As the third-generation of the locally-produced E-Class, the new models are the embodiment of driving intelligence delivered by Beijing Benz Automotive Co Ltd.

Mercedes-Benz has experienced an unbroken chain of success in China, as the company's offerings resonate with the preferences and demands of local customers.

With 41 months of consecutive growth under its belt, Mercedes-Benz has been well received by Chinese customers. The newest contributor to the company's continued growth in the Chinese market is the All New Mercedes-Benz E-Class Long Wheelbase.

Launched on Monday at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, the All New E-Class is a car unlike any other in its segment.

More than 13 million customers worldwide have chosen the E-Class. As Mercedes-Benz's most popular model, the new E-Class L embodies Mercedes-Benz's world-class standards while being exclusively tailored to the preferences of Chinese consumers.

"The All New E-Class L is key to Mercedes-Benz worldwide, and even more important for us here in China," said Nicholas Speeks, president and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co Ltd.

China is the largest auto market in the world, and in the first seven months of this year the overall passenger vehicle market in China grew by 11 percent, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

China also became the largest market for Mercedes-Benz last year, and the E-Class belongs to the biggest premium segment in China, which represents more than 20 percent of the entire premium market. This segment holds enormous potential.

In addition to the warm reception the brand expects the All New E-Class L to receive, the model represents the core of Mercedes-Benz's localization efforts in China.

"Anyone who wants to be successful in China needs to focus on local production," said Hubertus Troska, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Greater China.

"Two-thirds of the vehicles we sell in China now are locally-produced, and so far each new generation vehicle has surpassed the previous generation," Troska said. "We want to find the best engineers, who work here, live here, and experience what customers go through here, so we can integrate their experiences into our offerings."

The All New E-Class L is made at Beijing Benz Automotive Co's state-of-the-art production facility, which is the largest Mercedes-Benz plant worldwide and lives up to Daimler's unified global standards.

"BBAC is not only the largest but also the finest Mercedes-Benz plant," said Speeks. "We've sent 100 engineers to Germany, who returned to China with the expertise they've acquired overseas, which they then adapted to China."

The BBAC plant regularly ships thousands of core engine parts to Mercedes-Benz's overseas markets, demonstrating the fact that the plant has stringent quality controls and safeguards the highest level of craftsmanship.

Locally-produced models will play an increasingly important role for Mercedes-Benz in China, and the company's recent sales figures reflect the fact that offerings which are not only made in China, but are also designed specifically for China, resonate deeply with local customers.

"Of course, sales growth is only one aspect of Mercedes-Benz's success in China, and the company has come a long way in the past several years," Speeks said. "Our efforts reflected not only in terms of our growth figures, but also in terms of the perceived value of our cars. We have experienced astronomical growth when it comes to sales volume, but also in terms of brand value."

With its Mercedes-Benz heritage and locally-produced pride, the All New E-Class Long Wheelbase integrates a broad range of intelligent design features while remaining grounded in present-day, everyday practicality.

Through its detail-driven quality and full range of impressive technologies, the All New E-Class caters to the needs of China's business elite and offers a promising glimpse of the future, as well as a means of arriving there.

"We are very careful with the value of our brand, and mindful of the trust placed in us," said Speeks. "We are on a journey, and that journey is not over yet."