He is between 35 and 50 years old, earns a lot of money, has a Chinese passport and usually sits in the back of the car. This is what the typical customer looks like for a type of car that doesn't exist in Europe. Significantly longer versions of well-known sedans of the upper middle class, which turn the back of the car into a feel-good lounge and in which the endless traffic jams of the metropolises can be comfortably endured. Nothing works in China without the Tall One, whether it's from BMW, Audi or from Mercedes come. It is therefore not surprising that Daimler celebrated the premiere of the 14-centimeter-long E-Class in a huge Beijing television studio with great effort, from which otherwise popular quiz shows or pop concerts are broadcast.
The Middle Kingdom has long been the largest market for Mercedes. “The long version of the E-Class is one of our most important models,” reports Ola Källenius, currently still Director of Sales, but soon the new head of development. "Except for the AMG models, all E-Classes had the long wheelbase." With similar versions of the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series, Mercedes is jostling for the favor of wealthy customers. Because the business class is firmly in German hands. Technically identical to the normal E-Class that we have been offering for a few weeks, the difference is in the increased distance between the axles. At 3,08 meters, it is 14 centimeters longer, which almost completely benefits the space in the rear seats. The total length skips the five-meter mark. A kind of Maybach for all the managers who have not yet been able to earn a place in the luxury class, but have outgrown the C-Class, which has also been extended in China.
Workplace, loungers for a nap in between, rolling meeting rooms or just a place where you want to be seen by those around you. The long E-Class seating system offers something special for all situations. Since a center seat in the rear is rarely used, there is a center armrest with a rich interior as standard. The storage compartment is illuminated and has a USB port. For a surcharge, a touchscreen control panel can be integrated into the top of the backrest, which can even be heated, from which various functions of the E-Class can be controlled from the rear. The smartphone can be charged wirelessly, drinks brought along can be heated or cooled. Of course, the rear individual seats are adjustable and can be tempered according to the mood of the passenger.
Depending on your taste, noble materials for seats and surroundings can be ordered when purchasing. The price list has all the subtleties that tempt you to spend money even in the normal long model. If you want to create your own personal atmosphere in the interior, you can put together the right LED lighting mood from 64 colors. You can also order all the technical delicacies of the E-Class, which Mercedes summarizes under the term "most intelligent sedan in the world". State-of-the-art assistance systems with functions that will soon be available for autonomous cars, automatic parking via app, two high-resolution monitors almost half the width of the car, high-performance headlights with 84 LED elements each and much more.
The newcomer is only built in China and only for China. The long E-Class will only be on our roads if the Chinese embassy in Berlin or large corporations fly their company cars to Germany. The exotic would then be recognizable by the much wider rear doors and the additional triangular windows on the last roof pillar.
(Peter Maahn / SP-X)