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On October 21, a total of 36 Mercedes-Benz E-Class models started out on a thrilling long-distance drive covering around 13,600 kilometres from Paris to Beijing, where local production of the business saloon has been underway since September 15. The symbolic bridging between Europe and Asia over long stretches of the journey followed the route of the first transcontinental car race in history, which started 99 years ago from Peking to Paris. The winner reached his destination in 62 days. With the modern E-Class cars, Mercedes-Benz aimed to accomplish this journey, parts of which are almost impassable, in only 25 days. The sporting challenge for the roughly 330 participants from 35 nations was to achieve the lowest possible fuel consumption for the separate stages and the overall distance.
The E-Class fleet that left Paris on October 21 consisted of 36 standard E-Class models, several of them equipped with 4MATIC all-wheel drive. In addition to the E 320 CDI, three E-Class models equipped with BLUETEC were included. This forward-looking technology makes the Mercedes-Benz Saloon the world's cleanest diesel car.
"70 years after Mercedes-Benz as the first car producer introduced the diesel engine in passenger cars, we now want to underline the outstanding performance of our modern diesel technology with the long-distance journey from Paris to Beijing", explained Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG and CEO of Mercedes Car Group, "We want to demonstrate that sophisticated diesel engines have a very bright future throughout the world – including in countries where diesel technology has not yet been used in passenger cars."
The unique long-distance journey undertaken by Mercedes-Benz passed through France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Kazakhstan before ending in China. This automotive marathon was not only a stiff challenge owing to very low temperatures, ice, snow and short hours of daylight. The 330 drivers from 35 nations had to absolve daily stages of up to 750 kilometres through sometimes impassable areas, under unusual traffic conditions and crossing passes at altitudes of up to 2900 metres. Taking turns at the wheel during the five 1750 to 3550-kilometre stages of the event were international journalists, celebrities and online applicants who were chosen from more than 50,000 who expressed an interest on the Internet. Including the support vehicles, the "E-Class Experience" fleet numbered around 60 cars. Accompanying the convoy on its gruelling trek through almost impassable terrain on two continents were a mobile service team from Michelin, the exclusive tyre supplier for the "E Class Experience" and the world's largest tyre manufacturer, plus a mobile fuelling station courtesy of Aral, also an exclusive partner, who supplied all the fuel and lubricants, including tens of thousands of litres of sulphur-free premium diesel.
During the course of the 25-day voyage, the 36 Mercedes-Benz Saloons clocked up a total of around 490,000 kilometres, equivalent to circumnavigating the globe around the equator eleven and a half times.
The finishing post at the end of this remarkable long-distance drive – the Yongding Gate in the centre of Beijing – was reached on November 17. The great success is not only reflective of the driving comfort and stability of every Mercedes-Benz model in the long-distance venture, but also a testimony to the strong character of every team member as well as the spirit of Mercedes brand to conquer the challenges. On the following day "Auto China 2006", the country's most important motor show this year, opened its doors in the Chinese capital. New products on display include the new generation E-Class, which has now commenced production at BBDC (Beijing Benz-Daimler Automotive Ltd.). |
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