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Mercedes-Benz Cars at the 2017 International Motor Show (IAA): Exciting new models and innovative event formats from the inventor of the automobile

For its appearance at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) from 14 to 24 September 2017, Mercedes-Benz is reinforcing its ambition to help shape the mobility of tomorrow.


Stuttgart/Frankfurt – WEBWIRE
Mercedes-Benz Cars at the 2017 IAA
Mercedes-Benz Cars at the 2017 IAA

With the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE the sports car and performance brand is celebrating the highlight of its 50th anniversary. This hypercar with Formula 1 hybrid drive technology points the way to AMG’s “Future of Driving Performance”. A new smart showcar shows an intelligent solution for shared urban mobility. Further outlooks on the full electrification of the portfolio are provided by a concept car in the compact car segment and the GLC F‑CELL EQ Power, a pre-series model with fuel cell hybrid drive. Also celebrating their world première at the show are the comprehensively updated S-Class Coupé and S‑Class Cabriolet in both the standard and AMG versions, which round off the model range. This will also be the show première of the new X‑Class, the pick-up by Mercedes-Benz. One key element of the trade fair presentation is the me Convention, a new joint event format for Mercedes-Benz and the South by Southwest® (SXSW®). It is being held from 15 to 17 September with the motto #createthenew. Live events, such as the “Mercedes-Benz Media Night”, press conference, and the expert talks will be aired by livestream on the new Mercedes me media online platform.

All in all, Mercedes-Benz Cars is exhibiting around 100 vehicles in Frankfurt, among them several world premières of innovative concept cars. The Mercedes-AMG Project ONE is a near-series study of a hypercar. The hypercar’s series version will be the first ever automobile to feature genuine Formula 1 hybrid technology. With the new, electrically powered smart showcar, the brand is exhibiting a study by the recently founded product and technology brand EQ as a world première. This fully autonomously driving study is the first model to comprehensively embody all four pillars of the corporate strategy CASE: “Connected”, “Autonomous”, “Shared” and “Electric”. It stands for maximum mobility efficiency in and for the urban environment thanks to systematic further development of the carsharing concept, and makes the vision of individualised, highly flexible urban public transport a reality.

A further Mercedes-Benz world première will be the first, fully electric EQ concept vehicle within the compact car segment. With its “EQ” brand Mercedes-Benz will in future also offer compact vehicles with electrically driven power units to consequently make electromobility available for an important target group. A fuel cell plug-in hybrid vehicle will also make its first ever appearance at the event. The Mercedes-Benz GLC F‑CELL EQ Power combines practical advantages such as a long range and short hydrogen fuelling times with locally emission-free driving. Also having their debut in Frankfurt are the comprehensively updated S‑Class Coupé and S‑Class Cabriolet in the standard and AMG versions.

The Mercedes among pick-ups is celebrating its public première at the IAA show. The Mercedes-Benz X‑Class combines the typical attributes of a pick-up – robust, functional, durable, and suitable for off-road driving – with the classic strengths of a genuine Mercedes – design, comfort, driving dynamics, and safety. With its SUV design as a hallmark feature of the brand, the X‑Class fits smoothly into the Mercedes-Benz portfolio.

Events can now be followed live and online

As is traditional, the IAA show will open on Monday, 11 September from 6:30 p.m. with the “Mercedes-Benz Media Night”. The press conference will take place on the first press day, 12 September, at 9:35 a.m. At “Meet the experts” on Wednesday, 13 September from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., experts from the group companies (Tobias Moers, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG, Dr Annette Winkler, CEO of smart, Dr Jens Thiemer, Vice President Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars and Wilko Stark, Head of CASE) will take hourly turns to answer media questions about brand and future-related topics. Direct conversations with the experts will also be possible at digital level.

Mercedes-Benz is also launching a new digital service platform specifically for the media at the IAA. Mercedes me media is the new online service that allows live events such as world premières and press conferences to be extended and expanded into multi-day online communication experiences around the world for the very first time. The new platform also makes work easier for journalists with new, exclusive functionalities, such as a high-resolution multi-angle livestream, a likewise high-resolution screenshot function from any camera angle of the livestream and live transcripts of talks and lectures in two languages. Mercedes me media now allows all interested parties around the world to be there live at show events. Media representatives also have access to press material, photos and videos relating to the IAA show via a constantly updated media hub.

me Convention: a motor show in a new dimension

With the me Convention, the classic vehicle presentations will be supplemented by an interactive dialogue format for three days from 15 to 17 September. This will cover future-related topics derived from the CASE strategy, and go well beyond purely product-related aspects: New Creation, New Urbanity, New Leadership, New Realities, New Velocity. The me Convention is an inspiring mixture of workshops, expert rounds, interactive labs and art installations. In this way, Mercedes-Benz seeks to initiate a discourse about topics relating to the future, while taking the motor show as a communication platform into a new dimension. More than 100 international visionaries, lateral thinkers and inspiring personalities from different social and cultural backgrounds will be present as speakers, among them the astronaut and rocket researcher Buzz Aldrin, the media artist and choreographer Christian “Mio” Loclair, the Tibetan monk and mindfulness specialist Gelong Thubten, the explorer, adventurer and Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador Mike Horn, supermodel Amber Valetta, the famous industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger, technology reporter Amber Mac and Miriam Meckel, editor of the German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche.

With SXSW®, the me Convention has a cooperation partner on board who has many years of experience with innovative conference formats. With its mixture of a cultural festival and a digital conference, SXSW® has cult status in Austin and attracts more than 300,000 visitors each year. The me Convention is the first cooperation of this type by the Americans outside the USA. Tickets for the events of the me Convention are available at www.me-convention.com.

The IAA presentation by Mercedes-Benz Cars

All in all, the IAA presentation by Mercedes-Benz fully reflects the CASE strategy, with the CASE City on the ground floor of the Festival Hall as the highlight. Presentations by moderators and vehicle displays will also take place its centre. On entering the lobby of the Festival Hall, the traditional location for the Mercedes-Benz stand, a “Digital Dashboard” informs the visitor about the different live and talk formats in real time with media elements. This is where visitors are also informed that they can log in for an individual, digital tour of the show – with digital passes from Mercedes-Benz for the wallet app. With “Mercedes-Benz To Go”, visitors are always kept fully informed about highlights, vehicles and the me Convention before, during and after the IAA show. The passes can be obtained on mobile devices at any time at www.mercedes-benz.com/IAA, or loaded by scanning the QR code at the show, and can even be passed on live. In the exhibition hall, the interesting information can then be collected using a QR code scanner, then sent home by browser via the dedicated LTE connection or WLAN.

Around 400 employees have been working for over two months on planning and realising the Mercedes-Benz presentation areas covering more than 11,000 square metres. 970 tonnes of steel, over 250 kilometres of wiring and around 6000 lights were installed in the Festival Hall, for example.


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