MercedesSport Body Styling Accessories Program Announced

MercedesSport for elegance and sportiness: Individualisation of the premium class

Under the new label MercedesSport, Mercedes-Benz is presenting a portfolio of elegant and sporty individualisation products for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show. This MercedesSport portfolio includes specially designed light-alloy wheels, a sports suspension and mounted aerodynamic and styling components. These retrofitted parts emphasise the car's sportiness as elegant, eyecatching features. All MercedesSport products were developed by Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH in collaboration with the same designers and engineers who were responsible for the standard production models. This ensures that both the high standard of the sophisticated design idiom and the quality criteria of Mercedes-Benz, which go well beyond standard norms, are met. As a result, everything appears to have been cast from a single mould. Thanks to their intelligent design, these products also impress with their attractive price/benefit ratio. MercedesSport is initially available for the
E-Class Saloon, Estate, Coupé and Cabriolet.

In order to meet the demand for individualision accessories with a sporty look and the same, high manufacturer quality, Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH is now offering an appropriate product portfolio under the new MercedesSport label. This will enable every Mercedes-Benz customer to retrofit their car with a number of very personal features, with the option of enjoying even more sporty handling characteristics.

The highlights in the MercedesSport product range include:

• Intelligently designed front aprons, spoiler edges and side skirts ensure an elegant and sporty appearance. Unlike conventional products on the market, the sophisticated "add-on principle" makes it unnecessary to replace the original components.

• Optional rear and roof spoilers, a diffuser-look rear apron insert and fog lamp louvres round off this finely coordinated package of visual and aerodynamic features for the exterior.

• Striking eighteen-inch light-alloy wheels in a trendy bicolor version. These have sections painted in high-sheen black and bear the MercedesSport logo. They are enhanced and protected by a clear varnish coat.

• A sporty suspension, with noticeably stiffer damping, transverse stabilisers and shorter springs to lower the suspension by up to 15 millimetres. This sports suspension kit makes for more direct and sporty handling without compromising the high level of comfort.

• A sports braking system with perforated brake discs and grey brake calipers bearing the Mercedes-Benz logo, for outstanding deceleration and a sporty look.

• A grippy four-spoke sports steering wheel with perforated leather and a silver contrasting seam, optionally available with shift paddles and heating. For a sporty touch in the cockpit, right at your fingertips.

• A stainless steel pedal cluster, stainless steel door entry panels illuminated in white and bearing the MercedesSport logo and black velours floor mats with an edge border and silver contrasting seam, likewise bearing the MercedesSport logo, are further eyecatching features in the interior.It is with these retrofitted features that Mercedes-Benz meets the wishes of customers who wish to enhance and individualise their cars even further.

MercedesSport components distinguish themselves from other products available in the individualisation market in three respects:

• They are designed in accordance with the high quality criteria of the Mercedes-Benz brand, which in part impose far stricter standards than existing technical norms. Their development is based on the extensive findings and experience gained from the development work on the base vehicle, as well as on the original vehicle's computer data. This means that the components fit with extraordinary precision, for example. All components have undergone computer simulations and sophisticated practical tests for reliability, durability and function - also under extreme operating conditions. The aerodynamic components have also been tested in the wind tunnel, and under the dynamic driving conditions of high-speed tracks. MercedesSport components are also highly dimensionally stable, and extremely resistant to impacts. And as MercedesSport components meet the very highest standards, they are covered by the original Mercedes-Benz warranty.

• Thanks to the intelligent design according to the "add-on principle", no existing parts need to be removed or replaced. The original bumpers, side skirts are retained, and merely complemented with MercedesSport components. This means a considerably lower use of resources accompanied by lower costs, for the same or better results in both form and function.

• The same designers who created the original vehicle are responsible for MercedesSport styling. These mounted components accentuate the character of the vehicle, and seamlessly blend into the sophisticated design idiom of the Mercedes-Benz brand. Light-catching contours and taut surfaces create a sporty touch and underline the car's self-confident presence. In its sporty, individualised form, the car is still clearly recognisable as a Mercedes.

MercedesSport will initially be available for the entire E-Class family (Saloon, Estate, Coupé, Cabriolet), with other model series to follow. MercedesSport is available from authorised Mercedes-Benz sales and service outlets, and can also be professionally installed there.

Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler AG, and is responsible for the development, selection and marketing of genuine accessories and Collection items for the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, AMG and smart brands. The product range includes accessories designed for enhancement and individualisation, telematics, wheel/tyre combinations, care and protection products, carrier systems, comfort and safety features, mounted components and Collection items in the merchandising and licensing sectors. The company employs more than 200 personnel and is based in Stuttgart-Vaihingen.