generation direct injection, the bespoke BlueEFFICIENCY package in the CL 500 BlueEFFICIENCY contributes to a significant 22 percent reduction in fuel consumption.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

- smart presents the world’s first series produced car sharing vehicle at the Paris Motor Show 2010
- International roll-out of the successful mobility concept from 2011
- Completely new telematics for even easier use
- car2go technology in bid for Parisian Autolib’ mobility concept

Paris, France, Sep 30, 2010 – At this year’s Paris Motor Show, car2go and smart are celebrating the world premiere of a new generation of cars. In future, blue-and-white smart fortwos will roll off the production line at the smart plant in Hambach, Lorraine, as a fully-configured “car2go edition”. With this special model variant, Daimler AG is highlighting the forthcoming international roll-out of its successful mobility programme, and at the same time taking an important step towards commercialisation.

The car2go edition is fitted with brand new telematics hardware, a new control unit with touchscreen, and a solar roof developed especially for the smart. Daimler, as a supplier of electric vehicles and car2go technology, is also announcing its involvement in a consortium bidding on the contract for the planned “Autolib’” mobility concept in Paris.

“car2go is now well established in Ulm, Germany, and Austin, USA as an innovative alternative means of transport around the city,” says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Daimler CEO and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “In future, to support the international roll-out of our mobility concept, we will be producing the world’s first series produced car sharing vehicle – the car2go edition – at our smart plant in Hambach. In this way Daimler is once again highlighting its leading role in innovative urban mobility.”

The car2go edition is fitted with a completely new hardware generation that makes the fully-automated rental process even more convenient and secure. The telematics, which are the most efficient car sharing telematics in the world, have been optimized for the requirements of car2go, and were developed in cooperation with the Ulm-based Daimler TSS GmbH among other companies. The new-generation technology is completely integrated into the vehicle both visually and technically, At its heart is a new control unit with a large touch-sensitive screen. The car key, which was previously kept in the glove compartment, is now securely stowed here. There are also convenient slots for up to four chip cards (e.g. for refuelling or for entry to car parks).

The telematics unit is networked directly with the vehicle electronics, which means it can also control the immobiliser: when the customer starts the rental process with his or her access authorization and enters a PIN number, the immobiliser is deactivated and later, once the rental is over, it is immediately activated again. The user interface has also been completely redesigned: both the menu and the integrated radio and navigation system have been clearly upgraded, are even more convenient to use, and are in keeping with the car2go design.

“The new hardware and software generation is a platform which can be used to provide even more services in the car in the future,” explains car2go Managing Director Robert Henrich, giving a look into the future. “We can now integrate additional functions such as online services and media into the system in a customer-friendly way.”

Sun deck included

Another new feature in the car2go edition is the solar roof, which is a standard feature. With power of 100 Watt, it is the most powerful solar roof to be fitted as standard in a car, and it is fully integrated in the on-board electrics. The solar energy produced in this way is used to supply power to the telematics, and also to continually charge the car’s battery. This allows the alternator to be decoupled whilst driving and fuel consumption to be reduced by up to 10 percent. In addition, if the vehicle is parked in the sun, solar energy is used to power the ventilation system, which can reduce the temperature in the interior by up to 18 °C. This not only adds to the comfort when a customer gets into the car in summer or in southern climes, but also reduces the burden on the environment, because the air-conditioning system needs to expend considerably less energy to cool the car down, thus reducing fuel consumption.

The car2go edition is based on the smart fortwo mhd, and marks a switch from diesel to petrol at car2go. This car is expected to have an even better environmental record than its predecessor, thanks to the automatic start-stop system: as car2go vehicles are used mainly for intra-urban travel, every stop at traffic lights is used as an opportunity to save fuel. The car2go edition also has other features that make it particularly well-suited to rental. Its wheel rims and its seats, for example, are more robust than those of the car2go predecessor.

car2go technology for Paris

The success of the innovative car2go mobility concept in Ulm and Austin has also prompted Daimler to join a consortium bidding for the contract for the pioneering “Autolib’” project in Paris, as a supplier of vehicles and car2go technology. The consortium consists of the car rental company Avis, the Paris public transportation company RATP, the French state rail company SNCF and the construction company Vinci, which, among other things, operates numerous car parks in Paris. The contract would involve supplying a total of 3,000 electric vehicles – namely the smart fortwo electric drive and the A-Class E-CELL – to the project between now and 2012. The project also includes creating the necessary parking and vehicle charging infrastructure in the streets of Paris and some nearby localities.

car2go has enjoyed great success in Ulm since its launch there in 2008, and in Austin, the state capital of Texas, since 2010. 20,000 customers in Ulm currently use the 200 smart fortwo cdi’s, which will be replaced in the fourth quarter of 2010 with 300 of the new car2go edition smart fortwo mhd’s. Since the end of March 2009 when the service was launched to the public, almost 350,000 journeys have been made, and more than 4 million kilometres travelled. One of the system’s major advantages – the fact that customers can spontaneously make one-way journeys around the city – has proved very popular: nine out of ten rentals end at a different location from where they started. Customers can start and end their rental wherever they choose, and use the car for as long or as short a time as they like.

In Austin, Texas, people have shown incredible enthusiasm for the innovative mobility program. Just over four months since launching the program to the public, car2go has reached 10,000 registered members with more than 80,000 rentals completed. Shortly after its launch, car2go received the “Clean Air Excellence Award” from the US environment agency EPA, and the “Greater Austin Business Award” from the Austin chamber of commerce, in recognition of its innovativeness and environmental friendliness.

Preparations for the launch of car2go in other cities, particularly in Europe and North America, are continuing as planned, with roll-out set to take place from the first quarter of 2011 onwards. “We want to use the new car2go edition right from the start so that we can offer our customers the most convenient, progressive car sharing technology available today,” says Robert Henrich.

Just get in and drive off – wherever you are

“car2go is a further important component in Daimler’s strategy for sustainable mobility,” says Dr. Martin Zimmermann, Vice President Strategy, Alliances & Business Innovation at Daimler AG. “It is a completely flexible intra-urban transport system that is extremely easy for customers to use.”

When a customer requires a car, at whatever time of day or night, they can either rent it spontaneously on the street, or reserve it by phone or online. They can use the car for as long as required, then leave it at any public parking space within the car2go operating area. The pricing is particularly simple: rates are by the minute and include fuel, insurance and parking. Attractive rates apply for rentals by the hour and day. The only prerequisites for using the service are a one time registration procedure, and possession of a valid drivers licence. A small electronic seal is affixed onto the licence, turning it into a pass that the holder can use to access any available car2go vehicle. When the driving licence is held up to a reader near the windshield, the car’s central locking is unlocked and the rental period begins. After entering their PIN and briefly assessing cleanliness and checking for any damage on the vehicle via a screen inside the vehicle, the customer can drive. car2go differs from traditional car sharing programs in its spontaneous, flexible, fully-automated rental process, the option of making one-way and open-ended rentals, and its extremely simple and transparent pricing structure.