Mercedes-Benz unveils grand portfolio to sustain steady growth
In the first 10 months of 2018, German automaker Mercedes-Benz has proven to be very popular in the Chinese market, with doubledigit growth at the same time as the world’s largest auto market has been moderately slowing down.
More than 560,000 units, synonymous with 11 percent year-on-year growth, have been sold in China from January through October, the company announced at a news conference during the Guangzhou auto show on Friday.
Despite the market’s slowdown, the company has continued to prosper and taken the leading position in premium segment. But maintaining that lead through year’s end is not the company’s top goal, its leader said.
“What is important for us and our dealer partners is that our development remains solid, healthy, profitable and sustainable,” said Nicholas Speeks, president and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co Ltd.
“This will allow us to continue to invest in meeting our customers’ needs and exceeding their expectations, now and in the future.”
During the auto show, the company is presenting a grand portfolio of 37 models in Guangzhou, a southern coastal city of China.
The city contributes one-tenth of all manufactured cars in China in 2017, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufactures.
The presented models include the all-new Mercedes-AMG GT four-door coupe, which made its China debut, the charming combination of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class families and also the Mercedes-Maybach S 680 two-tone.
Reflecting on the past four decades since the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up, China’s economy grew at a rate as described by Chinese economist, Justin Lin Yifu, as “never having happened before in human history” — a period that has boosted China with incredible momentum of growth in both the national economy and improvements in people’s lives.
Fueled by a surging private vehicle consumption since the beginning of the 1990s, the country has seen exploding automobile market growth, and has become the largest car market in the world, as it remains today.
This period of growth was shared by Mercedes-Benz. “We, together with our customers, have witnessed and taken part in China’s development,” Speeks said.
The CEO said he’s completing six years in the country, and considers that time to be a true inspiring. “We are also proud to have contributed to this magnificent journey. We still see growth potential in China, especially in the premium segment.”
A true masterpiece from MercedesAMG and Mercedes-Maybach
In recent years, the Stuttgart-based automaker said the increasing popularity of its AMG performance brand has been especially noteworthy.
In Guangzhou, it has brought an array of new models to light up the auto show, including their first four-door coupe and their third independently developed model, the new Mercedes-AMG GT four-door coupe.
In China, the model is offered in three versions: the GT 50, GT 53 and GT 63 S.
It was in fact built with a dual purpose in mind — track performance and everyday driving, impressively satisfying the need for performance luxury.
Having recently made its market premiere and as the fastest-ever Mercedes, the AMG GT four-door coupe offers an outstanding performance on the track, with an acceleration of 0-100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds.
The engines offer a range of output from 367 horsepower to 639 hp — as efficient as they are high-performing.
For example, the GT 50 and 53 models feature an inline six cylinder with a 48-volt electrical system to reduce fuel consumption and increase driving performance at the same time.
An array of cutting-edge technologies rarely seen on the sports cars is offered as well, including the fully variable AMG performance 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive, active aerodynamics and the new AMG DYNAMICS driving control system.
Thanks to all these, the car in recent weeks set a new record at the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, the world’s longest and toughest race track, which made it the fastest fully fledged four seater.
In addition, Mercedes-Maybach presented its S 680 two-tone that boasts the highest nomenclature ever in the brand’s history and is exclusive for China, with a two-tone body design that offers a more distinguished personality. It presents ultimate elegance and enjoyment through its two-tone exterior paint finish, a classic Mercedes-Maybach theme.
Sparkling portfolio from C-Class family
As a key member of the Mercedes-Benz brand, the C-Class family saw the official launch of seven new Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe and estate variants at this year’s show.
Offering a fully upgraded exterior design, a luxurious experience, intelligent drive system and more, they fully satisfy the individual needs of local customers, with MSRPs ranging from 363,800 yuan ($52,438) to 538,800 yuan.
The newly equipped state-of-the-art appointments on the launched models include 64-color ambient lighting, energizing comfort control, multibeam LED headlamps with ultra range and a 48-V onboard electrical system, which offers more powerful output with even fewer fuel consumption.
A diversified high-performance range was also presented in the C-Class family, with the new Mercedes-AMG C 63 and C 43 series bringing seven models from sedan, coupe to estate.
Featuring a segment-unique 4.0-liter V8 biturbo engine in combination with the faster-shifting AMG speedshift MCT 9G transmission for the first time, the new AMG C 63 S models offer an even more powerful burst of speed, realizing the dream of local customers for a performance car.