Mercedes S-Class Wins EuroCarBodyAWARD
Text & photos courtesy DaimlerChrysler AG
02-07-2006
Award presented by the industry group “Automotive Circle International� honors pioneering innovations in car body development and bodyshell design
The new S-Class from Mercedes-Benz has been honored with the EuroCarBodyAWARD 2005 in recognition of its “pioneering innovations in the development and production of car bodies.� The vehicle was chosen for the award during the 7th International Car Body Benchmarking Forum. At the annual event organized by “Automotive Circle International� (ACI), an industry group, the award was presented to honor outstanding achievements in vehicle body design and production. The S-Class received 32 out of a possible 40 points in a vote by 500 automotive experts, capturing first place and beating out 12 other production vehicle bodies from Japanese and European competitors.
“The innovative bodyshell of the new S-Class forms one of the foundations for the safety, comfort and longevity offered by our new top model,� said Dr. Thomas Weber, DaimlerChrysler Board of Management member for Group Research and head of Development at the Mercedes Car Group, at the award ceremony in the Sindelfingen production plant. “We are very pleased that, thanks to the EuroCarBodyAWARD, the efforts and achievements of our entire development and production team have now also been recognized in this area.�
The award was presented in the new S-Class body shop by the president of the ACI, Fritz Ebert. In attendance were Hans-Heinrich Weingarten, head of Global Production at the Mercedes Car Group, Hans-Dieter Multhaupt, head of the S-Class Series, Prof. Eberhard Haller, director of the Sindelfingen plant, and plant employees.
S-Class body: High-tech steel grades ensure maximum safety
With its completely new body concept, the new Mercedes-Benz flagship model achieves unprecedented heights in passenger car engineering. For example, the static torsional rigidity of the bodyshell - an indicator of safe and comfortable handling - was improved by about 12 percent relative to the previous S-Class model. Around one half of all the body components are made of high-strength or higher-strength steel grades, which provide maximum rigidity at minimum weight. Mercedes-Benz uses aluminum to make other components, such as the hood, front fenders, doors and trunk lid.
Since its world premiere at the IAA International Motor Show in September 2005, the latest generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has received numerous awards, including the Golden Steering Wheel 2005, and the Luxury Top Auto 2005 award. The model also took first place in the Luxury Car of the Year competition sponsored by What Car?, a British automotive magazine.
FROM GERMANCARFANS.COM
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