World premiere of the Vision CLS Coupé study and the new SLR McLaren high-performance sports car

The Mercedes presentation at the 60th Frankfurt Motor Show is a fitting occasion for two automobiles that set standards in both design and technology, thereby emphasising the role of Mercedes-Benz as the pacemaker and innovative leader among car brands: the Vision CLS and the SLR McLaren high-performance sports car.

The Vision CLS continues a series of extraordinary, pioneering car concepts with which Mercedes-Benz has repeatedly set trends in previous years. Never before have two different characters been combined as specifically and beautifully as in this design study, where the stylistic excitement of a coupé harmonises with the comfort and functionality of a saloon. "We are one coupé generation ahead with the Vision CLS", says Professor Jürgen Hubbert, the member of the Daimler-Chrysler AG Board of Management responsible for the Mercedes Car Group. "The idea of a four-door coupé opens up interesting possibilities, and is especially intended to appeal to people for whom cars and driving are a passion."

The new SLR McLaren high-performance sports car is being presented to the public for the first time in Frankfurt as an exciting synthesis of legend and innovation. This modern "swing-wing", which continues the legend of the SLR gullwing racing sports cars from the fifties, is equipped with a 460 kW/626 hp supercharged V8 engine which catapults the two-seater from standstill to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds. Like the Formula 1 racing cars the SLR has a carbon-fibre body which combines low weight with exemplary energy absorption for the greatest possible occupant safety.

Vision CLS: Coupé with the comfort and space of a saloon
A unique synthesis between a coupé and a saloon has produced the Vision CLS, a car whose elegant lines arouse instant enthusiasm and which exhibits all the typical Mercedes characteristics in terms of safety, innovation and comfort - a perfect combination of enthralment and good sense. The same applies to the powerful diesel engine, whose 195 kW/265 hp provides excellent conditions for a dynamic driving experience. It accelerates the Vision CLS from zero to 100 km/h in only 6.4 seconds, the maximum speed being electronically limited to 250 km/h. Despite this impressive performance the six-cylinder engine is happy with 7.5 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres (NEDC overall consumption) and meets the stringent EU-4 exhaust emission limits.

"The combination of outstanding performance, a low fuel consumption, EU-4 compliance and a diesel particulate filter illustrates the great potential still remaining in this ultra-modern six-cylinder biturbo diesel, and in diesel engines in general", Professor Jürgen Hubbert explains.
As in the case of other studies and show cars with which Mercedes-Benz has repeatedly presented new and interesting vehicle concepts for open discussion - and which have usually entered series production - the project planners are once again using the Frankfurt Motor Show to gauge the opinions of visitors to the show, and will reach their decision for this unique vehicle concept according to the public response.

With four doors and a generously dimensioned interior the Vision CLS offers a significant improvement in comfort and functionality compared to other coupés. The distance between the front and rear seats is 829 millimetres, and therefore at the level of a saloon. The 470-litre boot capacity (VDA measuring method) of the Mercedes study also considerably exceeds the figures for other coupés and many a saloon.

The coupé study is equipped with pioneering Mercedes innovations such as adaptive front airbags, windowbags and sidebags, as well as belt tensioners and belt force limiters for all seats, giving it the same high safety standard as the Mercedes luxury class. Active headlamps, cornering lights and the electrohydraulic braking system Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC™) are other special technical features of the Vision CLS.

Mercedes-Benz has combined the high-torque biturbo engine with the new 7G-TRONIC, the world's first seven-speed automatic transmission for passenger cars. This offers a high degree of gearshift comfort while allowing fast mid-range sprints, so it harmonises particularly well with the dynamic character of the coupé study.

SLR McLaren: top technology for the Gran Turismo of the 21st Century
With the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, which celebrates its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz and its Formula 1 partner McLaren are demonstrating their long years of experience in the development and production of high-performance sports cars. This two-seater with its striking swing-wing doors and stylistic elements of the Formula 1 Silver Arrows continues the legend of the SLR racing sports cars from the 1950s.

The Gran Turismo for the 21st Century consists almost entirely of carbon-fibre materials (CRP). This lightweight but at the same time extremely rigid material is a product of aerospace technology and finds widespread use in modern Formula 1 racing cars. This high-tech material is approx. 50 percent lighter than steel. Moreover, during an impact carbon fibres exhibit four to five times the energy absorption of steel or aluminium. Mercedes-Benz makes use of these characteristics and installs two 620 mm long side members of carbon fibre in the front-end structure of the new SLR, which absorb the entire crash energy during a defined impact. This allows the passenger cell, which is also of CRP and therefore offers a very reliable survival space even during a lateral or rear impact, to remain substantially undamaged. Adaptive airbags, newly-developed knee and sidebags and belt tensioners round off the safety features.

Mercedes-Benz also employs a new materials technology when manufacturing the brake discs. These are of fibre-reinforced ceramics and not only have a high fade resistance and very long operating life, but also produce outstanding deceleration values in conjunction with the electrohydraulic braking system Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC™), impressively underlining the racing car nature of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

460 kW/626 hp V8 engine with the latest supercharger technology
In the interests of perfect handling dynamics and a high level of braking stability the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was designed as a sports car with a front-mid engine. The powerful V8 engine mounted on a robust aluminium frame has a low installed position to ensure the low centre of gravity which is desirable for handling agility.

The supercharged 5.5-litre engine develops an output of 460 kW/626 hp and a maximum torque of 780 Newton metres from 3250 rpm, maintaining this over a wide engine speed range up to 5000 rpm. This makes the SLR's eight-cylinder unit one of the most powerful engines to be found in a roadgoing, series-production sports car. The SLR McLaren accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h in just 3.8 seconds, reaches the 200 km/h mark after only 10.6 seconds and registers 300 km/h only 28.8 seconds after starting from rest. Its maximum speed is 334 km/h.

The standard five-speed automatic transmission is configured for this outstanding performance. It offers the driver a choice of three drive programs with different gearshifting characteristics. In "Manual" mode the five speeds can be selected either via buttons on the steering wheel or by the Touchshift feature on the automatic shift lever. In this program the driver is also able to choose between three shift stages - "Sport", "Supersport" and "Race" - for even faster gearchanges when driving briskly.

Aerodynamics concept based on Formula 1 know-how
In order to meet the extreme high-speed handling, stability and air-cooling requirements for such a high-performance sports car, Mercedes-Benz has developed a highly sophisticated aerodynamics concept in collaboration with McLaren. This ensures exemplary road contact and therefore the handling safety typical of a Mercedes. As a result of extensive wind tunnel tests, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is equipped with an almost completely smooth underfloor and is fitted with a special six-channel diffuser under the rear end. Both are well-proven design principles adopted from Formula 1. They ensure a practically unimpeded airflow beneath the vehicle to produce what specialists refer to as "negative lift " at high speeds.

A retractable spoiler at the rear of the SLR creates an additional downforce. When the car reaches a speed of 95 km/h the spoiler automatically extends into the slipstream at an angle of ten degrees and increases the downward pressure acting on the rear axle. The spoiler also acts as an airbrake when required: if the driver brakes heavily it pivots to a 65-degree angle, not only increasing wind drag but also shifting the aerodynamic centre of gravity further to the rear. This gives the SLR outstanding stability when braking from high speeds.

Premiere of the 4MATIC permanent four-wheel drive system in the E-Class
Other new Mercedes products celebrating their premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show include the 4MATIC variants (Saloons and Estates) in the E-Class. By interacting intelligently with the standard Electronic Stability Program ESP® and the 4ETS traction control system, 4MATIC helps the driver to manage critical situations safely and confidently. From autumn 2003 the six-cylinder models E 240 and E 320 will be available with 4MATIC, as is the eight-cylinder E 500.

In addition to the interaction between ESP® and 4ETS the new four-wheel-drive models in the E-Class feature another technical highlight - Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC™) - which first entered series production at Mercedes-Benz. Thanks to variable brake force distribution at each wheel this provides more safety when braking on bends, while increasing the efficiency of Brake Assist, the Electronic Stability Program ESP® and 4MATIC by virtue of its dynamic intervention and precision. Braking impulses become even more sensitive and rapid.

A new entry to the E-Class range is the E 500 Estate, which has a powerful V8 petrol engine generating an output of 225 kW/306 hp.
With a view to the future Mercedes-Benz is also presenting two new drive concepts in Frankfurt/Main, namely the E 200 NGT with a bivalent petrol/natural gas power unit and a hybrid concept in which the powerful V6 engine of the S-Class is combined with two electric motors.