Mercedes-Benz Magazine by fiona.xing

Issue 03路2014

Mercedes-Benz

www.mercedes-benz.com.cn

01路2014 03路2014

ga me ch anger The All New C-Class Long Wheelbase

Two Times Europe

The Ger m an Dy nasty

August 2014 | SEEC Media Group Limited | Advertising Agent: Beijing Caixun Culture Media Co., Ltd | Address: 19th Floor, Prime Tower, No.22 Chaoyangmenwai Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing | Tel: 010-85657096

The Answer of the Future Nobody can tell what the future look like. But the history has offered us clues. Please follow the stories of the all new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Long Wheelbase, SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive, and the German national football team in this magazine, and look for the answer of the future.

f o r e w o r d S

Dear friends, Although the summer sun has begun to wane, Mercedes-Benz will continue to shine brightly as we transition into autumn. We remain dedicated to bringing you the best customer experience possible, and with a growing family of vehicles and world-class customer care, we will showcase the values that have made us a leader in modern luxury for over a century.

Forewords 3·2014

As we see it, modern luxury is not about abundance or opulence. It is instead about paring things down to their very essence and creating what we call “sensual purity”. Led by this philosophy, we continue to combine the emotion of timeless designs with the intelligence of cutting-edge technologies. This has allowed us to craft vehicles that resonate across cultures, building on tradition to define future trends. The All New C-Class embodies these values in every way. From its striking, emotional exterior to its intelligent and superb interior, the C-Class defines the true essence of Mercedes-Benz. It also shows that “Made in China, for China” is more than just a slogan. From design to production, we have created an automobile that meets the unique needs of the China market. Two unique front end designs – the classic Sedan and athletic Sport Sedan – give you more ways to showcase your personality, while the extended leg-room reflects the taste of our discerning Chinese customers. The All New C-Class is also more “China-ready” than ever before, having braved temperatures spanning from -35 to 40°C, altitudes as high as 5,000 meters, and 500,000 kilometers of road all over the country. As the most fascinating and intelligent car in its segment, the All New C-Class is now ready to change the game. And as the latest addition to our family of vehicles, it again shows our determination to bring you the best products, the best service and the best experience, guaranteed. C the change!

Yours truly, Nicholas Speeks President and CEO, Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co., Ltd Editor in Chief, Mercedes-Benz Magazine

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Flying Trains

Volt from The Blue

Mobility and innovation: into the desert with a fuel-cell car,360-degree cameras and the GLA compact SUV.

The Clip-Air concept is intended to make freight cars airborne in the future – thanks to “clip-on” wings.

A maiden drive in the world’s most powerful electric super-sports car: the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive.

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Take a Seat

Upgraded

Automotive technology past and present. This time: taking a back seat.

More comfort, more dynamics – the all new C-Class Long Wheelbase is redefining the mid-range class

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Watershed Years 1982 saw the 190 models hit the market. What other significant things happened during the year each generation of CClass launched?

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The German Dynasty

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The German national football team finally won the world cup in 2014. It was hardwon but a solid victory.

Treasure Hunter

Two Times Europe

Sotheby's expert Cheyenne Westphal on art and business.

Mysterious, abundant and beautiful, follow the Mercedes-Benz to feel the Europe that you have never experienced.

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A Journey under The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Three-pointed Starâ&#x20AC;?

Fearless

The most updated Mercedes-Benz Collections presented specially for you.

Surfing star Garrett McNamara conquers the wold's biggest waves.

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Icons Let there be light: six illuminating facts about headlights and how light impacts on our lives beyond the car.

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Emotion Design,art and fashion: new furniture and some hot tips from a starred chef.

001 Forewords 082 Moments 087 FYI

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Oasis on Wheels HOLLY W OO D STARS Diane Krüger and Joshua Jackson spent two days at 50°C (122°F) in Death Valley – without taking any water with them. Their only ally was the F-CELL B-Class, which uses a fuel cell to generate electricity from the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing emissions of pure water. The film Defying Death Valley shows their journey through the desert, how they waited apprehensively for the first taste of water from the reservoir on the rear of the vehicle – and how they realized that their car could also produce drinkable water. The two stars were, in fact, proponents of fuel-cell technology before their journey. “Filling up in three minutes, driving some 400 km [250 miles] and generating zero emissions – it doesn’t come much better than that,” said Jackson. m b 4 . m e /dr i v e 4water

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Xiaolin Zheng The 35-year-old professor at Stanford University develops flexible solar cells that can be attached to a range of different surfaces.

illustr ation brian Taylor photos Daimler AG (3), simon cl ay for bonhams (1)

What makes your flexible solar cells different from conventional ones? Normally, thin-layer PV cells are mounted on silicon or glass wafers, which are heavy, inflexible materials but can withstand heat. That is why we still use them, but we add a metal layer between the solar cell and the backing material. If you put this structure in warm water, the solar cell can be peeled off the wafer and glued to any surface you like. What are the possible uses for your solar cells? Solar stickers enable virtually any surface to be used to generate energy. As they are light, flexible and transparent, you can stick them on walls, cell phones, helmets, convex windows, portable electronics, bicycles or curved automobile roofs. Their output remains the same, but the costs are potentially lower. How did you first hit on the idea? In my home country, China, you see many solar panels on roofs that are used for heating water. Years ago my father said to me, “Wouldn’t it be great if solar cells could be made lighter and more flexible? Then you could put them up anywhere, not just on roofs!” From that point onwards, I somehow couldn’t get the idea out of my head.

Preikstolen Have you, a pathfinder who does not follow other people’s footsteps, been to the Preikstolen?

Located in Southern Norway close to the middle of Lysefjord of Stavanger, Preikstolen is, in fact, a giant rock that rises 604 meters above the sea and protrudes 30 meters away from the adjoining mountain ridge. The spectacular view attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. It is also one of the best places to overlook Lysefjord and appreciate the beauty of the fjord. The top of the rock is approximately 600m2. The trail leading uphill to Preikstolen is 3.8-kilometer long, an elevation of approximate 330 meters from the start of the trail with red T marked all the way to the top. It takes about four to five hours to climb to the top and come back to the starting point. Tourists may choose to take the ferry at Fiskepiren Ferry Terminal to Tau and transfer onto a bus arriving at Preikstolen Mountain Lodge at the start of the trail, which takes about one and a half hours one way and the buses run frequently. Make sure to bring enough water with you since there is no drinking water along the way unless you don’t mind drinking from the spring.

A u t o m o t i v e

d i c t i o n a r y

NVH rating: a term that refers to Noise, Vibration and Harshness, and sums up all the perceived sounds and vibrations that can affect the comfort of a vehicle’s interior. A u c t i o n

Up for Grabs o n j u ly 12 , auctioneers Bonhams will be selling some 40 privately owned Mercedes, Benz and Mercedes-Benz automobiles. Amongst the models coming under the hammer at the Mercedes-Benz Museum is a 540K Cabriolet A from 1936 (pictured). Estimated value: between 1.8 and 2.4 million euros. bon h a ms . com

The Falling-water House T a l k i n g a b o u t t h e a r c h i t e c t u r e is easy as it

is very famous. Time stated after its completion as Frank Wright’s “most beautiful job”; it is listed among Smithsonian’s Life List of 28 places to “visit before you die. ” In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the house the “best all-time work of American architecture”. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1996. However, it is difficult to describe its charm and beauty, which one can only experience in person. You need to pay a visit to the house if you have a chance. The Falling-water House is built partly over a waterfall on Bear Run in the secluded valley of the southeast of Pennsylvania. The owner of the house, Edgar Kaufmann, was a Pittsburgh businessman and president of Kaufmann‘s Department Store. He hired Frank Wright, a modernist master architect to build a leisure villa. This house was donated to the Protection Committee of Western Pennsylvania in 1963 by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr.and was made open to the public in the year that followed.

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Downloads for Travelers M e r c e d e s - B e n z M a g a z i n e Test reports on

the latest models, travel features and interviews with interesting personalities – everything you associate with Mercedes-Benz magazine is now available as an app for Apple and Android smartphone.

AMG Soundroom: listen to the engine sounds of AMG models. 14

Muzei Live Wallpaper: shows a different work of art every day as wallpaper.

Minube: write travel lists for friends and read their tips for trips.

Supersonic S p i k e Aerospace S-512 is a new design of jet

which, from 2018 on, will whisk you from London to New York in three hours. A special feature is that, instead of windows, cameras will present panoramic views on display screens embedded in the walls. You will be able to change the images at the flick of a switch. spi k ea erospace . com

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Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage Haruki Murakami

tells the story of Tsukuru Tazaki, who as a young man is rejected by his circle of friends. Sixteen years later, Tsukuru sets out to finally understand what was going on all those years ago. Another masterpiece by the Japanese author, out in August. randomhouse . com

1,000,000,000 photos gett y images (1), Daimler ag (2), olwen evans (1), spike aerospace/spike S -512 supersonic jet (1)

D o l l a r s have so far been donated to projects on the Kickstarter website. This

crowdfunding platform offers any project – from paper decorations to cat calendars, from robots to entire movies – an opportunity to access funding. Each project sets a deadline and offers incentives that can range from the end product itself to a weekend visit to the developers, depending on the sum donated. The website was launched five years ago with a mere seven projects, but has now helped 5.7 million people in 224 countries to realize no fewer than 135,309 projects. Kickstarter now has many imitators, and crowdfunding has become a billion-dollar business.

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“INSIGHT is not a light bulb that goes off inside our heads. It is a flickering candle that can easily be snuffed out.” malcolm gladwell, author

lifeti m e . . .

… Hover above the Savannah

HOW IS IT DONE? Forget jeep safaris, now you can explore Africa’s landscapes from a hot air balloon. With a bit of luck you will see lions, zebras and gnus in the wild. what are the requirements? You should be an early riser – the balloon usually takes off at sunrise. Open to children above the age of 6 or over 130 cm (4 ft 3 in.). WHERE CAN YOU DO IT? Various companies such as wilderness-safaris.com offer balloon flights as part of their green safari trips in Zambia and Namibia. 15

360 fly. com

c o n c e pt WHETHER it’s a fuel-cell car or a supersonic aircraft, you can find more information about all these technological and design trends on the Web by scanning the smartphone QR code. mb - qr . com /0 i 6

Marine Luxury

Good Reference S t u t t g a r t The Coupe SUV

concept car represents a further step towards the fusion of sportiness and robustness already hinted at by the GLA compact SUV. The study simultaneously incorporates features of a coupe and an off-road vehicle. Thanks to what Mercedes-Benz design chief Gorden Wagener calls its “extreme proportions”, the concept car offers a glimpse of what an entirely new class of vehicle might look like. m ercedes - benz . com

Zone 1 Apartments and hotels are being built here. Wind turbines and solar cells generate green electricity.

Zone 5 Below water level are technical rooms with research centers and recycling plants.

G r a n d C a n c Ú n is a vision of a green offshore tourist resort near the popular Mexican seaside town of Cancún. It consists of a marine platform with luxury hotels and apartments, as well as cinemas, conference centers and shopping malls. Sustainability is the name of the game, the idea being that the platform is carbon-neutral and even produces enough energy and drinking water to supply some of the mainland as well. The main aim is to use state-of-the-art water purification techniques to clean seawater. The resort is planned for completion by 2020 – the 50th anniversary of the creation of Cancún. gr andcancunintl .wix . com /international 16

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Zones 2-4 Here there’s room for restaurants, offices, shopping malls and conference centers. photos daimler AG (2), arch.richard moreta castillo r a+D (2)

fly on the wall With its all-round vision, the 360Fly camera misses nothing. Weighing in at a mere 120 grams (4.23 oz), it can be mounted virtually anywhere.

H E R i t a g e

Take a Seat

the Evolution of the car is a long one. Certain details disappear, others make way for new discoveries. A closer look helps us understand how tradition spawns the future: this time, we compare the rear of the Mercedes 300 c with that of the S-Class.

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PHotos Daimler AG

1955

Close your eyes and visualize for a moment the elegant interior of a luxury sedan. What kind of upholstery would the rear seats feature? Leather, naturally. Around 60 years ago, though, this material had a very different status compared with today. Back then, velvety velour was the thing. In the 300 c, a.k.a. the “Adenauer Mercedes”, you would find leather – which could be neither heated nor cooled – on the chauffeur’s seat, at most. The footwells of the 300 c were lined with heavy carpeting while head restraints were an optional extra, as was the crank-operated glass partition screen dividing the front and rear of the cabin. Ashtrays, on the other hand, were fitted in abundance. The hand straps attached to the B-pillar were covered in brocade, while other fashionable materials included chrome, solid metals and polished wood trim. With the exception of the latter, none of the status symbols of that time have

survived down to our day. When it comes to ride comfort and working on the move, however, passenger expectations have remained unchanged. Today, metallized switches and pearlescent surfaces dominate, while the seats, it goes without saying, are upholstered in leather – climatecontrolled and also capable of delivering a massage, not to mention lending the body dynamic support during cornering. The executive seat in the rear bears comparison with a state-of-the-art Business Class airline seat, providing a 43-degree-plus backrest inclination and room to put your feet up. In the new S-Class, all four seats now offer independent access to the radio and to Internet functions. The Comand Online infotainment system has no historic precedent, needless to say, although the 300 c production model already boasted a luxurious radio with a world-first > feature – preset station buttons. 17

Flying Trains

IS THIS the future of air travel? Clip-Air is the name of this new idea, which enables trains to take to the skies. The idea is not just to change air travel but to revolutionize the railroad system as well.

t h e i n s p i r at i o n Like the Clip-Air concept, the Boeing X-48 experimental airplane consists of a single huge wing – albeit with a normal passenger cabin. The design reduces noise and cuts fuel consumption. A smaller, unmanned prototype has already undergone extensive test flights. If the aircraft is ever built, it will have a wingspan of 70 meters (230 ft).

BO e IN G X - 4 8 B

air bus a320

3 economy With its three engines, the Clip-Air jet can transport the same number of passengers as three Airbus 320s with their total of six engines – promising considerable fuel savings and cutting operating costs by ten percent.

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rom Berlin main train station to Majorca without changing or leaving your seat once – one day this could be reality. Clip-Air is a concept developed by Swiss scientists that combines an aircraft with a train. It involves securely attaching up to three trains to the underside of a massive modular airplane. The giant wing would house only the cockpit, engines and fuel tanks. “It has the potential not only to change air travel but also to revolutionize our idea of what mobility involves,” explains Claudio Leonardi of the Swiss Technical University in Lausanne, who developed the concept together with his team. “It would enable airplanes to bring passengers straight to city centers or industrial areas.” On landing, the plane would unlatch the trains and these would then continue to their destination on the railroad track. The train compartments could have varying interiors – one could serve as Business Class and the one next to it could transport containers.

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THE COMPETITION The popular Airbus A320 can carry about 150 passengers. By comparison, the Clip-Air, with up to 450 passengers, would have around three times as much space for people and/or freight. This could significantly reduce the number of airplanes taking to the skies. A further advantage of the Clip-Air is safety – sources of danger like the engines and fuel tanks are clearly separated from the passenger cabins.

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s tat s The Clip-Air can fly some 400 km (250 miles) and has room for three train “cabins”, each with 150 seats. The capsules are 4 meters (just over 13 ft) in diameter – the size of an Airbus 320 – and 30 meters (98.4 ft) long, around the same length as a typical railroad car. However, most trains are only around 3 meters (just under 10 ft) wide, which means the ClipAir cars would not fit through many tunnels and train stations. 19

Upgraded 20

Backdrops Christoph Koestlin/Folio-ID

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MORE COMFORT AND MORE LUXURY, more vehicle dynamics and more superlatives â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mercedes-Benz is redefining the mid-range class. The enhancements are in evidence both inside and out.

w o r d s M i c h a e l m o o r s t e dt

photos marc tr autmann

Even when stationary, the car

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appears to be in full flight.

Backdrops Greg Conr aux/Folio - ID

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Larger but lighter

Backdrops Greg Conr aux/Folio - ID

ATH L E T I C s tance The long engine hood and shortened tail create an aerodynamic silhouette.

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oday we are used to having the world – quite literally – at our fingertips. We use touchscreens and touchpads to operate smartphones, tablets, computers, drinks and cash dispensers, ticket machines and many other everyday conveniences. In recent years, moreover, the gestures required to control these devices – the swipe, the drag, the tap – have become such a regular feature of our everyday lives that young children now stare indignantly at the printed words in a book when they stubbornly refuse to move off the page. Touchscreens have introduced a closer relationship between man and machine. But for many years, the car remained largely untouched by this revolution. Why? Perhaps because the raw power of the machine, the irresistible force of several hundred horsepower, never seemed to sit quite so well with the simplicity of touchscreen control. Presented by Mercedes-Benz at the Detroit Autoshow in January, the new C-Class is about to change all that: the centerpiece of its center console is a silky-smooth touchpad. Just as with a smartphone, all vehicle functions – from ambient lighting to climate control and multimedia – can be operated by the driver with fingertip control. And the system is also hooked up to the navigation device, of course. Using natural finger movements, the touchpad enables users to zoom in on a map; its handwriting recognition function identifies the individual letters of destinations “drawn” with the finger on the screen (the software can even interpret the most spidery of hands); and after just a brief familiarization period, users will be writing commands instinctively and unsighted. For drivers who feel uneasy with touch controls, however, there is always the familiar controller knob, now relocated to a new position just below the magical touchscreen.

Sensual Clarity

cu t t in g - e d g e luxu r y The large central display and three iconic air vents lend the cockpit an avant-garde look. The impact is further heightened by the head-up display.

Combining several functions in one device, the touchpad has a further positive spin-off, reducing the number of knobs and switches on the dominant center console. The cockpit seems somehow tidier – almost minimalist. The effect achieved by the large, freestanding screen and the three air vents positioned below it is one of contemporary sportiness. Despite all such innovative additions, the interior appears neither overly technical nor unwelcoming, thanks in no small part to the tranquil surfaces and elegant, flowing lines, which converge at the center console, holding passengers in their gentle embrace. With reference to the cockpit’s sculptural design, Hart> mut Sinkwitz, Head of Interior Design at 27

p r emium q uali t y Tranquil surfaces and elegant, flowing lines dominate on the inside: the ultimate in automotive interior design.

B A N D O F B ROTH E RS Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to miss the family resemblance to the large luxury sedan. Characteristic features include the many driver assistance systems.

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Mercedes-Benz, speaks of “sensual clarity”. Highlights include solid metal and galvanized surfaces, intricate stitching and fine wood finishes – the ultimate in automotive interior design. At its introduction over 30 years ago, the C-Class predecessor – the 190 – was teasingly and affectionately nicknamed the “Baby Benz”. Of course, even then the moniker seemed illfitting. Today it could not be any less apposite. For the credo faithfully observed by the developers has been to “upgrade inside”. To sit aboard the new C-Class is to experience the joy of an airline passenger upgraded from economy to business class. For on discovering the new model for the first time, it is not immediately apparent that this is a car nominally ranked in the mid-range class. “The development came about at the time we were

redefining our brand and establishing our slogan ‘The best or nothing’,” explains design chief Sinkwitz.

Unprecedented New Highs Upon close inspection, it quickly becomes clear that this design credo has been implemented consistently throughout, right down to the bodywork. The car appears to have grown in size – and yet shed weight at the same time. A quick consultation of the data sheet confirms this initial over all impression. The arching roofline that falls away steeply towards the rear and the shortened tail end. Moreover, the distinctive side contours appear to generate additional momentum. The look is highly dynamic. Even when standing still, the C-Class appears < to be in full flight.

Volt from the Blue 30

w o r d s m i c h a e l m o o r s t e dt p h o t o s d a n i e l I n fa n g e r

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THE MOST POWERFUL ELECTRIC SUPER-SPORTS CAR in the world provides a feast of experiences on a trans-Alpine drive. And a selection of other Mercedes-Benz models also support “electric motor” as an alternative term for driving fun.

a roar is not something youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll hear from this particular supercar. The future it promises is not a loud one; the noisiest it gets is a dynamic hum â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like a sound effect from a science fiction movie.

K I N G O F TH E M O U N TA I N S 552 kW and 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque are enough for any stage victory.

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1969 After some early dabbling at the beginning of the 20th century, Mercedes-Benz relaunches its research activities in the field of alternative drive systems with the OE 302 electric bus. 1972 The LE 306 is the first electrically-powered test van with battery exchange technology. 1982 The first electric passenger car prototype is a W 123 station wagon with a nickel-iron battery on board weighing 600 kilos (approx. 1,300 lb). 19 9 4 Mercedes is also conducting research on an emission-free fuel cell drive system. The technology involved fills an entire van.

twisty mountain pass in the Austrian Alps provides the venue for a tête-à-tête between the past and the future. Hurtling towards one of many stunning views is a beautiful Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (in silver, naturally), the object of every car enthusiast’s desires for over 50 years. The SL shoots past us and disappears into the next hairpin, bidding us a final farewell with a throaty roar from the other side. We, too, are at the wheel of a very beguiling machine, though, and at first glance not a great deal seems to have changed since 1955. The smooth sweep of our car’s silhouette has the eye wandering over its long hood down to the road; it even has gullwing doors, which challenge the uninitiated to slide into the driver’s seat with any elegance. But a roar, let alone a full-throated one, is not something you will hear from this particular Mercedes super-sports car. The future it promises is not a loud one; the most it will utter is a dynamic hum. The future is an SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive – in a suitably space-age, shimmering metallic blue. A pause in the action during the 4th Silvretta E-Rally in Austria’s Montafon region – a three-daylong showcase for the potential of 20 or more electrically-powered cars – gives us the opportunity to take the electric SLS for an extensive test drive. Mercedes-Benz is represented here by the largest electric fleet in the field, including a smart electric drive (the first series-produced electric car from a German manufacturer) and a B-Class Electric Drive, which will be launched in the USA in 2014. And they are joined, of course, by the SLS Electric Drive – with an impressive 552 kW to its name and a top speed electrically limited to 250 km/h < (155 mph). Beneath the carbon monocoque is

WING COMMAND The electric SLS also has the signature gullwing doors.

19 98 Daimler begins long-term trials with an electrically-powered vehicle ready for everyday use based on the A-Class. 20 0 3 A big step forward: the fuel cell technology fits into an A-Class. Testing begins under everyday conditions. 200 9 The first smart fortwo electric drive enters series production. The B-Class F-Cell is launched. 33

a lithium-ion battery weighing 548 kilograms (just over 1,200 lb). It is made up of 12 modules with 72 cells each and has a voltage of 400V. The four electric motors, one for each wheel, have a huge amount of power at their disposal. Indeed, combined torque stands at 1,000 Newton meters (738 lb-ft). These figures sound like they’ve been cherry-picked from a pack of Top Trumps cards, but they all belong to one electrically-powered car. How can this be possible? Electric mobility, after all, continues to suffer a reputation for being a little, well, boring. Driving fun is not the first thing that occurs to most people when you mention an electric car. A reappraisal, it would seem, is overdue.

Science Fiction Soundtrack The electrically-powered SLS proves the doubters wrong. Austrian mountains are clearly not the natural habitat of the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive, a

t unnel v i s i o n The electric sports car sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds.

car more at home on the Nordschleife. Extracting the car’s full potential here is not easy. But then a long stretch of straight road opens up. A hearty dab of the accelerator and we are pressed back into the bucket seats in a manner you will perhaps only have experienced during take-off in an aircraft. Onlookers at the roadside are left in no doubt that a very special car has just flashed by. It owes this instant impact not only to its looks, but also its acoustic profile. If you were played the sound it produces without knowing where it came from, you would never associate it with a car. The distinctive hum is more like a sound effect from a science fiction movie. The development of this electrically-powered missile on wheels never focused entirely on everyday usability, explains AMG project manager Jan Feustel after our first test lap. It took just four years for a series-produced model to emerge from the pro< totype, with 80 percent of the technology re-

i SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive Engine / Output

Four synchronous magneto-electric motors, total output: 552 kW; max. torque 1,000 Nm (738 lb-ft)

Battery

Lithium-ion battery, capacity 60 kWh

Power point

After three hours hooked up to a wallbox, the high-voltage battery – which contains a great deal of KERS know-how from Formula 1 – is ready to deliver top performance.

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“ REGISTRATION FIGURES ARE STILL ON THE RISE.” Daimler eMobility expert Christine Haller on the company’s electric car strategy Dr. Haller, is it just us or have electric cars endured a rather subdued start to life? Three years ago electric mobility was riding a wave of extremely positive hype and market researchers were predicting disproportionately high sales figures. The reality could not keep pace with the euphoric forecasts, leading to a certain disillusionment among the public. However, look at the facts and you’ll see that registrations are actually showing triple-digit percentage growth. We’ve spoken to experts and customers around the world and the verdict is that this growth will continue.

o n t h e w ay Coming to Europe soon – the new B-Class Electric Drive.

So what’s delaying the advance of electric cars? There are several factors. Firstly, there has to be a sufficiently attractive range of projects on the market. We need to familiarize both ourselves and our customers with the new technology. And that links in with the issue of established routine. For example, some people find it disconcerting that they will no longer simply stop at a filling station when they need to refuel. However, studies show that it doesn’t take long for people to stop viewing charging the car as restricting. People can charge their car at home or work, and that also takes away the need to wait around at filling stations.

200 9 The Vision S 500 is still a prototype. As well as a combustion engine, it is also fitted with an electric motor capable of powering it for 30 km (19 miles) with zero local emissions. The motor cuts fuel consumption to 3.2 l/100 km (73.5 mpg). 2010 500 units of the electricallypowered A-Class E-Cell are built under series production conditions. 2011 The small-series hydrogenpowered B-Class F-Cell gets off to a good start with 180 vehicles finding owners in three countries.

e-xpert Dr. Christine Haller, Head of Marketing and Sales eMobility at Daimler AG, is one of those shaping the present and future of electric mobility.

2013 The SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive goes on sale in June. The new model sets a new Nürburgring-Nordschleife lap record for a series-produced electrically-powered car of 7:56.234 minutes.

photo Daimler AG

2012 In June, order books open for the smart fortwo electric drive in more than 30 markets.

Is it possible to adapt the range of combustionengined models to run emission-free? Zero-emission driving does not have to mean an absence of appeal; the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive proves this very clearly. The B-Class Electric Drive will be presented in the USA in early 2014, and will arrive in Europe a year later. A plug-in hybrid version of the S-Class is scheduled for launch in 2014. Plug-in hybrid variants of our Mercedes model series will be introduced onto the market in a gradual process. Which segment would you say provides the biggest sales opportunities? The right degree of electrification varies from segment to segment. For example, the smart fortwo electric drive fits the profile of a car that meets the daily mobility needs of many people, and it is the current electric car market leader. But the share of commercial vehicles and delivery van fleets running on electric power is also set to increase. The main thing is that those already driving electrically-powered vehicles are doing so not only to help the environment but also because they offer a lot of driving fun and already boast impressive everyday usability. 35

driving the smart electric drive is a flowing process made up of smooth acceleration and easy coasting – where the car utilizes the kinetic energy generated to partly recharge the battery.

tained. The development team had to overcome many challenges along the way, but they did not stem directly from the electric drive system. Instead, there were issues with the heating system, for example, as it no longer had the engine’s heat to work with. And similar hurdles were encountered with the coolant and the brake booster which, in combustion-engined vehicles, uses vacuum generated in the intake manifold. For many of these secondary functions, Feustel and his team had to find new solutions. “This car doubles up as a learning accelerator and technological showpiece,” says the AMG man. “We will continue to benefit from the knowledge we gained during its development for a long time.” So what we have here is something akin to a research vehicle on the loose in the wild. And yet despite all this, it is “a genuine Mercedes. We haven’t just bought in the expertise from one or other supplier – it has been developed in conjunction with our Formula 1 team.” All the parts used in the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive are from the Mercedes-Benz trove.

Playfulness and Inventiveness “Our aim is to show that electric mobility need not automatically mean sacrifice,” says Jan Feustel with a grin. A second stint at the wheel of the SLS clarifies his point. With the touch of a button we switch from Comfort into Sport+ mode, and suddenly it’s as if we are driving a completely different car. Torque vectoring may not actually contort the laws of physics, acceleration and inertia, but it certainly feels like it does. This is one of the key features of the SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive that drivers who do not spend most of their time on the track can experience. Torque vectoring sees the 36

i Smart fortwo electric drive Motor / Output

Magneto-electric motor, 35 kW constant, 55 kW peak; max. torque 130 Nm (96 lb-ft)

Battery

Lithium-ion battery, capacity: 17.6 kWh

Charge of the light brigade

The battery reaches full charge in roughly seven hours – or less than an hour with the optional fast-charge function. The car’s electric-only range is around 145 kilometers (90 miles).

Chill with a cool app

A smartphone app allows the interior of the smart fortwo electric drive to be pre-cooled while the battery is charging.

Further technical specifications and fuel

consumption figures can be found on page 78. finden Sie auf Seite 82.

car’s control unit precisely measuring out – in a fraction of a second – the drive split between all four wheels so that maximum torque is available to the driver immediately. “It feels as if the car could drive through the corners itself,” Feustel had commented earlier. Now I see what he means. At the other end of the electric scale from our SLS is the smart electric drive. The small two-seater is waiting for us at the rally base station and is still being charged. The scene is just as you would imagine. Behind the “filler cap” is the connector, which is hooked up to a standard power socket by a charging cable. We unplug the car and drive away. After a short getting-to-know-you period, during which we catch ourselves frequently casting anxious glances at the battery charge display, we soon grasp that you have to drive an electrically-powered car differently than a combustion-engined equivalent. It is a flowing process made up of smooth acceleration and easy coasting – where the car utilizes the kinetic energy generated to partly recharge the battery. The battery itself is out of sight, the smart electric drive offering just as much space as its gasoline-powered siblings, i.e. easily enough for the weekend shop. You only have to climb on board to see how flexible electric mobility has already become; super-sports machine or small car, a focus on ground-covering speed or everyday usability. A wonderful blend of playfulness and inventiveness wafts over engineers like Jan Feustel. His team was aware of their groundbreaking exploits, he explains. “E-technology opens up new freedoms and presents us with new challenges. But that’s nothing new; after all, Bertha Benz had to buy her gasoline at a drugstore on that famous maiden long-distance car journey < back in 1888.”

T EC H N O L O G Y The Commodore 64 packs the power of gigantic computing centers into a desktop-sized unit.

Lorem ipsum Der Nusdandi tatur, qui dunt imi, sequos dem exceatur simin etureiur, conectur,

Watershed Years

photos Visum (1), bildarchiv preussischer kulturbesitz ÂŠ the metropolitan museum of art (1), getty images (1), Daimler AG (1)

music Michael Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Thriller becomes the best-selling album in the history of pop music.

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1982, Came into Birth I I believe the World Cup was arguably the biggest event in 1982 that involved a large population. Although the world at that time seemed much larger than it is now when all the information is at your fingertip. Regardless, simply nothing made us happier than watching the World Cup on TV with a bunch of little partners and the cool summer breeze blowing against your face. Spain was the host country of the event and in the final held in Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Italy beat West Germany 3:1 to win the trophy. What is also worth remembering at the event is that a lad named Maradona emerged out of nowhere and soon made a mark in the history with his two feet and the hand of God. In fact, what was on the poster of the event made the most impression – a surrealistic run The year of 1982 was linked with such terms as “innovation, foresee, breakthrough and surrealism”. Let’s invite the history out again. Time magazine stated: 1982 represents the future. For the first time in history, it named “PC” instead of a natural person as the “man of the year”. It went on to foresee that family PC would become just as popular as TV or dishwasher and 60% of Americans would go online in 20 years. “Some new things are coming our way”, was used in the commercial by a compact sedan in that year. Now it is about time to introduce our leading character. In 1982, the first Mercedes-Benz 190 came off the assembly line. Positioned as a compact sedan under E, S and SL-Class, he was the early form of the first generation of the MercedesBenz C-Class. By the way, the first CD player in the world came out in that year as well. <

D e s i gn The Memphis Group’s new design principles rapidly find their way into most private homes.

The world looks different to each different individual. The same thing is reflected differently in the eyes of different people. Moreover, is the world really like the one written in the history or seen by your very eyes? Maybe or maybe not. Who knows if the world in the Matrix is not what God intended it to be? Perhaps machines have a soul and they are transformed into “Buzz Light-year” at night. The leading character in the following story is called “Mercedes-Benz C-Class”.

e x t r at e r r e s t r i a l 1982: E.T. arrives in U.S. movie theaters on July 11; on July 6, the longest lunar eclipse of the 20th century takes place – lasting nearly two hours.

Lightweight design to lower the drag coefficient of Mercedes-Benz 190 down to 0.33, which was a remarkable achievement at the time.

The auto market at that moment was witnessing a trend that favored the cars that looked younger and the consumers are demanding more economic sedans. In addition to meeting such demands, Mercedes-Benz 190 also proved that compact sedans were not at the cost of Mercedes-Benz’s high standards in safety and comfort. Mercedes-Benz190 achieved a balance among fuel consumption, safety features, steering stability, comfort and quality standards, which made it a pioneer that led the auto engineering and technological trends. Mercedes-Benz 190 also brought about some innovations to the auto design. The body and raised tail drew the attention from the consumers. Later, Mercedes-Benz adopted the same basic streamlines in other models to make “young Mercedes-Benz” the vanguard in modern design,

which, as the symbolic nature of Mercedes-Benz, lasted until early 1990. Design concepts are usually a reflection of the latest technological achievement. The raised and contracted tail enabled the engineers to significantly lower the air resistance to the body of the car. Mercedes-Benz 190 had a drag coefficient of 0.33, lower than the average value of all the sedans at the time by 25%. These halos that came with him at birth were sure to make Mercedes-Benz 190 a legend, just like Maradona who made his debut on the international football arena. In fact, when everybody was talking about the stars such as Rossi, Rummnigge and Platini whose names were already well known around the globe, Mercedes-Benz 190 gave his attention to the lad who had already left the platform as a result of a red card he received.

W 203 The second-generation C-Class had seven new engines and, for the first time, all-wheel drive.

2007–2014

W 202 The first model to carry the C-Class designation was available in four configurations.

2000–2007

1993–2000

A compact car with an outsized impact W 204 The C-Class now had two faces – the star could appear either in the radiator grille or atop the hood.

words Alex ander Runte photos daimler ag (5), Action Press (1), nordphoto/nph/pixsell (1)

Prince William and the “Baby Benz” (left) by designer Bruno Sacco, both born the same year.

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Int e r n e t became popular thanks to Mosaic browser. It was the first widely used browser in the internet history that could display pictures and had driven the development of World Wide Web. In the same year, the first internet line in China was connected to Beijing.

Whitney Houston received 8 Billboard Music Awards in 1993. Undoubtedly, she is the most influential female singer in the history of pop music.

The age of digital camera arrived.

1993, Grown-up

2014–

Eleven years had passed since MercedesBenz 190 was brought to this world. The

W 205 & V 205 Either the design concept or technical configuration has changed the game.

young lad did not disappoint us. He had grown from an innocent child to the “Legendary Maradona” that everybody was talking about. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz190 was fully prepared for his transformation. In 1993, Mercedes-Benz released W202, the new generation to replace Mercedes-Benz190, and gave him a new name C-Class. MercedesBenz adopted a new naming convention that used three Arabic numbers for discharge capacity, one letter for class and D for diesel vehicle. Based on the shape and configuration, C-Class had four models, namely CLASSIC, ESPRIT, ELEGANCE and SPORT, to meet the needs of different consumers. W202 included four gasoline engines and three diesel engines. The gasoline engines included C180 of 122hp, C200 of 136 hp, C220 of 150 hp and C280 equipped with six cylinder engine of 193 hp. The Diesel engine included entry level C200D of 75 hp, C220D with a bigger discharge capacity of 95 hp and C250D of 113 hp. The 2.2L and 2.5L engines were two newly developed and were the first four-valve diesel engines in the world. This year, Processer 586 was introduced and later became very famous. To avoid the confusion caused by the naming in the 486 genera-

tion, Intel decided to name the new generation processer with Pentium. The “age of Pentium” lasted for 13 years and proved to be a chip legend. Pentium was sometimes used to refer to a computer. With the launch of the first WWW site in 1991, the whole world went crazy. After two years on March 2, 1993, the Institute of High Energy Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences was successfully hooked up with the 64K special line from SLAC of Stanford in the US, the first special line that partially connected China to the Internet. Perhaps the prediction by the Time magazine would come true sooner. The future was right in front of us. The world of car is like the world of man where everyone can take a look at what the cars in other parts of the world look like over the internet. The map of the world has changed constantly and more things and issues are not of a regional nature any more. As a result, the concept of Globalization has been invented. It is hard to imagine where the human race is heading for. Whiling humming “I will always love you …” the Billboard No. 1 Song of 1993, C-Class was dreaming about its future. <

W202 was officially named C-Class. The 5-speed transmission, ESP and other features made it a technological vanguard at the time.

The design aestheticism is fully reflected in this generation of C-Class by the code of W203. The corners and edges became more mellow and full. The use of more curves in the design was really eye-catching. The 2000 Sydney Olympic Game is the first summer Olympic Game after the human being entered the 21st century and so far the biggest in scale.

M i ll e nn i u m A r c h i t e c t u r e The Gateshead Millennium Bridge spanning the River Tyne in England is the first and only tilt bridge in the world. The hydraulic rams on both sides of the bridge rotate the bridge to allow ships and boats to pass underneath.

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2000, The New Century

M i ll e nn i u m The human being entered the 21st century and the highly debated Y2K bug did not materialize.

Av i a t i o n Airbus formally announced in Toulouse to officially name A3XX as A380 and held the ceremony for launching the A380 project. It received orders for 92 aircrafts.

At the beginning of a new millennium, Jesus Christ came back and Satan was sent into hell. All the martyrs came back to life and reign along with Jesus for the following one-thousand years. Toward the end of the millennium, Satan would stage a rebellion but eventually lose and be brought to justice. This was described in the Apocalypse in the New Testament. Nowadays, people are not that faithful possibly because science and rationality have advanced at a much faster pace. As a result, the turn of the millennium was turned into a celebration around the entire world. The implicit Eschatology was then replaced by the cross-century joy and expectation. Anyway, the clock wouldn’t stop clicking. Love and hope would always bless the souls on the earth. That was the belief of the C-Class whose souls were full of hope. In 2000, the third generation of C-Class MercedesBenz was officially released with an internal number of W203. Externally, the “peanut-looking” headlights on the C-Class of the third generation were a continuation of the design style of the E-Class. The four-roundlight design resembled a recumbent “8”. Besides, the drag coefficient of the new vehicle was 0.26. His outline was much closer to a real round and the body was designed to look much younger. Indeed, the improvement to the C-Class did not happen only to his look. The features and power system leaped to a higher level, among which, the upgrade of safety features was the most complete. The new model was equipped with ESP, BA, Automatic Child Seats Identification, Pre-Fastening of Safety Belt, Headrest Protection Devise, Side Airbags, Protective Headrest, and SPEEDTRONIC Electronic Speed Limit Restriction System. The comfort features were improved by adding the automatic headlights and a central screen, which enhanced the feel of technology. In addition, its suspension, steering, transmission, brake also reached a new level and consequently the stability of control and driving comfort was significantly improved. Seven different engines and three different transmissions were installed in this generation of C-Class. They included four gasoline vehicles, namely C180, C200 Kompressor, C240 and C320 and three diesel vehicles, namely C 200CDI、C 220 CDI、and C 270 CDI. The power output ranged from the entry-level 115 hp. up to 218 hp. The adoption of the technology of common rail ejection of the second generation in the diesel engines enhanced the overall dynamic performance by 20% and the torque by 43%, meeting the Euro IV emission standards. The six-speed manual transmission was a standard feature to improve the driving experience with the option of SEQUETRONIC or five-speed automatic transmission. This was a comprehensive upgrade from inside and out as well as a leap of a soul sparked by the hope in technology. He looked at the world with passion at the beginning of the new millennium.

Different style The design of W204 vehicles has been the biggest breakthrough in the history of C-Class. The two completely different styles have made this generation of C-Class able to meet the needs of different markets.

The National Center for the Performing Art was completed and opened to the public. Paul Andreu, the architect, once said: “I want to break the tradition. When you want to go to a theater, what you really want to go to is a dreamland. ”

2007, Transformation Mature was the term that best described C-Class in those years. He was philanthropic, genuine, tolerant and passionate and fully prepared for achieving the “greatness”. In 2007, Ingmar Bergman followed Michelangelo Antonioni to enjoy their life and left the right to ask and answer questions to the young. C-Class jumped at the opportunity just as the young legends did at the time. The birth of iPhone in 2007 symbolized the start of the age of smart mobile communication. Before that, the size of the screen was only half of the smart phone with the key pad taking the other half. “Once in a while, a revolutionary product came out and changed everything.” said Jobs. In the same year, the SXSW music festival held in Texas marked the critical turn for Twitter that soon swept the world. However, this year, the world was changed not only by this phone but also by the C-Class with internal code of W204. The design of W204 was arguably the biggest breakthrough in the history of C-Class. Two different heads were designed for one model, which made the C-Class look complete different. Before that, C-Class distinguished the different levels of configuration by Elegance, Classic and Avantgarde. This generation of CClass made no exceptions. In the meantime, to separate different models, Elegance and Classic inherited the traditional Mercedes-Benz front design with classic chrome grille type water tank cover and the Mercedes-Benz logo above it, while Avantgarde adopted the design of CLClass coupe with an eye-catching huge logo attached to the center of the big chrome grille type water tank cover, creating a more dynamic visual effect. On top of that, this generation of C-Class was made bigger. The length, width and wheel base were greater than those of last generation by 55, 42 and 45mm respectively, making more room for the shoulders and legs of both the driver and passengers. By following the guidance of the masters to achieve greatness and eternity is the ideal of today’s C-Class. He is walking in that direction. <

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin first launched

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T e c hn o l o gy The release of the first generation of iPhone in 2007 symbolized the start of a miraculous age for smart phones. In the initial stage of R&D, Apple planned to introduce a tablet PC. It was Jobs through his relentless conviction and guidance that gave birth to the first iPhone. K i ng o f T e nn i s The Swiss Postal Service issued a set of stamps of Roger Federer, making him the first in history that has such an honor while alive. In the same year, he won three grand slams out of a total of four.

J.K. Rowling completed the last book in her Harry Potter series - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The series have been translated into 67 languages and a total of over 500 million copies have been sold.

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The all new C-Class, Game Changer.

2014, The Game Changer In the beginning of 2014, the all new C-Class was unveiled in the auto show in North America. It stunned the world with its disruptive design. In eight months, it landed in China with a long wheelbase, only to change the game.

From Industry to Art: The Look of Aestheticism Interprets The Utmost Gracefulness The all new C-Class comes with LED Intelligent Lighting System to automatically adapt to road and traffic conditions. When you unlock the vehicle, the daytime lights will light up gradually in an interactive way, and alternate the color between white and blue matched by the circular LED light belt in the rear of the vehicle, gracefully interpreting the word “aestheticism”. The roof curved line rises at the front of the vehicle and flows through the roof to the trunk. There is no single straight line in the all new C-Class. Any line is a demonstration of beauty in its own way.

From Mediocrity to Excellence: Exquisite Interior Reflects Latest Technology The interior echoes the exterior design. The symmetric center console is inspired by the whale tail fin and agrees with the Chinese understanding of beauty. 3 different colors (ice blue, white and ember) are available for the desired lighting mood. All these create a magnificent interior outline when the night falls. The brand new interior design follows the minimalist design style, pushing up the requirements for materials and craftsmanship. It also comes with a new, segment-exclusive touchpad, free the driver from the monotony of dull-looking buttons and support handwriting - including Chinese characters. In addition, COMAND Online has the photosharing function that enables you to upload and download photos and share with your friends at any time. Making every detail perfect has been the principle that Mercedes-Benz has been sticking to along the way. The all new C-Class is built in a way that the consumer’s definition of quality hearing, smelling and touching has been completely upgraded. The Coefficient drag is a decisive factor in lowering the fuel consumption and ensuring the quietness inside the car. The all new C-Class has a Coefficient drag of 0.24, the best in the industry.

The large panoramic sliding sunroof enables the sunlight to shed on each passenger. The breeze coming from an open sunroof makes you feel like driving a convertible. The all new C-Class is equipped with an air quality improvement system (Air Balance) that is able to filter out over 95% of PM2.5 and give you a cleaner interior room. The fragrance system first installed in S-Class vehicles is also installed in the C-Class. The clean air it generates will not eternally change the odor inside the car, nor will it leave any sediment on the surface of the fabric or clothes. The enhanced Collision Prevention Assist System is capable of detecting the distance from the vehicle in the front and warning the driver when the distance gets too short. At critical moment, it can assist the driver in his/her braking efforts. With the help of the Blind Spot Assist System and Lane Keeping System, driving an all new C-Class becomes extremely simple and safe. The NTG5.0 system that supports multi-touch has the option of 7-inch and 8.4-inch screens. The ARTICO leather covers the entire dashboard. Meanwhile, it is “up-to-date” enough to make WIFI available 24 hours a day. The Mercedes-Benz CONNECT enables you to book hotels, air tickets, as well as tell you what is going on around the globe and what the weather looks like. More importantly, in an emergency, SOS emergency call service protects your safety at the time when things happen. Meanwhile, functions such as car tracking and remote door-lock (open) make your driving extremely simple.

From Driving and Enjoy: Fully Enjoy The Ultimate Experience The engine and transmission are critically important to a vehicle. The all new C-Class comes with a powerful 2.0 T turbocharged engine with the option of five driving modes for you to choose from, enabling you to freely switch from relaxation to passionate driving. The Active Parking Assist makes automatic parking possible. The driver only needs to shift gears. The steering and braking will be taken care of by the vehicle. The C-Class has always strived to stay ahead of itself. The all new C-Class with a more sparkling exterior design, powerful engine and attention to details has again changed the game, placing it on the < top among all the vehicles of the same class.

Scan the QR code to start the doublescreen journey right now.

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Te as er of new produ ct, unveil the doublescreen exploration mode .

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S P O R T

Loew: “It is so fantastic to win the World Cup!”

The German Dynasty On July 14, 2014, Rio attracted the attention of the world. The whole world witnessed Germany taking the crown. Mercedes-Benz, the chief sponsor of the Germany national football team, was there to share the glory. Mercedes-Benz has been sponsoring and providing vehicles for the Germany national team since 1974 . Since 1986, the Mercedes-Benz logo has appeared on all the uniforms of the Germany men’s national football team. In 1990, Mercedes-Benz became the chief sponsor of the Germany team. 51

ow the FIFA World Cup in Brazil has come to an end and shortly, Rio de Janeiro is back to “peace”. In a television interview, a Brazilian football fan told the reporter: “Life goes on. As a matter of fact, Samba is our life here in Brazil.”He was apparently in response to something. In the meantime, in the European continent on the other side of the globe, it was about midnight in Berlin and the city was heating up. The last time when the Germans held a celebration like this was 24 years ago in 1990. It was an extraordinary moment for the 80-million Germans in both German Democratic Republic and The Federal Republic of Germany. More than one million people walked in the street in Berlin to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall. In that year, the Germany national football team also won the championship in Italy. In the following 24 years, Germany never won the title again. The three stars on the chest of their uniforms did not change until today after the FIFA World Cup in Brazil came to an end. With the dejected Argentines going back home with only a silver medal, a Great German Dynasty has emerged. Since the World Cup in 1998, the German superstars left the team successively, sending the team into an abyss. Jürgen Klinsmann took the challenge after the Euro 2004. In fact, both the German Football Association and the public in Germany questioned Klinsmann. In Theo Zwanziger’s memoir, the former German Football Association chairman wrote that they only planned on “tolerating” Klinsmann until the end of the 2006 World Cup. Looking back today, we have realized that Germany’s football has been saved by a woman at the critical moment – the German Chancellor Angela Merkel who

personally convinced Klinsmann to stay to continue driving the reform in Germany’s football and leading the Germany national football team through 2006 World Cup. Franz Bechenbauer, Klinsmann’s coach, commented on Klinsmann – He is a kind of person who is sure to make success. The result was clear. Klinsmann has become the most popular person in Germany after the 2006 Germany World Cup. He is indeed a heroic figure - tough, steadfast, arrogant and courageous. After winning the third place with a stunning performance in the world cup held in the motherland, the entire nation was pleading Klinsmann to stay –“Please do not leave” – was the title of an article at the time. He left anyway. At the press conference of the Germany national football team on July 12, 2006, Joachim Loew, the newly appointed and 10th coach in the history of the team, said: “Jürgen (Klinsmann), you said while you were in this position two years ago that we were going to win the world cup. Now I want to say that Germany will win the next UEFA champion!” Klinsmann stated in the press conference: “The football philosophy we have fostered will continue and I am very glad that the German Football Association has appointed Loew as the head coach to carry on our football philosophy. I believe the team will grow stronger. ” Loew was chosen by Klinsmann to be his successor. When Klinsmann was considering his assistant coach, Loew was the first name coming to his mind. They became close friends when they went to German Sport University Cologne. Klinsmann once told the media: In just a minute Loew made me understand a tactic that I even could not understand during

S P O R T

my 18 years of playing football. Together, they started to transform Germany’s football in 2004. Germany had long been insistent on using local players. As a result, the non-Germanic players found it hard to integrate in the team. Although from 1990s, the German attitude toward“foreign players” became more open and it started absorbing players like Paulo Rink and Miroslav Josef Klose, the Germans were more conservative compared to other European countries. The inclusion of Kwadwo Asamoah who was a descendent of Ghana even made the problem of racial discrimination become open, which was viewed by Klinsmann and Loew as a huge hindrance to Germany’s football. They, despite the opposition from the public, took in players such as David Odonkor, who was a descendent of black Africans, Lukas Podolski, Paul Freier and Lukas Jutkiewicz as well as those who grew under Loew including Mesut Özil, a Turkish descendant, Jeronimo Claudemir Barreto of Brazil, Jerome Boateng, a Ghana descendant, Dennis Aogo, a Nigerian descendant, Mario Gomez, a Spanish descendant and Marko Marin, a descendant of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They have all contributed tremendously to the success of Germany’s football. “Brain-washed” by the American liberalism, Klinsmann and his successor Loew did not force the concept of “pure German” on its national team but instead, he had built the team into an international army. In addition, Klinsmann hired an American conditioning coach and introduced the American way of managing a modern corporation to his team. This was well continued by Loew after he assumed the position of head coach. Emphasizing on training youths and giving opportunities to the younger players is another important part of the two persons’ football philosophy. While the older players such as Podolski and Lahm were still playing, the new starts like Özil and Marco Reus have started to shine. A total of eleven “post-1990s” young players including Erik Durm, Shkodran Mustafi, Julian Draxler, Matthias Ginter, Leon Goretzka,

Mario Götze, Andre Hahn, Toni Kroos, Max Meyer, Andre Schürrle and Kevin Volland will appear in the extended list of the Germany national football team for the 2014 World Cup, indicating that Germany was fully prepared for the future. Out of them, two Schalke stars Goretzka and Meyer were both born in 1995 and looked fresh and promising. Klinsmann is well known for his tough and adventurous character and he is always determined to fight any enemy to the end. In addition to his ability to think strategically and view from an overall perspective, his charisma also comes from his heroic personality. Loew, on the other hand, is relatively mild-natured with gracefulness and a sense of humor. One is the commander in chief and the other is a political commissar. Needless to say, the supporting personnel behind the team have also contributed to the success of the national team. Remember the note on Lehmann’s hand? It has the massive data collected by the tens of researchers from German Sport University Cologne whohave tracked the teams of other countries for two years. Other than the blessing from his wife and held in Romero’s own hands, the Germans have done more. When the Argentines kept talking about what they achieved in 1986, the Germans never mentioned a word in about 1990. They did not expect to copy the legend from their predecessors but rather hoped to make the maximum out of the efforts they had put in. In 2014, the Germany national football team led by Coach Loew finally made it. The world will never forget these scenes: the lips of Schweinsteiger and Podolski got closer and closer, Götze was smiling widely, and at the moment when Lahm lifted the trophy, the World Cup was drawn to an end. The lost Argentina, regretful Netherland, suffering Brazil, young France, tenacious Italy as well as the England who always hate themselves for not living up to the expectations. None of them has managed to add one more star on the chest. With over 40 years of persistence and 24 years of endurance < of hardship, it was a hard-won but solid victory. 53

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A Journey under The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Three-pointed Starâ&#x20AC;? Mercedes-Benz: The best or nothing.

photos River

E M O T I O N

" B a r c e l o n a" b r a c e l e t Stainless steel material, and the hangings decorated with CRYSTALLIZED TM-Swarovski elements. Adjustable length.The overall length is about 20 cm. B6 695 3831

Women's classic punk IPAD ® p r o t e c t i v e sleeve B6 695 2292

Women's classic punk purse Black, calfskin leather, and with bronze studs. Adopt the South China Sea blue decorative details inside. Various interlayers inside, designed by Emma Brown. Made in Italy. The size is about 19×10cm. B6 695 2293

Women's classic punk sunglass Black Italian acetate frames, inner side:the South China Sea blue metallic paint, greyish-green Zeiss lens, filter class: III. B6 695 1632

Women's classic punk scarf The South China Sea blue/ black/ grey, 100% Italian modal fibre, adopt the digital prints exclusively designed by Mercedes Benzs, Nonhemming deisgn. The size is about 140×140 cm. B6 695 1639

Women's classic punk handbag Black, calfskin leather, and with bronze studs. Extra interlayer in the capacious shopping bag. Closed with snap fasteners, widened shoulder strap. Designed by Emma Brown. Made in Italy.The size is about 45×39×12 cm. B6 695 2290

6 5

Women’s business-style purse Light tan, with golden zippers. Leather material. Coins and notes interlayer, 14 credit card positions. Designed by Bree exclusively for Mercedes Benz, The size is about 19×10×1.5 cm.

Wom e fash n ’s urb Light g i o n h a n a n ther, w rey, Italian d b a g s With a ith black sa uede lea tachab short hand tin lining. le should le and adju and de s terlaye er strap. Va table re, and rs inside, ziprious in Brown designed b closuis abo , Made in It y Emma a u B6 69 t 35×27×19 ly. The size 5 2295 cm .

E M O T I O N

Women's business -style w r i s t wat c h Stainless steel watch case, and golden veneer. White ceramic bezel. White mother of pearl dial. Gilded hour markers and hands. Gilled stainless stell chain, white ceramic chain links.5 ATM watertightness,diameter is 34 mm,and Ronada is 785 quartz movement. Made in Switzerland. B6 695 2445

Women's urban fashion wrist wat c h Stainless steel watch case, taupe dial plate, superimposed hour pointer and luminous hands, and grey calfskin leather watch strap. 5 ATM watertightness, the size is about 36.5×41.3 mm. Made in Switzerland. B6 695 2443

FIRELI T E f o u r - w h e e l e d 55 suitcase The South China Sea blue. Special breakage-proof material (Curv®). Functional interior equipments include the elastic cross band in the lower casing and the space partition in the upper casing. Light weight,and the pulleys roll in a low sound. The three-piece TSA lock. Be suitable for the hand luggage 1. A cooperative product between Samsonite and Mercedes-Benz. The size is about 40×55×20 cm, the weight is about 1.95 kg and the volum about 35 L. B6 695 2177 57

treasure hunter

C h a r a c t e r s I K B 2 71 by Yves Klein temporarily hangs in Westphal’s office along with another work by Klein.

discretion and the instinct of a hunter are called for in Cheyenne Westphal’s job: she looks after the multimillion-dollar contemporary art business at Sotheby’s auction house. Here she talks about the fascination of record sales figures and what they mean for collectors, artists and museums. INterview Ale x andr a Gonz alez photos Ali Kepenek

ince last February, Cheyenne Westphal and Alexander Rotter have been jointly responsible for Contemporary Art at Sotheby’s, the world’s largest auction house for fine arts alongside Christie’s. Westphal grew up in Baden-Baden, Germany, went to school in Scotland and studied at Berkeley, California. Ms Westphal, you have been working at Sotheby’s for over 20 years. You were recently given global responsibility for contemporary art. What kind of changes has that meant for you? I guess the main difference is I now spend much more time in New York. But in Europe I also focus more on the pictures that will be sold in New York. European collectors have magnificent works that play a part in shaping the New York market. When Tobias Meyer (the star auctioneer whose charismatic appearances and numerous record- breaking sales made him for many years the face of Sotheby’s) left the company last November, I took over the role. My first major assignment in that position was a London auction, which went unbelievably well. Generally, though, New York auctions for contemporary art fetch higher prices, lying somewhere between $300 and $500 million. And you are there to ensure it doesn’t drop below that level? The market is our measure. A great deal is possible at the moment. Prices are high, customers are interested in selling, and the buyers are out there. I imagine you’re always looking ahead to the next auction. How does an artwork find its way to Sotheby’s? There are certain artists that always fetch high prices: all the Americans from the pop art movement, Europeans such as Lucio Fontana and Piero Manzoni, and increasingly, of course, German artists like Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, Martin Kippenberger… Then there’s the younger league, people like Jeff Koons and Christopher Wool. And we’re also working on a fresh program involving young talent. We might get our hands on one of Lucien Smith’s Rain Paintings, which the New Yorkbased artist creates by aiming paint-filled fire extinguishers at a white canvas. What is the best way to get hold of pieces that are in demand? It’s really all about nurturing good relations. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing for years. Generally speaking, collectors acquire an artwork with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It’s my job to make sure parting with it again, once

Flügelschl ag is the title of a 2014 work by Berlin artist Michael Kunze. It hangs in Sotheby’s S|2 gallery.

they decide to sell it on, is as simple a process as possible. That means I look after the consignment from the outset and try to match it up with a buyer who is an equally valued client. With Christie’s as a rival, you presumably have to invest everything into securing the acquisition. What’s it like when you pull out all the stops? I’m extremely focused from the very beginning – both on the artwork and on the seller. We usually operate as a team and deliver an excellent offer tailored to the specific requirements of the vendor. Then it’s all about finding the right level. What price should the work fetch? What kind of marketing is required? Where should we exhibit? Do we show the work at our Hong Kong branch because it’s appropriate for the Chinese market? Or do we take it to Doha because there may be possibilities in the Middle East? How should we put the catalog together, and what about our Internet presence? Then there’s always the delicate issue of whether the seller

C H a r a c t e r s

prefers anonymity. I can’t afford to ease off for a second. I know that our competitors will be hard on our heels and making their own pitch. We have to tailor every aspect individually. Tobias Meyer once wept in an interview when describing the nerve-jangling, emotionally charged process he went through to acquire Warhol’s Silver Car Crash. I can understand that completely. It’s not every day you get to see a monumental masterpiece like that. What takes priority in your job: discretion, the killer instinct or knowing how to handle a collector? You need all of those things. A hunting instinct can be very important, because the market is driven by fierce competition. You have to be quick off the mark, as well as a little brazen sometimes. You might approach a collector who is not even thinking of selling and ask: So, how about it then? Discretion is very important, particularly with collectors who value privacy above all else. Sometimes it can take years to even develop a point of access.

as a rule, collectors acquire an artwork with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It’s my job to make sure selling it on again is as easy as possible.

Do you feel a certain responsibility for the auctioneer at moments like that? We provide backup. He’s very much in the frame about what should happen – who is talking to which client on the phone and taking bids, or which collector might join the bidding in the room. The sums realized during a single evening in an auction room can be astronomic. As the person who stage-manages this grand theater of bidding, do you ever get nervous? I get a little tense, I have to confess. On the one hand, it’s exciting to see how much money is paid for art at auction and how the prices become accepted as the status quo by the market. On the other hand, high prices force up collectors’ expectations. The next picture in the mold of Silver Car Crash probably won’t have a > valuation of $60 million, but $70 or $80

You are working in the biggest and fastestgrowing market segment. Given the size of the business involved, isn’t there a risk that the artwork itself loses something of its original appeal? It’s always important to find something you identify with strongly. Take this wonderful “Anthropometry” painting by Yves Klein for the New York auction. (She points to the canvas with an ultramarine blue print depicting a woman’s body.) This is a work I’ve loved for years. Another work for which I have huge admiration is Wand by Gerhard Richter. The artist had the painting in his own collection in 2010. And last February we auctioned this sensational work for $28.7 million in London. An auction is a fast-moving, tightly timed sequence of events. The few minutes in which the lot is auctioned decide the success or otherwise of your months of acquisitioning and preparatory work. Yes, but even more important is how we orchestrate the evening’s sale. At the last London auction, we started off with more recent art. Then came a small-scale Richter, which was already the focus of buyers’ attention in the run-up to the event. It was a great warm-up for Wand. Then there was Twombly’s Untitled (Rome), which fetched a record price for the artist. And finally, Richter’s Wand. If this gradual build-up misfires, however, the tension can easily just go out of the auction. 61

in advance of the auction. But we also support museums around the world through sponsorship and charity auctions. In 2013, global art market sales rose to $47.7 billion – a result due in part to the increasing revenues from private sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, art deals made “behind closed doors”. Sure, private sales have become part of the company’s regular business. We arrange a lot of private sales through our S|2 gallery, with offices in New York and London. These happen because we know where artworks are in the world – and who is looking for what. So dealing continues all year round.

How do you feel about this? Psychologically, it’s crucial to provide a valuation that reflects the importance of the picture but also generates competition. Auction houses are increasingly attracting the super-rich from all over the world. Can contemporary art even continue to challenge and explore social issues when it is the object of desire of billionaires? I think you can look at this in a number of ways. Of course, the latest billionaires are on the lookout for internationally recognized masterpieces to surround themselves with at home and promote their lifestyle: my penthouse apartment, my yacht, my Koons. We sell these pictures and objects – and not necessarily bulky installations or video works. At the same time, however, more art – including non-commercial art – is being made, shown and talked about than ever before. The artists at the Whitney Berlinale in New York, for example, were not only very young, they were also highly critical of the art market in particular. An elite clientele with unlimited means is part of the reason why art is becoming more and more expensive and ending up in the hands of private collectors, out of sight of the general public. Museums can no longer keep pace. How do you see your role as a setter of artistic trends? It has always been a challenge to buy for museums at auction, because there’s no way of knowing the final price. Usually they don’t have enough time to get the funding together 62

S|2 is the name of Sotheby’s Gallery of Contemporary Art in London. Left: Asleep by the Light of Glow-worms by Ged Quinn, inspired by Caspar David Friedrich’s Eismeer.

Would it be fair to say that S|2 is an attempt to move away gradually from traditional dealing, to stop seeing art as a commodity? At the first London exhibition, we presented drawings and sculptures by Joseph Beuys, an artist one wouldn’t immediately describe as commercial. I curated that exhibition myself. Let’s be honest, our business interests are clear. > Sotheby’s is about selling and buying art.

photos sotheby‘s (2)

million. The price barrier is going up all the time.

Your involvement in private sales takes you out of the auction house and into the world of the gallerist. Does that not cause a certain amount of resentment? Of course, our gallery and these kinds of activities tend to divide opinion. But I should stress that we don’t represent artists, we don’t build them up or try to promote them in the way the gallerists do.

magine driving a car at top speed – for dear life. Hot on your heels is an unrelenting avalanche, literally a mountain on the move. As you attempt to outrun this behemoth, it is also vitally important to stay as close to it as possible, so that the monster doesn’t simply engulf and swallow you. When Garrett McNamara talks about his life’s passion, it sounds more like a nightmare. McNamara is a surfer – one of the best in the world. The gigantic waves that he allows to chase him tower to heights of up to 40 meters (130 ft) and break with the unfathomable power contained in hundreds of tons of water. Such behemoths present surfers with a completely different type of challenge than run-of-the-mill waves, because they are very steep – and very, very fast. Those wishing to conquer them need not only extraordinary stamina and courage, but above all the right kind of board. With these facts in mind, McNamara teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to hunt for a board made of the ideal materials that would ensure the best possible weight distribution. The result is the MBoard – custom-crafted to suit the weight and body type of the champion wave-rider. The advantages of this individualized approach are quantifiable: so far, McNamara’s top speed on the MBoard has been clocked at 62.4 km/h (38.7 mph). <

Speedster The MBoard is the fastest surfboard Garrett McNamara has ever ridden.

C h a r a c t e r s

ON THE RUN When the wave starts breaking, McNamara has to be careful not to let it engulf him.

Fearless

just off the coast of Portugal lurk the largest ocean waves in the world, towering ten stories high on some days. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly when Garrett McNamara ventures into the water.

prepare yourself for the moment and enjoy it – then there’s no fear.

1967 Garrett McNamara is born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, more than 100 miles away from the ocean. 197 8 His family moves to Hawaii. Shortly thereafter McNamara wins his first competitions. 19 92 “Tow-in surfing” is invented, in which surfers are towed into gigantic waves using personal watercraft. 20 0 3 McNamara barely escapes death after wiping out in a massive wave. 2007 He attracts media attention after surfing a wave off the coast of Alaska that was generated by a glacier calving into the ocean. 2013 McNamara breaks the world record he set himself by surfing a wave over 30 meters (100 ft) high.

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on s t a n d b y McNamara patiently waits for the moments when conditions are ideal.

The Underwater High A master doesn’t fail. Getting swamped by a wave is a greater thrill than simply gliding down its face, according to McNamara. “An underwater ride like that can be a really exhilarating experience – all your senses are totally alive. It’s not so much about struggling to survive, it’s about learning to relax in order to survive. You just go with it and enjoy it.” Fear, he says, arises only when we worry about what might happen: “Prepare yourself for the moment, stay in the moment and enjoy it – then there’s no fear.” Boundaries cease to exist in the moment when he’s riding a wave. The man who claims to maintain a “love affair with the waves” is starting to sound almost humble: “I have surfed so many giant waves – and I’m prepared. Whatever may happen, I’m < a lways working on trying to enjoy it.”

words Nathalie Chrobaczek- Prospero photos Joao Br acourt

M I L E S T ON E S

The project, directed by Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener, united the technical know-how of designers and engineers with the experience the legendary surfer has gained over decades of riding gigantic waves. In essence, McNamara got the opportunity to develop the type of surfboard he has always dreamed of riding. The MBoard was basically created in the same way as a car: first in the form of a 3D file, then as a model in a wind tunnel, and finally finished by hand. The waves that McNamara sets out to conquer demand a very special design. For the Mercedes team, the challenge was to unite contradictory demands in a single product. To guarantee the necessary stability, the board had to be flexible and stiff at the same time, not too heavy and not too light. The upshot was a one-off board for a one-off athlete. In January 2013, McNamara surfed a wave off Portugal’s coast over 30 meters (100 ft) high, one of the biggest ever recorded. He describes himself as a goal-oriented perfectionist – but one whom the sport has also taught to take things as they come. Because above all, big wave surfing demands one thing – patience. Cardio and strength training are givens. The perfect “ride” begins well before the wave begins to crest: McNamara pays close attention to the winds and currents to see in which direction each is pulling, waiting patiently for just the right moment.

B R A N D

Agility – Inspiring A New Way of Purchasing Your Dream Mercedes-Benz When you make the decision to buy a Mercedes-Benz, you are not just choosing a new vehicle, but choosing a new lifestyle a lifestyle filled with the luxury, safety, innovation and comfort you have come to expect from Mercedes-Benz. This is a brand that prides itself on its ability to constantly adapt to exceed customer expectations by offering the latest advances in technology, the highest standards in safety and the newest innovative features and designs. In China, Mercedes-Benz is not just focused on offering great vehicles in the market, but also focused on providing innovative financing options to ensure customers have choices when they are ready to purchase their first, or their next, MercedesBenz vehicle. This year, Mercedes-Benz Financial, the captive financial service provider for Mercedes-Benz in China, sets out to change the game in China by introducing an all-new financing product called Agility. A market first for China, and already hugely successfully in many markets around the world, Agility is focused on providing customers with choices, security and financial freedom so that when they purchase the Mercedes-Benz vehicle of their dreams they can be sure it is the right financial choice to fit their lifestyle.

Agility Provides Customers with Choices that Fit Their Lifestyle. Unlike traditional financing where customers have no choice but to own the vehicle at the end of the contract, Agility allows customers to only finance the amount of vehicle that they use so when the contract is complete, customers have choices, not obligations when they are ready to get into their next vehicle. At the end of their contract, the customer

can decide among three flexible options. Want to keep the vehicle? Customers have the option to purchase vehicle. Want to return the vehicle? As long as the vehicle meets certain return criteria, customers can return their vehicles to their local Mercedes-Benz dealership and walk away. Want to get into the newest model? Customers can bring their vehicle back to their dealership, trade it in and drive away in a brand new Mercedes-Benz. It’s that simple - three options available to fit any lifestyle.

Agility Provides Customers with Security. One of the biggest worries among vehicle purchasers is depreciation because it is very hard to predict the future value of any vehicle. With Agility, customers have the security of knowing the minimum future value of their vehicle from the time they sign the contract. Customers simply select the term and the mileage they intend to drive each year and their Mercedes-Benz dealer will let them know what the guaranteed minimum future value of the vehicle will be on the date their contract ends. At the end of the contract, if the market value is less than this stated amount the customer can simply decide to return the car to the dealership. If the market value is more, the custom-

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er can either decide to purchase the vehicle or trade it in using the equity for their next vehicle purchase.

Agility Provides Customers with Financial Freedom. Agility is not just offering choices and security, but also financial freedom. Since the customer only pays for the portion of the vehicle they use, the upfront costs and monthly payments are much lower than traditional retail financing. The money the customer would have invested in the vehicle can now be used for other investments resulting in improved cash flow and financial freedom. With a low monthly payment, flexible return options, and the ability to get into a new car with the latest technology, why not check out Mercedes-Benz Agility and see how it can benefit you today. To learn more, please visit: www.mercedes-benz.com.cn/agility

购买 Scan now for more loan and leasing offers. 67

Life’s a Beach

s y d n e y “When I look at beaches and swimming pools from the air, I see the world as a work of art,” says American photographer Gray

Malin, explaining his penchant for bird’s-eye views. For his series “À la plage, à la piscine” he visited six continents, snapping the beaches and swimming pools from an open helicopter – as in this picture of Bondi Beach in Australia. Unlike English photographer Martin Parr, who prefers close-up, almost sociological portrayals of beach life, Malin opts for a broader perspective. Even so, every sun-worshipper has a role to play: “Each place has its own particular pattern of beach towels, surfboards and parasols. And as soon as you home in on the details, you find yourself looking at a study of human interaction.” m a i s o n g r a y . c o m 68

E m o t i o n

Diego Masciaga is the manager of the threestar Waterside Inn restaurant near London. Here the Italian explains what it takes – apart from excellent food – to retain this rating for 30 years.

t r a v e l What is good service? It’s a bit like a good suit: what’s important are the details. How the chair is put in place, for example – lifted by hand, not shoved into position by foot.

photos gr ay malin (1), pl ainpicture (1), viktor & rolf (1) ILlustration brian Taylor

How do you do small talk? You talk about the weather, or things that are in the news. Our guests are stars, politicians and people from the world of business. But I would never ask a soccer player about his latest game. People don’t go to a restaurant to talk about their work. And what if someone behaves badly? If one person at a table of ten becomes abusive, there’s no point confronting them in front of the group – that just makes things worse. I would wait till he goes to the bathroom and then speak to him politely. 99.9 percent of the time that works. How have guests changed over the years? In the past our guests tended to be over 60, but today we have 25-year-olds coming here. People’s tastes have also become more adventurous. And they take photographs of everything. Ten years ago photography was forbidden; today they take pictures and post them on Facebook.

For the Adventurous S t u t t g a r t Discovering Europe and having out-of-the-ordinary

experiences – that is the concept underlying the new Mercedes–Benz Travel premium brand. The holidays appeal to a broad range of different interests – for example, they can involve a trip to a MercedesBenz Fashion Week or to the Jazz Festival in Montreux. Options currently available range from sport and technology to fashion and culture. The trips are initially only on offer to Chinese customers, but will later be extended to other countries as well. d a i m l e r . c o m

Digitable b e i j i n g This “Digital

Tornado” table, which comes in a limited edition of 12, was recently exhibited at Beijing Design Week by artist Zhang Zhoujie. Instead of designing the shape in advance, Zhang relied on computer simulations. The result is a table made of gleaming steel that displays the beauty of digital logic in three-dimensional form.

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Star Gazers F r a n kf u r t On June 27, the Schirn Gallery opens its exhibition “Paparazzi – photographers, stars and artists”. 600 images range from a carefully staged shot of Jacqueline Onassis via publicity-shy Marlon Brando to self-publicists like Paris Hilton. s c h i r n . d e

“my brand is intended to represent my values: A woman can have a man’s life and still remain a woman – celebrate this freedom!” diane von fürstenberg, designer

D e s i g n

Have a Ball

Fully extended, the Feel Seating Deluxe covers almost 4 square meters (40 sq. ft).

TE L AV I V The Feel Seating Deluxe system can be adapted to suit the mood of the user. It consists of 120 foam balls that can be spread out to form a lounging area or easily converted into a sofa or bean-bag chair. a n i m icaus a .com

Woofer H o n g K o n g He may not bite, but he sure

can make a noise: this AeroBull loudspeaker for iPods and MP3 players has Bluetooth, NFC and Aux interfaces and is available in five different colors. j a r r e . c o m /a e r o b u l l

r e stau r a n t

Pipe Dream

Melbourne The Prahran Hotel is not actually a hotel but a gastro-pub. Concrete pipes

provide individual intimacy, with seating comfort ensured by leather benches and wood paneling. The porterhouse steaks come highly recommended. p r a h r a n h o t e l . c o m

E m o t i o n

All Aboard!

phOTOS ron galell a , ltd (2), PR

the lone Design Hotel on the coast of Istria resembles a ship. Guests enjoy the sensation of being on the high seas.

R o vi n j – Curved lines, gleaming white façades and stunning sea views: seen from afar, the Lone Hotel looks like a cruise ship. Some of the rooms at this designer hotel offer maritime flair with their own private jacuzzi on the balcony. There is also a vast outdoor bathing area as well as an indoor pool – and the beach itself is only about 150 yards away. The

foyer boasts a sculpture specially designed by Croatian artist Ivana Franke and made of criss-crossing metal bars which – despite their length of nine meters (nearly 30 ft) – seem to almost hover in the air. Everything in the hotel, from the architecture right down to the design of the menu, was created by local artists and craftsmen. The 236 generously proportioned rooms and 12 suites, together with a wellness & spa center, three restaurants and two meeting rooms, are spread over six floors. The Lone may not be an intimate boutique hotel, but it still doesn’t seem excessively impersonal. What helps, perhaps, is its location in the charming town of

If the beach is too far away, you can opt to stay on your own jacuzzi terrace.

Rovinj, with its narrow lanes, Venetian-style architecture and the imposing tower of St. Euphemia’s Basilica. Even here, with a view of nearby islands, you almost have the feeling of being on the bridge of a ship. l o n e h o t e l . c o m

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DESIGN OR PHOTOGRAPHY All topics covered can also be found via QR app on your smartphone. 71

E M O T I O N

Two Times Europe LAST YEAR, I GAVE MY PARENTS a summer holiday to Europe for their wedding anniversary. They enjoyed the trip, but now they would like to learn more about this beautiful and sometimes strange continent. Read on to discover how to experience Europe differently with Mercedes-Benz Travel.

walk towards the Vatican you get an idea about the influence and the power of the church.” And it is true: one of the highlights of a stay in the ‘eternal city’ is this feeling of beauty, grandeur and power. A visit to St. Peters Square and the Basilica is one of the most impressive experiences, especialy when the Pope talks in front of a huge audience. Here the spiritual and power of Europe had its center since over 2000 years. For centuries, the church was the singular institution which shaped the daily lives of all people in Europe: from peasants to kings, from craftsmen to traders. It was only around the year 1415, when a group of scholars in Florence rediscovered some early thoughts of Greek philosophers.

Ancient City of Creative Architecture and Science

ndrea Columbano was born in Rome, but has moved to Florence after finishing his university degree. In Rome, he studied financial mathematics and economics, but his interest in history and culture has driven him to work as an expert for Renaissance science. We agreed to meet at La Medusa, a traditional Florentine Café in a small alley near the Duomo, the spectacular cathedral of Florence. The weather is very nice, a typical early summer day so we decided to choose a table outside. When Andrea talks about the Renaissance era in Europe, his narrative spans many years of history and many kilometers of distance. It feels as if he would take his audience on a journey through Europe, from ancient times to modernity, enriched with some deep insights and exclusive experiences that can only be made with someone who knows the right places and people. “I used to live in Rome when I was younger, and one of my dearly cherished habits was a stroll around the city center during the early hours on Sunday mornings. The city is still quiet then, and you can wander around magnificent sites such as the Roman Forum, past the Colosseum and the impressive Pantheon temple. I like the view of the city’s seven hills when they are covered with morning haze, and when you

Long before the time of the Roman Empire, these ancient thinkers were inquiring about the nature of things, of matter and the structure of the universe. In this time, Florence quickly evolved as a city where innovative and creative artists, architects and scientists gathered. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and other legendary architects created a city full of beauty. “I like this place very much, and this aura is one major reason why I moved to Florence” says Andrea Columbano as we are sitting on the street in front of the small café. “And of course, food is especially important for us Italians. A dinner in a private palazzo is one of the most enjoyable ways to savor real Italian cuisine in a very exclusive setting”. But even if life in Florence and the surrounding area was very comfortable and full of pleasant aspects, Andrea tells me that the Renaissance scholars wanted to expand their knowledge about ancient philosophy and embarked on long journeys to discover more long-forgotten texts.

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Ancient Stone Houses and Historical Knowledge of Great Value “To find what they were looking for, some of the Italian scholars continued to travel northward. Soon they passed through the fertile lands around the city of Stuttgart, and finally reached the Frankfurt area. Close by, the monastery of Fulda and its vast library was the target of their long journey. I like this part of Germany”, adds Andrea after a short pause and a thoughtful glimpse in his eyes, “because the typical stone houses there are witnesses of the past. They tell stories, they touch us even more during these days and they follow us on every step we take.” Some of the oldest stone houses are still monasteries today, and some of the rarest ancient books were preserved there, copied time and time again. It was one of these books, called “De Rerum Natura” which further shaped the thinking of the Renaissance era. It sparked developments in science and technology, opened new horizons beyond the world of the Church and defined the base for our modern world view. Andrea smiles: “So many important thoughts, but such a long and dangerous journey back home for the Renaissance scholars at that time. Luckily, travelers today can enjoy the comfort of an air> plane, lean back and enjoy the view from above”.

Beautiful Mountain Scenery Travelling in the Northern direction, they had to cross the Swiss Alps with mountains over 4500 meters high which was a very long and above all dangerous trip at that time. Nowadays, the scenery is still amazing but the journey has become much more comfortable. By car it is possible to make the trip in five hours, but another way to comfortably travel in style is with one of Europe’s classic luxury trains. Aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train travelers can fully take in the the beautiful surrounding of the mountain scenery. Andrea sips on his caffè lungo, enjoys the sun in Florence and watches a colorful crowd of shoppers, businessmen and students moving past our table: “When the hard trip across the Alps was finished, they arrived at the beautiful area around Lake Constance. After these stressful days, it was possible to relax between lush green hills, rich farmlands and the shores of the beautiful lake with the view of the snow mountains in the background.” Today this is an area where three countries share their borders: Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Just as in medieval times, it is a place of recovery, of beautiful nature and moments full of relaxation.

Mercedes-Benz Travel – Renaissance Discoveries Experience the Renaissance era of Europe and understand the forces which shaped the European part of the world over the course of two millennia. You will enter private Palazzos, enjoy a historical trip on the luxurious Orient Express train and visit some of Europe’s finest cities, lakes and mountains. Discover the realms of ancient Rome, enjoy an exclusive insider view of the Vatican, and relive the ancient world of Florence before experiencing the Alps and the most beautiful part of Southern Germany. R o u t e : China – Rome – Florence – Venice – Innsbruck – Constance – Stuttgart – Frankfurt D e p a r t u r e D a t e : October 2, 2014 P r i c e : 159,000 RMB www.mercedes-benz.travel/Product/Detail/?ProductID=102008&departureCityId=1

Highlights and Insider Tips Rome G reat vie w & great f o o d Already heralded as one of the fin-est dining experiences in Rome. With an extraordinary view of the Colosseum, Aroma Restaurant‘s chef Giuseppe Di Iorio delights the senses of guests with his modern cuisine. His trademark style: choose the freshest ingredients and keep an eye on tradition. w w w. a rom a r estau r a nt . it E x c epti o nal S c ents at P er f u me A teliers Established in 1612 by Dominican monks, the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Nvella is best known as a luxury per-fume brand. The products which are used in the Four Seasons Firenze Spa are created here. Many of its specialties—perfumes, creams, powders, etc.—are still made according to the methods which the ancient monks introduced. Beyond the shop, there is a little museum (visits by appointment) that contains apothecary’s bottles—some of which, it is said, were designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Incidentally, the products in the guest room bathrooms at Four Seasons are supplied by Florence’s other great perfumer, Lorenzo Villoresi, whose similarly atmospheric atelier can also be visited by appointment. w w w. lor enzov i llor esi . it

Europe’s Most Luxurious Train

The golden age of travel may have been in the Roaring Twenties, but the art of journeying in style is still alive and well today. That sense of wonder can still be felt on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train, where travel is about comfort and the experience of pure luxury. w w w. bel mon d . com / v en ice - si m plon - or i ent - ex pr ess

Florence

“Feel like King and Queen at Palazzo Scala Della Gherardesca at the Four Seasons Florence”. The 15th-century Palazzo della Gherardesca and the Conventino, a 16th-century hisctorical building, are home of the Four Seasons Ho-tel Florence. Staying at this hotel is already a special experience which you will never forget. There is no better place to experience royalty! w w w. fou rseasons . com / flor ence

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Mercedes-Benz Travel products can only be booked through the official website and the Mercedes-Benz Travel call center. This convenient platform is the dedicated online sales channel of Mercedes-Benz Travel high-end travel products.

With a powerful search function and detailed information about the travel content, visitors can get an in-depth overview on the carefully crafted itinerary and the exclusive highlights of the journey.

Also, every travel product page contains valuable information about the hand-picked hotels and restau-rants which customers will enjoy throughout their trip.

The Contrast between These “Two Times Europe” is Breathtaking and Thrilling. While Andrea’s home is in the historic city of Florence, his niece Evelyn lives in the dynamic and trendsetting metropolis of London. And yet they have one thing in common. They love their city; and they are fascinated by architecture, trends, wealth and growth. Evelyn is half-Italian and half-German, but she was born and raised in the highly dynamic city of London. Working as a fashion designer, she frequently travels between London, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam. “I like it when my uncle gets carried away while he is talking – or, to be more precise, lecturing. He is very fond of the Renaissance architects. He admires their broad education, their capabilities to be researchers, scholars, as well as intellectuals and artists at the same time.” Contemporary architects of European cities where Evelyn is living and working are more specialized, but they nonetheless belong to the modern creative elite. The metropolitan cities of Europe have brought forward a class of people who create contemporary culture in the forms of breathtaking architecture, new kinds of genre-spanning music, modern art and the latest fashion trends. We met with Evelyn for drink at Monkey Bar in Berlin for a captivating chat about one of her recent trips and the unique experiences she made.

“Glamorous, Vibrant, Never Sleeping!” “For me, the German capital is the trend setter in lifestyle, music, art and fashion. Wherever you go, you can experience the pulsating life: on boulevards, in art galleries, at flea markets or in the city’s clubs, bars and restaurants“. Berlin has always greatly influenced music culture – creatively shaping the global music scene. “Last time when I was in Berlin, my fashion colleagues and I went to a friend’s music recording studio to dive in-

to the world of sounds. It was one of my greatest experiences not only to sing along my favorite song but also to record it right away in the studio.” With a big smile and a great amount of joy in her voice, Evelyn adds: “We were so lucky that day. Before we left the studio, we met a really famous singer and the members of his band. And we talked to them” The next day, Evelyn presented her latest masterpieces at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin where only invited guests had the chance to see her and other label’s latest creation. “It was an exhausting day of hard work for me, but in the evening the dinner and party hosted by Mercedes-Benz was a glamorous event. It was great to have the opportunity to chat with other international fashion designers and visitors from all over the world.” After finishing the drinks at the Berlin bar, we found out that our travel routes for the next day were the same, so we shared a ride together. Evelyn was on her way to a small city in Southern Germany, where she had a get-together with a big, international fashion brand. It is located near the city of Stuttgart, and Stuttgart rings a bell because it is well-known as the birthplace of the automobile.

Torsten Birenheide, Radio Program Director "Berlin is the place in the world where you can do anything wild you like and no one will judge you or care about it. It's the city of pure freedom. Don't miss all the little fashion shops in the eastern part where young designers sell their unique cool stuff. Never start partying in Berlin too early. The clubs really get it on after midnight. Then lose yourself in one of the vibrant bars or in the famous clubs, like "Berghain", "Weekend" or the fabulous "Watergate" directly at the Spree river. And remember: BERLIN is the city that never sleeps. Forget about New York.“

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enjoy a nice wooden shoe work-shop – to create and paint their own clogs. After some traditional “beertje” at an Amsterdam bar near Schiphol airport, Evelyn had to catch her flight back to London - one of the most dynamic, cosmopolitan and energetic cities in the world. Especially from an architectural perspective, London is very unique. It is a place of reinvention and old traditions. Three spectacular structures have been built – all of them are emblems of the cities international outlook: The millennium wheel “London Eye”; the distinctive much-loved skyscraper and one of the hottest venues “The Gherkin” as well as the beaconheaded futuristic building called the “Shard”. “It is gorgeous to be around these stunning highlight buildings. On the other hand, even more important for London is its underground scene from where new trends emerge.” Fascinated by Evelyn’s perspective we discover a London which is not available in the guidebooks. “My apartment is located in East End, the main cultural and creative hub. Particularly the quarter Shoreditch belongs to the trendiest and most lively neighborhoods. The faces of the houses and old factory building are primed by impressive London Street Art. You can find numerous ateliers of upcoming designers. In Shoreditch you will find everything related to the latest design, new styles and heaps of > creativity.”

One of The World’s Most Cutting-edge Museums “After my appointment I was free in the afternoon, and I wanted to discover how smaller cities develop in terms of contemporary architecture and modern ways of life. I remembered that the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart is not only famous for the entire history of the automobile and its brand heritage full of tradition and luxury. It is also the design and shape of the building which makes it very special”, tells us Evelyn and her fascination is similar to her uncle Andrea’s enthusiasm. It was the internationally renowned architect Ben van Berkel who designed the building which was opened in 2006. According to Ben van Berkel who is based in the Netherlands, the Mercedes‑Benz Museum sets up an interface for a series of radical spatial principles in order to create a completely new typology. Speaking of the Dutch, Evelyn took the German highspeed train onwards from the autoomobile city of Stuttgart to the city of bikes. The Dutch capital Amsterdam with its more than 600.000 bicycles has more non-motorized vehicles than people. “For me, Amsterdam represents a cutting edge design by a new generation of Dutch designers flourishing in the city of canals. Boutiques, haute couture, high-end shopping, colorful and lively markets, souvenir shops and the famous flower markets are all part of a continuing cultural Renaissance that mixes tradition with future.” Traditional Holland stands not only for bicycles, canals and flowers but also for wooden shoes. These clogs are bearers of an age-old tradition. For travelers it is even possible to

Sean Gannon, Photographer London is an amazing place to live. There is everything you would want from stunning food and drink from around the world through to theatre, comedy and art and architecture. Central London is constantly buzzing with people and things to do. After 20 years of living here, I am always amazed at turning a corner to find a new road that is full of interesting shops and cafés. I don’t think anyone could ever get bored of London. We attempted to move away when the children were very young but recently returned as we wanted the life-style that London can offer.

Highlights London T o w n H all H o tel & A partments – M em b er o f D esign H o tels Just two minutes from the Bethnal Green tube station, with ideal connections to West London and the city‘s financial district, the beautifully restored Townhall Hotel & Apartments stylishly incorporates contemporary interior restructuring into the elegant period property – an ideal space for any business or luxury traveler. The refined art deco entrance hall‘s sweeping marble staircase and glass-domed ceiling whisk guests into the enthralling experience that the Town Hall so gracefully trans-lates. The guestrooms and apartments are individually furnished and composed of the fluid juxtaposition of original elements with clean, contemporary furnishing and the most advanced luxury technology. w w w. design hotels . com

Mercedes-Benz Travel – Design and Style

Berlin M o n k ey Bar @ 2 5 h o u rs Bi k ini On the 10th floor of 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin, Monkey Bar, with its panoramic views, delicious cocktails, and a quirky design concept, is the absolute hotspot for sundowners in the city. Regular DJs and live music events keep the crowd hopping back for more. w w w.25 hou rs - otels . com / de / bi k i n i /

Stuttgart Uni q u e M er c edes - Ben z b randed S h o pping AMG Messenger Bag, THE „BurnOut Bag“ COLLECTION: Literally, they created burnout bags. Car enthusiasts and horsepower lovers salivate when they see the world class supercars with squeeling, smoking burnouts destroy each carefully prepared piece of fabric. The burned-out fabric is combined with the finest luxury leather to be reborn into a custom BurnOut Bag hand made in Frankfurt, Germany. Nail polish in original car paint colors: „Handcrafted in Germany, destroyed worldwide“ Nail polish set, consisting of three flasks in original car paint colors, in cube box with logo printing. Products available at the museum shop w w w. m ercedes - benz - cl assic . com

Discover the hippest trends, hotspots, lifestyles and unique Designs in Europe. You will start in Berlin, the new “city that never sleeps”. Be a star and create your own song. René Rennefeldt, a famous German music producer will welcome you in his studio! Look behind the scenes of the famous fashion brand of Hugo Boss near Stuttgart. You will have the chance to chat with senior designers and discover the new collection prior to anybody else. Amazing architecture is part of the experience during an exclusive visit of the Mercedes-Benz Museum. In Amsterdam our guests can get learn about Dutch design while meeting a famous Dutch Designer. The trendiest hotspot you will experience in London, on a tailor-made street art and shopping tour through Shoreditch. R o u t e : China – Berlin – Stuttgart – Amsterdam – London – China D e p a t u r e D a t e : November 2014, January 2015, February 2015, March 2015 P r i c e : 115,000 RMB Bookable from September 2014 www.mercedes-benz.travel

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Where Guests Become Friends

Unforgettable Experiences with Mercedes-Benz Travel Mercedes-Benz Travel combines three key elements: high-end travel, special events and unique encounters with fascinating people. With the help of the company’s long-standing history and its global network of contacts, Mercedes-Benz Travel is able to open doors which others can’t. Every Mercedes-Benz Travel product is designed by a team of premium travel experts in Germany: the itinerary, the highlight experiences and the carefully selected choices of hotels and restaurants. During the product design process, the team in Germany is frequently exchanging ideas with the team of HHTravel in Beijing. For the Greater China market, the premium brand under Ctrip group HHTravel is the exclusive cooperation partner of Mercedes-Benz Travel. “You can compare the essence of our cross-industry and crosscultural cooperation with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class: the product itself is designed and handcrafted in Germany, and with the long wheel base version it has been carefully adapted to suit the needs of the Chinese market. “, says Frieder Munk who leads the German team of Mercedes-Benz Travel. “The same is valid for Mercedes-Benz Travel products”, adds Song Wenfeng, leader of the product team at HHTravel. “We give our feedback to the team in Germany and make sure that their creative and innovative travel ideas match the needs and habits of Chinese premium travelers.” For all future friends of the brand, the good news is that they does not have to be an owner of a Mercedes-Benz car in order to travel with Mercedes-Benz Travel: the travel products can be purchased by all interested globetrotters in China. W e b s i t e : www.mercedes-benz.travel H o t l i n e : 400 890 5050 81

All New Mercedes-Benz C-Cl ass Long Wheelbase China L aunch

Since its debut at Auto China 2014, the new C-Class has been at the center of attention for media and consumers alike. Its highly anticipated market arrival will set new standards for the entire segment on almost every level and account. All New Mercedes-Benz C-Class Long Wheelbase China Launch will be held on August 25, 2014 in Beijing. The All New C-Class Long Wheelbase undoubtedly stands out as a true game changer.

Mercedes-Benz brand ambassadors Li Na and Peng Shuai will bring the best of Chinese tennis to China Open Mercedes-Benz brand ambassadors and top ranked tennis idols Li Na and Peng Shuai keep leading and inspiring the Chinese tennis world. While Li Na was once again featured on the cover of Time Magazine, Peng Shuai grabbed the Women’s Doubles championship at French Open 2014. In both spirit and success they no doubt manage to paraphrase the Mercedes-Benz brand claim “The best or nothing.” See them play on home turf this October.

The World Final of Mercedes trophy The World Final is an ultimate goal for each player in the Mercedes Trophy . In the 25th Event to be held in September this year, more than one hundred Mercedes-Benz owners from all over the world will gather in Stuttgart. The Team of China made up of the three winners in the National Final completed at the end of June will fly to Germany and compete with all the Mercedes-Benz owners from other countries for the honor.

photos Get t y Images, daimler ag

au g u s t

Mercedes-Benz SUV Family Event Mercedes - Benz is inventor of luxury SUV, Mercedes-Benz SUV family is leading the direction and development of SUV industry with extraordinary performance as well. In the past 4 regional qualifications in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu from May to September, 40 winners stand out at the intense selective competition. This September, all participants will have a glory journey to colorful Yunnan with SUV Family together, and have opportunity to have a full range feelings of high performance and unique charm of Mercedes-Benz SUV.

september

Outlook

m o m e n t S

Since 2011, Mercedes-Benz is a prestige sponsor and official automobile partner of the Shanghai Rolex Masters – the only ATP 1000 tournament in Asia. This highly anticipated annual event gathers all the world’s top rank male players for an exhilarating tennis week. See you in October! 25

Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week Spring/ Summer 2015 Mercedes-Benz continues the title sponsor of China Fashion Week by inheriting the phenomenal accomplishments since 2011. Now Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week has been a platform and event that stands as the leading and most anticipated fashion event in China. Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015 will be held in Beijing from October 25-31, 2014.

roadshow of A 45 AMG and CLA 45 AMG

Winter Experience Program

Driving performance, passion, and youthfulness. November 2014, a grand roadshow of newly launched A 45 AMG and CLA 45 AMG will take place in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Shenzhen. Innovative digital interaction, unique hotspot display, passionate test drive as well as glamorous red carpets and cocktail parties altogether portray the passion and spirit of AMG perfectly. The grand roadshow of A 45 AMG and CLA 45 AMG, coming soon!

In end of December 2014, car owners of the MercedesBenz will gather in Inner Mongolia to participate Winter Experience program, with the aim of learning the techniques involved in driving on ice and of enjoying the pleasures of driving in the snows of winter.

december

Mercedes-Benz sponsors Shanghai Rolex Masters for the fourth consecutive year

n ov e m b e r

o c to b e r

Mercedes AMG Petronas Formul a One Team – “T wincredible” The Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team seems unstoppable this year. With Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton in the cockpits, the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows are dominating the 2014 F1 season. The racing results and achievements so far forestall imminent victories in both the Driver’s and Constructor’s Championships. The checkered flag is in sight!

版权信息北京梅赛德斯－奔驰销售服务有限公司 BEIJING MERCEDES-BENZ SALES SERVICE CO., LTD. 北京市朝阳区望京街8号院戴姆勒大厦，100102 Daimler Tower,8 Wangjing (St). ChaoYang District, Beijing 100102 , P.R.China TEL: 400-818 1188 总编：倪恺 Editor in Chief: Nicholas Speeks 联合出品人：段建军 Associate Producer: Fred Duan 总策划：王芳 Executive Producer: Freda Wang 策划执行：张扬朱珊珊 Creative Executive: Zhang Yang, Salina Zhu E-mail: magazine_china@daimler.com

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No text or pictures may be reprinted or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the relevant copyrights and proprietary rights owner.

F Y I

C 260 L Sport Sedan

C 260 L Sedan

Rated output (kw / hp/ rpm)

155/211/5500

Rated torque (nm /rpm)

350/1200-4000

Engine

2.0-liter four-cylinder

Fuel consumption

6.7 L/100 km

Acceleration

0–100 km/h in 6.99 s

Top speed

241 km/h

Length/Width/Hight mm

4766/1422/1810

4766/1810/1768

ICONS

SUNN Y S L E E PING PI L L Exposure to a lot of daylight – during an hour’s walk, for instance – keeps you more awake during the day and helps you sleep better at night. The influence of daylight on our circadian rhythms can be useful after long-haul flights: on arrival, wear sunglasses and avoid the sun for a couple of hours – it helps lessen the effects of jet lag.

B L U E PO W E R Light with a color temperature in excess of 6,500 Kelvin and an elevated blue spectral component acts as a stimulant, shortening reaction times and boosting performance. Studies show that factories with this type of light enjoy a rise in productivity of between 5 and 15%.

SP E E D Y Y E T S L O W It takes just eight minutes and 20 seconds for the Sun’s rays to reach Earth – traveling at the speed of light. But before this light energy even leaves the Sun in the first place, it spends thousands of years in transit from the Sun’s core to its surface.

HIGH-QUALITY HEADLIGHTS automatically adjust to the weather and road situation thanks to the Intelligent Light System. But how does light affect our lives beyond the car? Here are six illuminating facts. M O L D PROT E C TION Every fungus has a type of light that inhibits growth. Fusarium fungi, which can ruin harvests, dislike infrared light. Green mold’s nemesis is blue-hued light, prompting researchers to use colored glass panes to keep grain silos mold-free.

V ITA M INS bef o r e TANNING Our bodies generate up to 90% of the vitamin D we need through our skin’s exposure to sunlight. As high SPF sunscreens bring this process to a near-complete halt, when you go to the beach, tank up on sunlight for a few minutes before applying the sunblock.

NATUR E ’ S M OST E F F I C I E NT energy consumer is the tiny firefly, which converts energy to light at an astounding 90% efficiency rate. A light bulb, by comparison, emits 96% heat and just 4% light. LEDs are somewhat more efficient, but still a far cry from the firefly’s formidable record.

Illustration Leandro CastelÃo/Dutchuncle phOTOS fotolia (2), ddp images, berthold steinhilber/laif, andré reinke/jahreszeitenverlag, sz photo/heinrich jürgen

Light