MB CLK Cabriolet - In Depth

Press Release

MB CLK Cabriolet - In Depth

Model concept & equipment: a truly unique experience

• Design, technology, equipment and exclusivity at the highest level
• Only cabriolet in its class with eight-cylinder engine
• Substantially upgraded standard equipment package worth € 2400 more
• DISTRONIC and other high-tech systems now available
• CLK Cabriolet with average market share of 31 percent in Europe

CLK - three letters that have a special ring to them in cabriolet circles. Representing a unique blend of flawless technology, captivating styling and, last but not least, open-air driving pleasure for four people. It is attributes such as these that have made the name CLK a byword for open-top driving enjoyment. Since the first model was launched in June 1998, over 115,000 units have been sold, more than half of these going to first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers. In other words, the CLK Cabriolet is something of a "conquest" specialist and, therefore, a linchpin of the Mercedes-Benz strategic product initiative. This success story is set to continue in March 2003 when Mercedes-Benz launches the new CLK Cabriolet - a car which once again sets new benchmarks in its class for design, technology, equipment and driving experience, thus emphasising its classic Mercedes exclusivity. Product features: new records in the cabriolet segment When marketing experts describe the outstanding features that make a new product stand out, they often use the phrase "Unique Selling Points" ("USPs" for short). The list of USPs in this case is rather long, since the new Mercedes-Benz CLK Cabriolet...

• comes with a choice of five engines, offering a range of outputs and torques that is unique in this class: 120 kW/163 hp to 270 kW/367 hp and 240 to 510 Nm.
• is the only cabriolet in its market segment also available with eight-cylinder engines. These come as standard in the CLK 500 and in the CLK 55 AMG.
• impresses with the best aerodynamic performance (cd figure 0.30) in the cabriolet segment.
• has the largest boot volume of any four-seater cabriolet - 390 litres (VDA measuring method) - and comes with an optional skibag.
• achieves the lowest interior noise levels thanks to a newly developed and ideally insulated fabric top.
• provides drivers with the best all-round visibility - more than 85 percent - and therefore much greater safety when turning, changing lanes, manoeuvring or parking.
• is the only cabriolet in this market segment with a remote-control fabric top fitted as standard.
• is the world's only cabriolet to be equipped with automatic belt feeders for the driver and front passenger.
• lines up alongside the CLK Coupé to form a unique model series within the Mercedes-Benz passenger car range, thus underpinning its maximum exclusivity.
• comes with what is easily the most extensive and high-value standard equipment package in this vehicle class.

Standard equipment: worth up to € 2400 more Featuring around 15 additional highlights which further enhance comfort and safety, the standard equipment package available with the new CLK-Class Cabriolet is worth up to € 2400 more than the equivalent package for the predecessor model. In brief (extracts, standard equipment available with the new CLK Cabriolet but not the previous model appears in bold type):

Two-section compartment between the front seats

Adaptive driver and front passenger airbags

Aero windscreen wipers

Active Service System (ASSYST)

Aerials integrated in windscreen and boot lid

Anti-lock Brake System (ABS)

Armrest adjustable for height

Heated, electrically adjustable exterior mirrors

Entrance lights in the doors

Automatic seat belts for all occupants

Automatic child seat recognition

Audio 10 CC radio

Brake Assist

Fully-automatic soft-top

Cup holders

EASY-ENTRY system

Electronic Stability Program (ESP®)

Headlamp Assist

Four power windows

Remote control for the soft-top

Two rear head restraints, lowerable at the push of a button

Weight classification for optimum deployment of front passenger airbag

Belt feeders for driver and front passenger

Automatic comfort-fit feature for front seat belts

Belt tensioners and belt force limiters for all occupants

Head/thorax bags for front occupants

THERMATIC automatic climate control

Boot lid with remote opening mechanism

Leather-covered steering wheel adjustable for height and reach

Leather-covered shift lever

Light-alloy wheels

ELEGANCE and AVANTGARDE lines

Mixed-profile tyres (size 205/55 R 16 at front, 225/50 R 16 at rear)

Multifunction steering wheel

Pollen and dust filter

Rain sensor for the windscreen wipers

Trip computer

ELCODE locking system

Six-speed manual transmission

Power steering

SPEEDTRONIC with cruise control

TIREFIT with electric air pump

Roll-over protection with sensor control

Green-tinted or blue-tinted thermal insulation glass

Central display in instrument cluster

Central locking

Trim in fine wood or decorative aluminium Mercedes-Benz equips the new top-of-the-range CLK 500 with a powerful V8 engine - pushing it into the realms of thoroughbred sports cars like the Mercedes SL 500 Roadster or the flagship CL 500 Coupé - not to mention THERMOTRONIC luxury automatic climate control, electrically adjustable seats and steering column (including memory function), speed-sensitive steering, 17-inch light-alloy wheels (size 225/45 R 17 at the front and 245/40 R 17 at the rear) and a five-speed automatic transmission. Lines: design and equipment with an individual touch Equally unique in this cabriolet class are the two design and equipment lines - ELEGANCE and AVANTGARDE - both of which are part of the standard specification for the CLK Cabriolet. These lines reflect the desire for individual design and equipment expressed by many Mercedes customers. The CLK Cabriolet lines differ by virtue of the following details and features: Optional extras: high-tech innovations lifted from luxury-class cars A list of extras that are as valuable as they are innovative provides a superb range of options for individualising the Cabriolet. Many of these systems - such as DISTRONIC autonomous intelligent cruise control or the KEYLESS-GO access and drive authorisation system - have already featured in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or CL-Class and are now also available for the CLK Cabriolet. No other car in this class comes with as many high-tech options as the new Mercedes Cabriolet. The following is a list of the main optional equipment available:

DISTRONIC autonomous intelligent cruise control

AMG design package

AMG 18-inch light-alloy wheels

Automatically dimming driver's-side exterior mirror and interior mirror

Audio 30 APS radio with navigation system

Car phone

Bi-xenon headlamps

Bose sound system

CD changer in glove compartment

COMAND APS with navigation system

Fine-wood trim in brown burr walnut (for ELEGANCE)

Anti-theft alarm system

Five-speed automatic transmission (standard in CLK 320 and CLK 500)

Mobile phone

KEYLESS-GO

THERMOTRONIC luxury automatic climate control (standard in CLK 500)

Leather appointments

Steering wheel with leather/wood trim (for ELEGANCE)

LINGUATRONIC for radio, navigation and telephone

Multicontour seats for driver and front passenger

Speed-sensitive power steering (standard in CLK 500)

PARKTRONIC

Rear sidebags

Electrically adjustable seats and steering wheel with memory function (standard in CLK 500)

Skibag

Sports suspension with lower-slung body

TELEAID

TV receiver (in conjunction with COMAND APS)

Draught-stop Mercedes Cabriolets: stunning, seductive and successful Captivating design, unbridled open-air driving pleasure, exclusivity, innovative technology - the new CLK Cabriolet has exactly what it takes to continue the success story of the four-seater Mercedes cabriolets of the modern era. This story can be traced back to the golden fifties and the 220 S and 220 SE models with their "all-enveloping body" which combined saloon-like comfort with the sheer thrill of open-top driving. These were followed in 1961 by an open-top Mercedes-Benz whose stylistic qualities in particular made it a popular classic among cabriolets: the 220 SE from the W 111/112 model series. The Mercedes model series 124 Cabriolets - which first appeared in 1991 and sold a total of 33,952 units by 1997 - have also achieved deserved "classic" status. It took the CLK Cabriolet just one and a half years to surpass this figure. Production began in June 1998 and, by the end of the year, Mercedes-Benz had already supplied over 11,500 of the attractive, open-top four-seaters. By the end of the first full year of production (1999), a further 29,856 of these vehicles had been produced - a new record. In the same year the CLK Cabriolet became the world number one in its market segment. Between June 1998 and March 2003, Mercedes-Benz produced over 115,000 CLK Cabriolets. This hugely successful Mercedes Cabriolet achieved an average market share of around 31 percent in Western Europe, 20 percent in the USA and 14 percent in Japan. The new CLK-Class Cabriolet will be launched in May 2003. There are plans to produce around 21,000 vehicles by the end of December 2003.