Mercedes-Benz top executives join the Chinese movie star at the Chengdu Motor Show 2011 (from left): Cai Gongming, Vice President, Sales, Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd; Fu Qiang, Executive Vice-president, Sales & Marketing, for Beijing Benz Automotive Company; Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd brand ambassador Fan Bingbing; Bjrn Hauber, Executive Vice-president, Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd; Gary Wong, Vice President, Head of Region South, Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd; Lutz Regelmann, Vice President Product Management; Stefan Herbert, Head of smart, Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. Provided to China Daily

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a star-studded lineup at the Chengdu Motor Show 2011, in Sichuan province, with an impressive display of 27 models, which, the company reports, had an impressive impact.

Its newly designed, 1,800-square-meter booth had four brands on display: Mercedes-Benz, smart, AMG and Maybach.

Highlights of the launch were the E 300 L Elegance, the new SLK roadster, the smart kobe edition, and the GL 450 4MATIC Exclusive Grand Edition.

Its locally produced Long-wheel-base E 300 L Elegance, the latest addition to the E-Class, is equipped with many new popular features and is competitively priced at 596,000 yuan ($93,274). This, Benz said, perfectly encapsulates the concept of "The Best in its Class".

Then there is the strikingly masculine design of the new Mercedes-Benz SLK, with a wealth of technical innovations and class-leading efficiency. This takes driving enjoyment and open-air fun to a new level, with the SLK 200 Style, priced at 608,000 yuan, the SLK 200 Luxury Sports, at 698,000 yuan, and the SLK 350, at 938,000 yuan.

The limited edition smart kobe is tailor-made - with smart's China brand-ambassador Kobe Bryant in mind - thus highlighting its smart sports genes, with a price tag of 124,000 yuan.

The GL 450 4MATIC Exclusive Grand Edition has a distinctive design and stylish interior, and is now available at 1,598,000 yuan.

The appearance of these four new models at the Chengdu show demonstrates the importance Mercedes-Benz places on Chengdu and the Southwest. At the same time it strengthens Benz's product portfolio to maintain its growth momentum in China.

"Mercedes-Benz continues to have steady growth in China, with solid sales in the first eight months of the year, and deliveries of nearly 123,590 units, for a year-on-year increase of 41 percent," said Bjrn Hauber, executive vice-president of Sales & Marketing for Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd.

"To maintain this growth momentum, we'll continue to enrich and strengthen our portfolio with more fascinating models on offer for Chinese customers. And, through further cooperation with the Beijing Benz Automotive Co, there will be greater market synergy in our resource alignment for long-term development of Mercedes-Benz in China," Hauber added.

Fu Qiang, executive vice-president of Sales & Marketing for Beijing Benz Automotive, went on to say, "By increasing cooperation, we'll further consolidate both company's knowledge and experience to tap the huge market potential. And, by providing the best service, we'll bring guaranteed benefits to every one of our customers.

"The appearance today of the competitively priced, Long-wheel-base E 300 L Elegance improves the E-Class sedan line-up - which is 'The Best in its Class' - to meet the needs of this diverse group of customers."

The Mercedes-Benz Long-wheel-base E-Class brings a premium driving experience, as well as a safe, comfortable and relaxing ride. It is perfect for just driving around - or being driven in. It is also ideal for both business and pleasure and can be seen as a lifetime partner, equally suited to the business elite, young modern elite, or families.

The E 300 L Elegance carries its family traits and comes with a host of popular features. This luxury sedan comes with a V6 engine and a 7G-TRONIC 7-speed automatic transmission, bringing great power with a smooth drive.

The visitors were stunned when the movie star Fan Bingbing appeared on stage in the all-new Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster. Bingbing is also a brand-ambassador, one who perfectly embodies the beauty, fashion, and charm of the SLK, which is widely acknowledged by car enthusiasts to be one of the most exciting sports cars in the world.

The new SLK has already received an immense amount of media attention after its Asian debut at Auto Shanghai. The car's striking design combines a kind of light-footed sportiness with a perfectly proportioned, yet more aggressively masculine body.

One highlight of both the SLK 200 Luxury Sport and the SLK 350 is the panoramic vario-roof, with MAGIC SKY CONTROL, which can quickly switch to light or dark at the push of a button.

Making a major appearance at the Chengdu Motor Show was smart's latest addition to its varied lineup - the tailor-made smart kobe edition - which is sure to bring a new wave of "smart fever" to the city.

At the "smart & Kobe 24h" event, in Shanghai towards the end of July, the basketball star expressed a desire to have his own element added to personalize a smart car, as a special gift to his fans and smart-lovers in China.

The smart kobe edition has made his wish come true, with a predominantly black exterior, accented by an element of Kobe on the tridion safety cell. It calls to mind the basketball icon's nickname, "Black Mamba", and symbolizes the speed and power of both Kobe and smart.

Another exciting model launched in Chengdu is the Mercedes-Benz GL 450 4MATIC Exclusive Grand Edition. Its distinctive design for the front-end has unmistakable, dark-tinted black headlamps and high-gloss louvres that accent the radiator grille.

The new C-Class generation, which originally appeared in July, was also on display at the show, with its dynamic, elegant design, outstanding agility, high comfort standards, and advanced safety technology. This new generation has more than 2,000 new components that set it apart from its predecessor. It is also a leader in its segment and brings the customer agility, safety and comfort all in one.

There was also a 'surprise guest' at the show, Mercedes-Benz's exciting new SLS AMG GT3, which got a great deal f attention from sports car fans. It was developed from the iconic gull-wing model, in compliance with the near-series FIA GT3 rulebook, as high-performance super sports car designed for races.

And, last but not least, the Maybach, whose largest global market is now in China and has been since this past January. This is the ultimate in luxury saloon and was represented at the show by the Maybach 62. The elegant exterior, luxurious interior, and cutting-edge infotainment, combined with excellent, personalized service, ensure that Maybach stands at the pinnacle of luxury.

In the first eight months of this year, Maybach sales grew 215 percent, over the same period last year, increasing its market share from 2010's 15.7 percent to 28.9 percent.

The S-Class, R-Class, new generation C-Class Estate, B-Class, and A-Class were all elegantly on display at the Chengdu Motor Show, along with the SUV family, consisting of the G-Class, ML-Class and the GLK.

The entire glamorous lineup clearly demonstrates Mercedes-Benz's determination to satisfy the needs of its most discerning customers and reinforces its commitment to the China market in the Southwest and elsewhere.

China Daily

(China Daily 09/17/2011 page9)