|
Violent crime has become a fact of life. And car occupants are all too often the targets. This is borne out by statistics which show an increase in gang-based crime, armed robberies and carjacking. For many years now, heads of state, leading diplomats and top managers have only ventured out onto the road in armoured cars. Even motorists who are far less in the public spotlight admit to feeling unsafe at times. Mercedes-Benz Guard models are designed to counter acts of violence. The flagship model in the Mercedes-Benz Guard range is the S 600 Pullman Guard; the line-up of vehicles with factory-integrated special protection also comprises other S-Guard variants along with E and G-Guard models. Depending on requirements, the armoured versions can withstand revolver fire or other gunshots and even hand grenades or explosives. Yet they still provide their occupants with the ultimate in comfort and everyday practicality.
Vast experience breeds trust and confidence
The Mercedes-Benz Guard models with factory-integrated special protection are very highly regarded. This is underlined by the fact that some 6000 of the Stuttgart-based brand's special-protection vehicles are in use around the world today, including some models which were built 20 years ago. The high esteem in which the armoured vehicles displaying the Mercedes star are held and the trust people place in them is the product of many years of hard work. "We take our customers' requirements seriously and have been continuously developing and enhancing our special-protection vehicles ever since the first model was built 80 years ago", says Dr Rainer Gärtner, head of Mercedes-Benz Guard sales. The basis for this is long-standing, close cooperation with nationally and internationally recognised security authorities. This ensures that the Mercedes specialists are always fully briefed on the latest security require-ments and are able to consoli-date their position at the leading edge of vehicle protection technology and ballistics. And this is why the Mercedes-Benz Guard models are universally renowned for their high standards of safety and security.
Mercedes-Benz offers a choice of High Protection or Highest Protection
Mercedes-Benz also uses this know-how acquired over a period of several years to provide answers to different threat scenarios, offering Mercedes-Benz Guard models with various resistance levels in accordance with the European standard:
- High-Protection vehicles, engineered to the European B4 resistance level, resist large-calibre revolver ammunition and offer particularly good protection against the increasing threat of drug-related and violent street crime.
- Highest-Protection vehicles, engineered to resistance level B6/B7, provide effective protection against the threat posed by terrorist attacks. Their armour is designed to resist military-standard small-arms projectiles which have a velocity almost twice that of bullets fired from a revolver. They also offer protection against fragments from hand grenades and explosive charges.
The Mercedes models in both protection categories have been developed in accordance with internationally recognised security standards and have successfully undergone both testing and certification by independent state organisations.
Key markets for special-protection vehicles
Demand for special-protection vehicles is rising and is currently especially high in Latin America, South Africaand southern Europe. In these regions, most buyers opt for High-Protection vehicles (resistance level B4). In Central Europeand the former Soviet states, however, Highest-Protection Guard models are more the norm (resistance level B6/B7). Further key markets for special-protection vehicles include the Near East, the Middle Eastand Asia.
More Mercedes-Benz S 600 Pullman Guard:
Copyright © 2008, Daimler AG
|
