| | Mercedes-Benz Cars to Challenge the Utmost in Automotive History |
Mercedes-Benz is going to launch a long distance drive from Europe to Asia on October 21, 2006. Starting from Paris, 33 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars will head for Beijing in 26 driving days covering 450,000 kilometers in total. The symbolic bridging between Europe and Asia over long stretches of the journey will follow the route of the first transcontinental car race in history. It will be the first time for mass-produced luxury cars to undertake such a massive trudge ever since the birth of automobile in the world and is going to establish a new milestone with large quantity of cars involved in the fleet and the drive distance that it covers.
In 1907, French newspaper "Le Matin" launched the first transcontinental car race in history to prove technical superiority of the car over the horse. The race was symbolic of ending of horse-drawn carriage era. Nearly 100 years later, Mercedes-Benz will pose to another highlight to showcase the sophisticated technology, the unique fascination and the unremitting pioneering spirit embodied in the luxury brand.
The long-distance drive is going to start in Paris on October 21, 2006 and span a total distance of approximately 13,600 kilometers, crossing the borders of eight countries, to finish in Beijing where the teams are expected to arrive on November 17. In this 5-stage drive, the 33 E-Class cars will drive more than 450,000 kilometers in 28 days, two of which are resting days for the teams. This equals more than eleven times the circumference of the equator.
The first stage stretches over approximately 3,400 kilometers from Paris to Stuttgart, Berlin and Warsaw as well as the Baltic capitals of Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn to finish in St. Petersburg. On their way, the participants pass some of the most beautiful places of old Europe, as well as widely unspoiled regions like the Masurian Lake District in the north east of Poland.
East of Moscow, which the teams will reach at the beginning of the second stage, the lesser known part of Europe begins. They are driving through for around 2,700 kilometers: Chuvashia, Tatarstan and Udmurtia.
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The third stage with its 2,500 kilometers leads from Qostanai and the new Kazakhian capital of Astana to Almaty, lies in the shadow of the Tian Shan mountains with their breathtaking glaciers, the highest of which reach up to 5,000 meters, overlooking the city. For this trip, the participants will face a big challenge, which is crossing the seemingly endless vastness of the Kazakhian steppe and the "Steppe of Hunger", in the middle of which lies an uninhabited region.
From Almaty, the fourth stage of approximately 3,100 kilometers takes the drivers into China's Wild West. 22 days from the start in Paris, south of Hami the E-Class teams hit another legendary route: the Silk Road. On this historical trade route the participants reach the western offshoots of the Great Wall, and finally, at the terminus of their fourth stage in Lanzhou, meet yet another Chinese lifeline: the Yellow River.
About 1,900 kilometers the drivers of the last stage have in front of them before coming to the tour's final destination. First, the route follows the valley of the Yellow River, then crosses the offshoots of the Gobi desert and the grass pastures of Inner Mongolia. On November 17, the 26th driving day and 28 days after the start in Paris, the drivers are expected to reach the destination of the exceptional long-distance drive of 13,600 kilometers: Beijing.
The long-distance drive challenges not only driving performance and durability of Mercedes-Benz E-Class but also the environmental friendliness and fuel economy. All the E-Class cars are up to the Euro IV standards, three of which are equipped with sophisticated BLUETEC technology. As the cleanest diesel engine in the world, Mercedes-Benz's BLUETEC diesel engine has drastically reduced the emission of nitrogen oxides and consumes 20 to 40 per cent less fuel than comparable petrol engines.
With a market share of around 30 per cent, the E-Class was once again number one amongst the classic business saloons in Western Europe in 2005. In Germany about 38 per cent of all buyers of a luxury class car decided in favor of the E-Class saloon in the same period of time, which made it the market leader for the fourth year in succession. Mercedes-Benz has sold around one million vehicles of the current E-Class around the world since spring 2002. |
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