Beijing, August 28, 2009 – Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd has officially announced today the launch of nine new generation S-Class models – S 300 Business, S 300 Exclusive, S 300 Luxury, S 350 Luxury, S 350 4MATIC, S 500, S 500 4MATIC, S 600 and S 400 HYBRID, the world's first series-production vehicle to feature a hybrid drive with a lithium-ion battery – priced between RMB 930,000 and RMB 2,598,000.

The ceremony was befittingly held at Tai Miao, an ancient royal temple for supreme emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties, thus creating a majestic atmosphere that truly represented the leadership S-Class image. After five decades of being ahead, the S-Class is once again setting new benchmarks with a full range of the new generation models, seamlessly continuing the success story of its predecessors.

"For the past nearly 60 years, the S-Class has stood at the pinnacle of the world's top luxury car segment with pioneering technical breakthroughs that allow the flagship model to establish a solid leading position in the market. With state-of-the-art craftsmanship, dynamic design and innovative technology, the S-Class has also set the pace among competitors worldwide," said Klaus Maier, President & CEO of Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. "Currently, China has become the largest S-Class market in the world, and the flagship model continued to reign in top luxury segment with 7,300 units delivered to Chinese customers in the past seven months. With such success, we are confident that the new generation models will extend the S-Class leadership position, and attract even more of China's top echelon customers, who appreciate true luxury at its finest."

Already a champion of green luxury, Mercedes-Benz further reinforced its pioneering spirit on the road to electro-mobility with S 400 HYBRID – the world's first series-production vehicle to feature a hybrid drive with a lithium-ion battery. Crowned as the "CO2 champion of the luxury class" and "the world's most efficient luxury saloon", S 400 HYBRID boasts a fuel consumption of merely 8.0 liters per 100 kilometers – just 188 grams per kilometers. Today's launch of S 400 HYBRID is yet another example of Mercedes-Benz's roadmap of sustainable development in the country.

The new generation S-Class shines at first sight with an accentuated design that expresses progressiveness, dynamism and prestige. Characterized by a pronounced arrow-shape of the radiator grille along with an LED lighting package on the newly designed headlamps and tail lights, the model emanates with an unmistakable identity that yet again represents the hallmark of Mercedes-Benz design. Most importantly, the overall design allows the car to be aerodynamically efficient and improve fuel consumption.

As in preceding series, the new generation S-Class equips revolutionary technology that guarantees unmatched in-car experience. The model features the world's first SPLITVIEW technology, which allows the driver and front passenger to view different content simultaneously on one and the same screen and ensures the driving safety. Occupants can now also enhance the mood inside the car according to their preference with the availability of the multi-color ambient lighting. Comfort is further improved with the extensive interior features, including rear-seat entertainment packages with the Harman Kardon® Logic 7® surround sound system.

The new generation S-Class also meets the highest expectations in terms of driving experience, driving stabilisation and comfort. The Direct-Steer system retains speed-sensitive steering and adds a variable steering ratio depending on the angle and vehicle speed. With this new Direct-Steer system, the number of turns of the steering wheel required from stop to stop is reduced by around 25 percent. A further improvement in driving agility as well as active handling safety comes in courtesy of the new Torque Vectoring Brake that influences the vehicle's inside rear wheel when cornering. Mercedes-Benz combines AIRMATIC with the Adaptive Damping System (ADS), which continuously regulates the shock absorber characteristics and takes the road conditions into account. Additionally, occupants are guaranteed with greater in-car stability thanks to the enhanced Active Body Control (standard for S 600) with Crosswind Stabilization.

The new generation S-Class equips even more enhancements to the flagship's already exemplary safety systems. In addition to the PRE-SAFE available in the S-Class since 2002, a modern assistance system turns the new S-Class into an "intelligent" partner that can act independently to quickly prevent accidents or mitigate their effects. For instance, Adaptive Highbeam Assist recognizes oncoming vehicles, and continuously controls the headlamps to ensure the best beam range without dazzling other road users, while Night View Assist plus is equipped with a special pedestrian detection function that automatically detects passerby ahead on the road – thus greatly optimizing safety precautions. Mercedes-Benz has also installed the exemplary ATTENTION ASSIST that automatically sends an alert when it senses the drowsiness of the driver.

"The rising demand for luxury cars in China has pushed us to introduce more new products to meet the needs of Chinese customers' increasingly high requirements for individualization," said Bjoern Hauber, General Manger of Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz (China) Ltd. "We are launching the new generation S-Class in China in the shortest possible time right after its China world premiere to bring these products to Chinese customers, which clearly indicates the importance we attach to China, as well as our unwavering commitment to the market."

The launch ceremony was also adorned with a special preview trailer of the Bird's Nest version of "Turandot", the famous opera based on a beautiful Chinese story, in which the new generation S-Class has been appointed as its official car starting from the opera's premiere on National Holiday. As "Turandot" will have the power to enlighten the lives of the Chinese public, the new generation S-Class will also exceed customer expectations and create another legend in the auto industry with its new technological advancements in design, comfort, safety, performance and unmatched environmental compatibility.