Mercedes-Benz Shifts Into High Gear in Coast-to-Coast M-Class Tour
MONTVALE, N.J., April 22 -- Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is taking one of its newest vehicle line-ups directly to the drivers of America for its best, broadest, most extensive event tour yet, the 2005 M-Class Road Rally. Stopping in a total of 37 cities and bringing the thrill of Mercedes- Benz to approximately 57,000 people, the M-Class Road Rally Tour provides an exciting test drive environment, free of sales pressure and creates a relevant lifestyle experience commensurate with Mercedes-Benz ownership.
The M-Class Road Rally first revs up in San Francisco from April 22-24. When the Rally culminates at its finish line in early August, tens of thousands of prospective M-Class buyers will have had a thorough orientation to the Mercedes-Benz brand and first-hand experience with the performance of one of its most exciting line of vehicles, the all new M-Class.
"The M-Class Road Rally is our most thrilling, comprehensive national tour to date, stopping in 37 cities, coast-to-coast. The Rally will literally bring in tens of thousands of people to continue, relive or discover their fascination with Mercedes-Benz," said Michelle Cervantez, vice president of marketing for MBUSA. "The M-Class driver has a lot in common with the M-Class itself. They are sporty, stylish, focused and strive to differentiate themselves from their peers. We encourage all drivers in the areas where the Rally will be visiting to come and see what the excitement is all about."
The events feature the M-Class product line of sport-utilities, which will be on-location for test drives on a variety of challenging courses that simulate real-world, on-road driving conditions. This will demonstrate the unparalleled combination of performance, handling and safety available throughout the M-Class model line.
The M-Class Road Rally will consist of three tours happening simultaneously from April 22nd through August 7th: a national tour of major metropolitan areas and two regional tours. Each event will feature a luxury tent furnished comfortably chic by Pottery Barn. Other tour partners include harman/kardan, Kitchen Aid, Michelin, Dr. Perricone, Saks Fifth Avenue, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Smashbox, and Voss Water. Each will provide added lifestyle elements on the tour that reflect the M-Class lifestyle for guests to enjoy.
When the original Mercedes-Benz M-Class first arrived seven years ago, it started a new trend in the luxury light trucks segment which inspired the auto industry to shift toward SUVs that rode more like a car than a truck. Virtually the only sport utility at the time with four-wheel independent suspension, the original M-Class was one of the first line of vehicles to be designed from the ground up, rather than based on an existing truck platform.
More information on the M-Class Road Rally, including how to register, is available at http://www.mclassroadrally.com/. The tour calendar currently includes the following cities and locations, but may be subject to change:
2005 M-Class Driving Events
DATE NATIONAL TOUR EASTERN TOUR WESTERN TOUR
Apr 22-24 San Francisco
Monster Park
Apr 29-May Orange County Charlotte
1 El Toro Charlotte Coliseum
May 6-8 Los Angeles Orlando Seattle
Santa Anita Orlando Executive Port of Seattle
Racetrack Airport
May 13-15 Dallas Tampa Sacramento
Fair Park Tampa Bay Downs McClellan Air Force
Base
May 20-22 Houston Atlanta San Diego
Gulf Greyhound Park Turner Field Qualcomm Stadium
May 27-29 Washington, DC Raleigh Las Vegas
Fed EX Field RBC Center Las Vegas Motor
Speedway
Jun 3-5 Chicago Pittsburgh Phoenix
Hawthorne Racetrack Beaver Run Firebird Raceway
Jun 10-12 New Jersey Baltimore Denver
Old Bridge Raceway Raven Stadium/Oriole Wembly Park
Park
Jun 17-19 New York Boston Kansas City
Belmont Park South Weymouth Naval The Woodlands
Air Station
Jun 24-26 Miami Hartford St. Louis
Pompano Raceway Park Oakdale Theater The Family Arena
July 2-3 Philadelphia Minneapolis
Philadelphia Park Minnesota State
Fairgrounds
July 9-10 Purchase, NY Milwaukee
SUNY Purchase Miller Park
July 16-17 Bergen County, NJ Detroit
Ramapo College Palace at Auburn
Hills
July 23-24 Somerset, NJ Cleveland
Moorland Farms International Expo
Center
July 30-31 Long Island, NY
Hofstra U
August 6-7 Norwalk, CT
Maritime Aquarium in
Norwalk
MBUSA, headquartered in Montvale, N.J., is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. In 2004, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 221,610 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving eleven consecutive years of sales growth.