EC145 "Mercedes-Benz Style" Helicopter from Eurocopter Makes its World Premiere

MULGRAVE, AUSTRALIA – May 19, 2011: The first product from “Mercedes-Benz Style” is ready for take-off: The EC145 “Mercedes-Benz Style” helicopter from Eurocopter celebrates its world premiere on 17th May, 2011 at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition 2011 (EBACE) in Geneva, after which it will be handed over to a European customer. Mercedes-Benz designers created the interior, which is notable for its outstanding versatility and exquisite materials. The EC145 “Mercedes-Benz Style” is tailor-made for luxury-class business and private travel.

“We are very pleased to have realized the first product of ‘Mercedes-Benz Style’ with Eurocopter,” said Prof. h.c. Dr. Gorden Wagener, head of design at Mercedes-Benz. “The interior design of the EC145 ‘Mercedes-Benz Style’ helicopter represents the classic passion of the Mercedes-Benz design language and fulfils the very highest expectations in terms of elegance, luxury and comfort.”

The luxurious interior design was created in the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in the Italian city of Como and is inspired by the luxury-class saloons created by the brand with the three-pointed star. The EC145 “Mercedes-Benz Style” offers deluxe materials, elegant woods, and ambient lighting familiar from the S and E-Class that can be adjusted to a number of different colour and brightness settings, as well as spacious multi-function boxes with various equipment options.

Moreover, the designers have placed a great deal of emphasis on variability. The passenger cabin is incredibly versatile, making the EC145 “Mercedes-Benz Style” ideal for a diverse range of travel needs – from business or family travel, to leisure and sporting trips. All seats are fixed to rails and can be rearranged very easily in a number of different arrangements for four to eight passengers, or removed altogether in order to create space for luggage. The spacious load area also offers a high degree of flexibility with an extensive range of anchoring options on the floor and walls.

The EC145 is the perfect match for “Mercedes-Benz Style”, as this turbine-powered aircraft is at the top of its class in the medium-sized, twin-engine helicopter category. It combines Eurocopter’s leading-edge developments in cockpit design and avionics, while also incorporating a hingeless rotor system and enhanced rotor blades that reduce sound and vibration levels. More than 400 EC145s have been delivered around the globe for a full range of operations and is the only helicopter of its type that can seat up to eight passengers.

“Only one year after Eurocopter presented the EC145 ‘Mercedes-Benz Style’ concept at EBACE 2010, we now are unveiling the first aircraft and can already announce the initial sale to a European corporate operator,” said Olivier Lambert, Eurocopter’s Senior Vice President Sales and Customer Relations. “These achievements confirm Eurocopter’s successful approach in developing products that meet the demanding expectations of executive and private customers worldwide.”