This weekend kicked off the much-hyped and highly-anticipated Mercedes E-Class Experience, and despite our invitation apparently being lost somewhere between here and Stuttgart, we still have coverage from the inaugural day of the event.

As evidenced by the above photograph, DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche was on hand for the start of the journey, bidding a fond farewell to 36 Mercedes E-Class diesel models sojourning from Paris, France to Beijing China.  The approximately 8,500 mile excursion will be completed in five stages, with the fleet expected to arrive at its final destination on November 17th.

Here's what Dieter had to say about the event: "The long-distance route from Paris to Beijing is not about speed. Rather, the sporting challenge for the participants is to achieve the lowest possible consumption on the individual stages and across the overall distance.  70 years after Mercedes-Benz launched the diesel engine in series car production as the first manufacturer, we want to demonstrate again the high level of performance of the modern diesel engine in terms of emission, economy and range, even under the most extreme conditions. We are convinced that in future modern diesel engines can continue the success story around the world, something which has long been reality in Western Europe with market shares of over 50 percent."

For more info, keep scrolling to see a number of photos from the E-Class Experience kickoff followed by the full press release detailing the event. Also, if you want to stay up-to-date on the progress of each team, visit the official E-Class Experience website for complete real-time coverage.











OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Start of the long-distance route Paris - Beijing 2006: Mercedes-Benz starts unique diesel marathon from Europe to Asia

Paris, Oct 21, 2006
An extraordinary automobile adventure started today in the French capital. This afternoon, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, 36 Mercedes-Benz E-Class vehicles powered by clean diesel started on a long-distance journey of over 13,600 kilometres to Beijing, where the fleet will arrive on 17 November. Mercedes-Benz intends to use the diesel marathon across two continents to demonstrate the global potential of its drive technology. Over the course of the five stages, a total of 360 drivers from 35 countries will be seated behind the wheels of the E-Class models, which will cover a combined distance of more than 490,000 kilometres before arriving in the Chinese capital.

“The long-distance route from Paris to Beijing is not about speed. Rather, the sporting challenge for the participants is to achieve the lowest possible consumption on the individual stages and across the overall distance”, declared Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the DaimlerChrysler AG Board of Management and Head of the Mercedes Car Group, yesterday evening in the Automobile Club de France, the oldest automobile club in the world. “70 years after Mercedes-Benz launched the diesel engine in series car production as the first manufacturer, we want to demonstrate again the high level of performance of the modern diesel engine in terms of emission, economy and range, even under the most extreme conditions. We are convinced that in future modern diesel engines can continue the success story around the world, something which has long been reality in Western Europe with market shares of over 50 percent.”

The fleet for the long-distance route is made up of production E-Class models, some of which have the four-wheel drive, 4MATIC. In addition to 33 E 320 CDIs, the field also includes three E-class vehicles with BLUETEC. This forward-looking technology makes the Mercedes-Benz saloon the cleanest diesel in the world. Worldwide, the E 320 BLUETEC is the first and only diesel engine that generates figures below the extremely strict US BIN8 exhaust gas standard, particularly in respect of nitrogen oxide emission. The 320 BLUETEC has been sold in the USA (in 45 states) and Canada since 15 October 2006. The engine consumes up to 30 percent less fuel than comparable vehicles with the gasoline engines in North America. With its enormous range of up to 1,200 km on one tank, it is predestined for an automobile marathon such as the Paris – Beijing – just as is the E 320 CDI.

The route of the “E-Class Experience” passes through France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Kazakhstan to China. The itinerary largely follows that of the first transcontinental car race in history, which was run between Beijing and Paris 99 years ago. On this occasion, the aim of the French initiators was to demonstrate the technical superiority of the car over the horse. The winner was the Italian aristocrat, Scipione Borghese, who crossed the finishing line after 62 days, with his competitors arriving in Paris three weeks later.

In a re-run of the long-distance route, 360 drivers from 35 countries will be sitting behind the wheel on the five stages – of between 1,750 und 3,550 kilometres. These include international journalists, VIPs and online applicants selected from more than 50,000 Internet applications. Due to the overwhelming demand, Mercedes-Benz increased the number of E-Class vehicles to 36 saloons shortly before the start. The most unusual vehicle in the fleet is a Parisian E-Class taxi, which is to accompany the convoy across the total distance over eight borders and six time zones.

Internet address:
For more information on “Paris–Beijing”, including Google Maps, showing the real-time positions of the participating vehicles, go to: http://www.e-class-experience.com

Copyright © 2006, DaimlerChrysler AG