Mercedes-Benz Cars at the 2015 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS): Double World Premiere in Booming SUV Segment - New GLE Replaces the Successful M-Class
 Mercedes-Benz GLE |
NEW YORK -- April
1, 2015: Mercedes-Benz USA has had an extremely successful start to
2015, with the strongest first quarter in company history. Growth in the
United States has been further fuelled by attractive new models in the
booming SUV segment. In a double world premiere, the inventor of the
premium SUV is presenting the extensively updated GLE and the new
Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 at the New York International Auto Show. The newcomers
are fully equipped to exceed the success of their globally popular
predecessor, the M-Class. Mercedes-Benz is further intensifying its ongoing
SUV offensive with the US market launch of the Mercedes-AMG G 65, the
world’s most powerful off-road vehicle. With the GLC
(previously GLK) and the GLS (successor to the GL), two more off-road
vehicles bearing the three-pointed star are set to debut in the “Year
of the SUV”. In parallel, the new smart fortwo is celebrating the
start of sales in the USA. The ultra-compact two-seater is already eagerly
anticipated in the nation’s main urban centres.
Since the world premiere of the SL Roadster in 1954, the
New York International Auto Show has repeatedly served as the launch pad
for great Mercedes success stories. The latest candidate for the
“Hall of Fame” of bestsellers with the three-pointed star is
the new GLE, the successor to the globally popular M-Class. The extensively
updated full-size SUV combined refined comfort on and off-road with the
versatility and robustness that is so typical of Mercedes SUVs. The new
premium SUV fits in perfectly with the times thanks, in part, to its
innovative drive technology. “The GLE 500 e 4MATIC is the first
Mercedes SUV with plug-in hybrid technology. This high-tech drive combines
the highest level of energy efficiency with outstanding performance and
excellent road manners,” says Steve Cannon, President of
Mercedes-Benz USA.
Highest efficiency,
lowest emissions – the new GLE
A
system output of 325 kW (442 hp) in the GLE 500 e 4MATIC
guarantees potent performance – with CO2 emissions of just
78 g/km (3.3 l/100 km). The hybrid can also drive up to 30 kilometres with
zero local emissions.
The new GLE entry model on
the European market is the GLE 250 d. The 150 kW (204 hp)
four-cylinder diesel offers refined performance with fuel consumption
previously unheard-of in this vehicle segment. The new GLE 250 d is the
world’s first series-production full-size SUV with conventional drive
to emit just 140 g of CO2 (5.4 l/100 km). Across the entire
engine line-up, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of the
GLE are down by 17 percent against those of its predecessor.
More powerful and agile than ever – the
Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 and GLE 63 S
With
their amazing performance characteristics, the AMG models are making a
major contribution to SUV sales success in the USA. The 5.5-litre V8
biturbo engine in the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 is more powerful than ever and is
available in a choice of two output variants with either 410
kW (557 hp) or as an S model with 430 kW (585
hp). The running gear has been completely reworked for more agility and
equipped as standard with the ACTIVE CURVE SYSTEM for stabilising body
roll. Engine responsiveness and transmission shift times are now even
sportier, underscoring AMG’s signature Driving Performance. “We
established the high-performance SUV segment in 1999 with the ML 55 AMG.
Now, with the GLE 63, we are once again setting the bar a little higher
when it comes to handling, responsiveness and precision,” says Tobias
Moers, CEO of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
Market
launch in the USA – Mercedes-AMG G 65 with V12 engine
Delivering even more superlatives is the Mercedes-AMG
G 65. The world’s most powerful SUV will be available for the first
time on the US market. The 6.0-litre V12 biturbo engine will generate
463 kW (630 hp) and delivers an astounding torque of 1,000
Nm (738 lb-ft). The G 65 needs just 5.3 seconds for the sprint from zero to
100 km/h, with its top speed limited to 230 km/h. With the G 65,
Mercedes-Benz USA is reacting to a growing number of customer seeking more
performance and exclusivity in the luxury off-road league. Sales of
Mercedes-Benz SUVs in the USA grew in 2014 by eleven percent, with more
than one third of all sales bearing the three-pointed star already
attributable to its versatile all-wheel drive vehicles.
Market launch in the USA –
smart
Making its big entrance in New
York is the new smart fortwo. The agile and comfortable two-seater comes to
market with the world’s smallest turning circle (6.95 m / 22.80 ft),
outstanding safety equipment, the 89 hp top engine variant for the USA, the
new twinamic DCT dual-clutch transmission and state-of-the-art connectivity
features. The sum of its features makes it the new “it” car,
wherever the issue is modern urban mobility.
“With its many features, the new smart already had a
great start in Europe and we cannot wait to bring it to the streets of this
great country and this great city,” says smart boss Dr. Annette
Winkler, speaking about the US market launch. The fundamental strengths of
the smart for two – manoeuvrability, safety, efficiency – are
already the talk of the New York authorities. The New York Police
Department (NYPD) is testing the predecessor of the new fortwo for its
suitability as a patrol car on the streets of the Big Apple.