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Winning "Best of Show" is always a significant achievement for any automobile, but for the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the award it took home from the recent Paris Motor Show was especially sweet.
Nearly a decade ago, when the last-generation S-Class debuted in Europe, it quickly became an object of derision. True, it was a masterpiece of engineering, but one that represented a time that had come and gone. The result was a car far too heavy, gas-guzzling, ostentatious and expensive. And, in an unfortunate bit of timing, the S-Class debuted alongside a wave of new Japanese products, including the Lexus LS 400.
Sales stumbled, but ironically, for Mercedes, it proved to be an unexpected blessing. The S-Class fiasco made it clear the automaker needed to break with Teutonic tradition. No longer could Mercedes tell the customer "we know what is best for you and don't ask any questions," admits Juergen Hubbert, the board member overseeing the automaker's passenger car development.
If anyone needs proof that Mercedes has seen the light, just look at how things have progressed over the last five years. First came the redesigned C-Class, a roomier and more refined version of the original "Baby Benz." It was quickly followed by the E-Class, with its striking front end and elegant interior. Add to the list the M-Class sport-utility vehicle, the SLK roadster, the CLK coupe, and a range of creative variants that stray from the narrow path Mercedes had long followed. Now comes the totally redesigned 2000 model-year S-Class, "which completes our five-year brand strategy," notes Joe Eberhardt, marketing chief for Mercedes-Benz North America.
The new car debuts in Europe this fall and in the U.S. next spring. That's about 18 months ahead of the original schedule. Even so, after getting our first "stick time" in the car, one can only ask, "What took so long?"
