Mercedes-Benz - The Fascinating Long Distance Drive From Paris to Beijing Ends Successfully

BEIJING, China, November 17 --

- The Greatest Diesel Marathon of All Time Reaches Its Final Destination in Beijing - Best Average Consumption of Only 7.19 l/100 km Over 14,000 Kilometres

The longest diesel marathon of all time ended successfully in Beijing today. The 36 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars, which left Paris on 21 October on a transcontinental rally covering about 14,000 kilometres, arrived safe and sound in the Chinese capital after traversing Europe and Asia. Through this endurance test under extreme conditions Mercedes-Benz has once again demonstrated the outstanding performance of its modern diesel engines in terms of emissions, fuel economy and reliability. Proof of this is also the fuel consumption of the victorious "Ebay" team which won the fuel economy contest with an average of 7.19 l/100 km diesel. The best result on a daily leg was as low as 5.5 l/100 km.

"During this endurance test for a total of more than 500,000 kilometres, the 33 E 320 CDI and three E 320 BLUETEC impressively showed the potential of our high-tech diesels. They proved that driving enjoyment, great fuel economy and environmental compatibility are not mutually exclusive" said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG responsible for the Mercedes Car Group. "At the same time, the long distance drive from Paris to Beijing rendered the qualities of the new E-Class generation more tangible. The E-Class has lived up to all the promises that we had previously made to the participants and our customers," he added. Today's grand finale of the long distance drive took place at Beijing's historic Yongding Gate, the southern access point to the "Holy Axis" of the Forbidden City.

During the five legs of the "E-Class Experience" more than 360 drivers from 35 countries took turns at the steering wheels of the diesel sedans. In only 25 driving days they passed through nine countries under partly extreme conditions, such as snow and ice, as well as unpaved roads. The average daily driving distance was about 560 kilometres. Together with the 24 escort vehicles, which ranged from the G-Classes of the Mercedes-Benz crew and technical trucks to the mobile diesel service station, the marathon entourage covered a total road distance of about 840,000 kilometers. This corresponds to a 21-fold circumference of the earth at the equator.

Record breaking consumption figure: 5.5 litres/100 km

The "Ebay" team in car number 3 won the fuel economy contest over the entire distance with a consumption of only 7,19 l/100 km. Thanks to their economical driving style, the "German Taxi" team only needed 5.5 liters of diesel for every 100 kilometers on the 616 kilometer-long drive from Lanzhou to Wuhai. The figures are especially remarkable because all participating cars are standard production E-Classes with 165 kW/224 HP. And the luxury sedans didn't have it easy. They were fully loaded with up to three passengers and numerous pieces of luggage. Because of the anticipated bad road conditions and cold weather, all cars were equipped with winter tyres and a suspension that was raised by five centimeters.

With a low total average consumption of 8.32 l/100 km diesel fuel for all 36 Vehicles the goal of demonstrating the diesel engines' superior fuel efficiency was clearly met on the individual legs as well as over the entire distance. In total the fleet of 36 vehicles consumed about 40,530 liters of low sulphur diesel fuel. That is about 20 percent or 10,000 liters less than originally estimated. The participating 18 rear-wheel drive vehicles consumed only 8.01 l/100 km diesel, while the 18 4MATIC models with four-wheel drive ended up with a slightly higher average of 8.53 l/100 km.

A taxi trip for 40,000 Euros

The most unusual vehicles in the fleet were the two E-Class taxi cabs which accompanied the convoy over the total distance. In this case, the competitive comparison showed clear cost differences. The fare in the German taxi came to 16,050 Euros at the end of the fourth leg after just 12,000 kilometres. The trip in the Parisian taxi would have been clearly more expensive. At that point, the meter already displayed the proud amount of 34,090 Euros. At the arrival in Beijing, the total had come to nearly 40,000 Euros.