New Mercedes-Benz S-Class — a technological marvel

MIRRORING the Middle East’s ambition to utilize and develop cutting edge technologies to achieve some of the globe’s most admired and recognizable engineering achievements, the new S-Class is not just a technological spearhead for Mercedes-Benz but for automotive development as a whole.
With the three engineering priorities — Intelligent Drive, Efficient Technology and Essence of Luxury — the new S Class extends the boundaries of technology on many levels.
“Admired for its ability to glide effortlessly with a power and prestige that commands understated respect, the revered S-Class has achieved a status in the Middle East bordering on the legendary. But the S-Class is no mirage. With every new generation of S-Class, customers across the region expect it to set standards across the board to retain its accolade as the best automobile in the world,” says Frank Bernthaler, director, sales and marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars, Middle East & Levant. 
Perfection to the last detail results in the Essence of Luxury. This pursuit of the best is particularly noticeable in the interior, whether it is the seats or the air conditioning, the controls or the design, the infotainment or the comfort and safety in the rear; new ideas, their painstaking realization, and highest perceived quality underpin the high standards that the engineers have set for the Mercedes-Benz flagship model.
The same applies to safety. What started with Pre-Safe ten years ago and continued with Distronic Plus has now resulted in a new dimension of motoring; comfort and safety are merged into one. Mercedes-Benz refers to this as Intelligent Drive. A whole host of new systems makes the new S-Class even more comfortable and even safer.
The S-Class is so efficient that it almost sounds utopian. Within ten years Mercedes-Benz, by realizing Efficient Technology, has almost halved fuel consumption in the 150 kW output category to 4.4 liters per 100 km, for example, while the drag coefficient of the new S-Class (cd=0.24) clearly undercuts the previous model's figure and sets a new benchmark in this segment. Furthermore, the new model is the world's first car to dispense entirely with light bulbs in favor of LEDs, pointing the way ahead once again.
The Middle East launch for the S-Class was held on Saturday (July 20), with prices starting for the S 500 GCC specification variant at $ 132,300.
“The sophisticated design of the S-Class has always been an expression of luxury and automotive grandeur of its era. And our new S-Class continues this tradition. With its classic architecture and flowing silhouette, it is a modern embodiment of sensual clarity. The design draws a line from the sophisticated, progressive design idiom to the classic elegance of our 1930s cars — intelligence that speaks to the emotions. Stylish sportiness and sensual forms in synthesis with timeless clarity and effortless superiority make the S-Class a true design icon,” says Design Chief Gorden Wagener. 
100 years or so after the introduction of electric lighting in motor vehicles, Mercedes-Benz is now making a complete switch to LED technology; the new S-Class is the “first vehicle in the world whose interior and exterior do without a single light bulb,” and sees Mercedes-Benz building on its pioneering role in the lighting sector. The lighting's multi-level functionality is another world first; out of consideration for any road users behind, the intensity of the brake lights is reduced at night or while waiting at traffic lights.
 In its first year the new S-Class S 500 models boast class-leading efficiency and up to 20 percent lower fuel consumption than the outgoing model series. All the engines already meet the requirements of the Euro-6 emissions standard.
"The new S-Class achieves consumption and emissions figures that only a few years ago seemed utopian, even for executive cars," says Professor Thomas Weber, member of the Daimler Board of Management responsible for group research and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. "And this is just the start of our Green Leadership initiative, soon to be followed by the S 500 Plug-In HYBRID - the first S-Class with fuel consumption lower than four liters per 100 km." The S-Class lineup therefore includes the full range from petrol and diesel models to petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrids for the first time.