MB E-Class Estate - Resource

Press Release

Contents:
Page 1: Statements on the new E-Class Estate
Page 2: Technical Highlights & Specifications
Page 3: Model concept & equipment
Page 4: Design
Page 5: Body & Safety
Page 6: Interior
Page 7: Chassis
Page 8: Engines
Statements on the new E-Class Estate A continuing success story "In a period spanning more than 50 years, few models have embodied the Mercedes-Benz brand values - safety, innovation, value retention, exclusivity and design quality - quite like the E-Class. It is also the most successful luxury car of all time, more than ten million units having been produced world-wide since 1947. Just like the Saloon, the Estate has enjoyed great success: the first Mercedes Estate was launched exactly 25 years ago. Since then, the E-Class Estate has become a best-seller in this segment, carving out a world-wide market share of almost 27 percent. The new Estate will write the next chapter of this success story. Superlative technology, design, comfort and practicality mean that the E-Class Estate is predestined to be a new trendsetter."
Professor Jürgen Hubbert, member of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG, responsible for the Mercedes Car Group Classic Mercedes-Benz "The new E-Class is developing into something of a success story. Some 200,000 E-Class Saloons rolled off the assembly lines in the first year of production alone. And a further 250,000 vehicles are planned for 2003. The new Estate further strengthens our position in this market segment, possessing all the features that have made the E-Class so unique and so successful and combining them with a host of estate-specific highlights, all of which bear one overriding hallmark: "classic Mercedes-Benz". Estate cars are now the fashion all over the world, and their popularity is increasing constantly. The models that are really setting the pace are those which offer the perfect combination of sporty elegance, cutting-edge aesthetics and intelligent practicality. Models like the new E-Class Estate."
Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Mercedes Car Group, Sales and Marketing Leading innovator in the estate class "The new E-Class Estate is the logical next step of our innovation initiative. Technological wizardry again plays a key role, making everyday motoring safer and more comfortable. Highlights include the Active Light System which increases the driver's range of vision by up to 90 percent, the SBCâ„¢ electrohydraulic brake system incorporating new convenience functions, level control based on additional air reservoirs as standard and the new four-cylinder supercharged engine featuring the TWIN-PULSE system. Not to mention the new developments for intelligent load compartment management contained in our EASY-PACK system, including a tailgate that can now be opened and closed at the touch of a button, as well as a load compartment floor with hydraulic drive system, which makes rear loading and unloading considerably easier. In short, just like the Saloon, the E-Class Estate is the true innovator in its market segment."
Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. e.h. Hans-Joachim Schöpf, Executive Vice President Mercedes Car Group, Development and Engineering Quality and value perception at the highest level "Like its predecessor, the new E-Class Estate will perfectly complement the Saloon in our product range. As well as displaying the trailblazing technical innovations and extraordinarily high quality and perceived value that are features of the Saloon, the Estate includes further new developments specific to this segment. As with every new product, the Mercedes Production System (MPS) has been rigorously applied in the case of the new E-Class Estate, thus enhancing product and process quality in production. Flexible production at our Sindelfingen site, alongside the Saloon, enables us to react to market needs quickly, transfer know-how and thus enhance quality, particularly during the start-up phase. In addition, we will be able to make more efficient use of the one billion Euros invested in the E-Class when production of the Estate starts."
Helmut Petri, Executive Vice President Mercedes Car Group, Production