DAIMLER AG - Last Wednesday, Mercedes-Benz presented the S-Class in a special event. At the Airbus A380 delivery centre in Hamburg-Finkenwerder, the new Mercedes-Benz flagship met up with the world's largest and most advanced passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380. As "Germany's most valuable package", the star of the event had previously been flown from Stuttgart to Hamburg in an Airbus A300-600 freighter operated by DHL – just in time to celebrate the world premiere with around 750 international guests from politics, industry and the media.
On an LED video screen measuring some 200 square metres, the guests were able to witness the new S-Class being unloaded and driven across the runway to the launch pavilion equipped with multimedia facilities – flanked on each side by current Mercedes models. 15 cameras recorded the event and broadcast the images around the world via an outside broadcast truck. 96 loudspeakers and 20 kW of sound output ensured that every word was heard.
The choice of the A380 Delivery Center as the location for the world premiere was no accident. Like the A380, the new S-Class will set new standards in luxurious travel. "Rather than being about safety or aesthetics, power or efficiency, comfort or dynamism, our aspirations were 'the best or nothing' in every respect. No other car stands for the Mercedes-Benz brand promise more than the S-Class," said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
2000 square-metre pavilion for the launch celebration
As a logistical tour de force, Mercedes-Benz had a launch venue constructed where Airbus customers from Europe and the Middle East normally take delivery of their new A380, with a multimedia presentation stage, S-Class showroom, product display, VIP lounge and extensive backstage areas for technical facilities, logistics and catering. This included a kitchen for five German Michelin-star chefs, who opened a unique "ten-star restaurant" on the evening of the premiere to celebrate the S-Class.
Constructing the temporary building took around 14 days, employing up to 100 personnel from various trades each day. A total of 160 semitrailer trucks delivered the necessary materials: more than 500 tonnes of steel, 4000 square metres of wood, 400 spotlights, 96 loudspeakers and an LED video wall measuring 28 metres in width and seven metres in height.
The additional power supply with 3000 KVA of output required 25 kilometres of newly laid cables, 40 distributors and its own generators. Sound quality, for example during the live appearance of the international star Alicia Keys, was not only ensured by the precisely positioned loudspeakers, but also by 26 output signal channels and a mixing console with 168 input channels. 400 spotlights with 130 electric motors in around 1000 metres of traversing rigs shed the best possible light on the S-Class.
The new S-Class: Luxurious travel at the highest level
The new Mercedes-Benz flagship model is the epitome of a modern luxury saloon. The S-Class is an exclusive first-class office along the lines of a business jet, as well as a haven of relaxation with the ENERGIZING massage function based on the hot-stone principle and individual interior fragrancing.
"Our completely newly developed S-Class establishes a never-before-seen dimension in luxury, comfort and efficiency in a saloon, and raises the standard of safety equipment in automobiles to a new level. More than ever, this makes it synonymous with luxury and innovation in automotive engineering," says Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.