Detroit Auto Show: Mercedes-Benz to Offer 4MATIC on All Sedans and Wagons; Mercedes Views All-Wheel Drive As An Emerging Trend On Luxury Cars

    DETROIT, Jan. 6, 2003; With the 2003 debut of the 4MATIC
all-wheel-drive system in its C-Class and S-Class lines, Mercedes-Benz is
anticipating an emerging trend in the luxury car market.  What's more, the
company is announcing the return of 4MATIC to its popular E-Class line with
the world premiere of the 2004-model E-Class wagon at the North American
International Auto Show in Detroit.  As a result, when the new-generation
wagon goes on sale later this year, Mercedes-Benz will be offering
all-wheel-drive versions of all its sedans and wagons for the first time ever.

      AWD -- Part of the Price of Admission to Tomorrow's Luxury Market

    As modern all-wheel-drive systems become even more refined, Mercedes-Benz
anticipates that they will increasingly become part of the admission price to
the luxury car market.  With negligible weight and fuel-efficiency tradeoffs,
go-anywhere full-time four-wheel-drive systems provide year-round traction and
stability benefits, on both wet and dry roads.  Capitalizing on decades of
experience with four-wheel-drive commercial vehicles, Mercedes-Benz first
introduced 4MATIC-equipped cars in 1989.

     Full-Time "Center-Diff" System Features Four-Wheel Traction Control

    The full-time four-wheel-drive system used in all Mercedes-Benz cars and
sport utilities features a mechanical center differential that can vary
front-to-rear torque distribution for great on-road handling, not to mention
stellar traction in a wide range of conditions.
    In addition, the system includes innovative four-wheel electronic traction
control that keeps the vehicle going even if only one wheel has traction.
With a mechanical all-wheel-drive system, four-wheel traction control
eliminates the need for complicated locks or limited-slip devices.  However,
the venerable G-Class is the one Mercedes-Benz that is also fitted with three
differential locks for an extra measure of heavy-duty off-road performance.

        Two-Speed Transfer Case Keeps Mercedes SUVs Going in the Rough

    While 4MATIC cars use a single-range five-speed automatic transmission,
Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicles add a two-speed transfer case that
actually provides ten forward gears, including a stump-pulling low range for
impressive control going up and down steep grades.  When low range is engaged,
a modified transmission shifting program and ABS mode are engaged for optimal
off-road performance.

               4MATIC Cars Get Rear-Biased Torque Distribution

    Under normal conditions, Mercedes sport utility vehicles distribute torque
nearly equally between the front and rear wheels.  On the other hand,
4MATIC-equipped cars come with a planetary gear set within the center
differential that begins with 35-65 percent front-to-rear torque distribution.
To skilled drivers, this rear-bias all-wheel-drive system feels much like
rear-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz cars, in which subtle throttle steering effects
can enhance handling, especially in spirited driving.