In 1903 Paul Daimler laid the foundations for the company's all-wheel drive system
The "Dernburg Wagen" made its debut in 1907
Dubai - Mercedes-Benz is celebrating 100 years of all-wheel-drive and can offer its customers more all-wheel-drive options than any other manufacturer.
The Mercedes-Benz all-wheel drive story started in 1903 and since then the company has adhered to a policy of if you want to tackle difficult terrain safely and effectively, then all-wheel drive is the best technology.
"Over the decades four-wheel-drive been used successfully in very different Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Some models, the G-Class or the Unimog for instance, bask in a legendary reputation worldwide and in the Middle East. Yet even on normal roads, the all-wheel drive delivers superb performance, as Mercedes-Benz saloons and SUVs with 4MATIC demonstrate," said Johannes Fritz, Director, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes Car Group, Middle East.
As early as 1903, Paul Daimler laid the foundations for designing vehicles with all-wheel drive. The son of company founder Gottlieb Daimler was the then Head of Engineering at the Austrian Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in Neustadt, Vienna.
In 1904/05 a military towing vehicle was built with all-wheel drive. Over the following years, several towing vehicles and armour-plated cars were developed with all-wheel drive. Yet it wasn't until World War I that the car finally supplanted the horse-drawn carriage within the military. Later all-wheel drive vehicles were increasingly used on building sites or for snowploughing. Benz & Cie. was keen to cash in on this development and so all-wheel drive commercial vehicles were also developed in Gaggenau.
In 1907 the German Imperial Colonial Office ordered a vehicle from the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) for a very special mission in the then German Southwest Africa colony, the current Namibia.
Excellent off-road mobility was part of the specification. Paul Daimler designed an all-wheel drive vehicle, only one of which would be built in the DMG Berlin-Marienfelde plant. The car was named after Bernhard Dernburg (1865 to 1937), State Secretary of the German Imperial Colonial Office, who used the vehicle in on official business in 1908.
The vehicle featured a touring car body with six seats. It was imposing measuring around 4.90 metres long a height, including the roof, of more than 2.70 metres and a track of 1.42 metres. Its kerb weight was around 3.6 tonnes. The vehicle had permanent all-wheel drive and even all-wheel steering for better manoeuvrability. All of the power-transmission components were shielded against fine drifting sand. Its climbing ability was 25 percent.
In 1926 the know-how of the fledgling Daimler-Benz AG turned to building another high-traction passenger car, the three-axle G 1. The G3 (1928) and G3a (1929) were subsequently developed based on this model. They were all driven at the two rear axles, making them ideal off-road vehicles despite their lack of true all-wheel drive capability. And the powerful G4 also basically adopted the same design, although certain models also featured additional power transmission to the front axle. Heads of State and top military brass came to appreciate its virtues as a prestige all-terrain vehicle.
The Mercedes-Benz G5 was the precursor of today's privately owned off-roaders. Mercedes-Benz unveiled the G5 at the 1938 London Motor Show as a colonial and hunting vehicle'. Various bodies were available ex factory. In addition to all-wheel drive, it also had selectable all-wheel steering.
In 1948, the Unimog was unveiled in Frankfurt. The name was coined from the abbreviation of the German "Universalmotorger?t (Univeral Motorized Unit)", similarly echoing the wide-ranging applications mastered by the all-wheel drive vehicle.
Initially Maschinenfabrik Boehringer in G?ppingen manufactured the Unimog before Daimler-Benz took over the entire concept in 1950 and series production started in the Gaggenau plant in 1951. Over the decades the Unimog has stood the test of time in agricultural applications, long-distance trekking, municipal operations and with the military. It is a match for virtually any type of terrain.
In 1979, Mercedes-Benz launched the G-Class, a cross-country vehicle developed in co-operation between Daimler-Benz AG and Steyr-Daimler-Puch in Graz, Austria, in the form of the Gel?ndefahrzeuggesellschaft mbH joint venture.
Daimler-Benz subsequently took over full control but with production remaining in Graz at Steyr-Daimler-Puch, the current Magna Steyr. There are four G-Class model series, with various body variants, including a long or short Station Wagon, Cabriolet, panel van and pick-up. In countries like Austria, Switzerland and also in the Eastern European bloc, the G-Class is also marketed under the Puch brand name.
The 460 series set the ball rolling in 1979, only to be replaced later by the more comfortable 463 series (launched 1989), and the simpler 461 series (from 1991) built in parallel.
In the initial conceptual phase, the G-Class was designed as a commercial vehicle. That was soon to change however and the vehicle customised to withstand punishing off-road terrain. The performance figures are outstanding with a climbing ability of up to 80 percent, directional stability up to 54 percent on lateral slopes, 21 centimetres ground clearance, angle of approach/departure 36/27 degrees respectively mean the G-Class can negotiate the most difficult off-road terrain effortlessly. At the same time the chassis provides safe, comfortable on-road handling.
Early customers included the police and military in many countries. Special versions were produced too, such as a hunting vehicle for the Saudi Arabian royal family, the extra-long G-Class developed by Mercedes-AMG or the "Popemobile" for Pope John Paul II.
The G-Class is available with petrol and diesel engines and includes a high-power AMG variant. The G-Class is also available as a GUARD special-protection version.
In the mid-1980s the time was also ripe to fit Mercedes-Benz passenger cars with all-wheel drive. The all-new 4MATIC technology made its debut in the 124 series E-Class in 1987; it combined mechanical and electronic components using state-of-the-art technology. The permanent all-wheel drive enhanced the already excellent characteristics of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. From 1999 onwards, the 4ETS Electronic Traction System teamed up with 4MATIC to act as differential locks.
Mercedes-Benz extended its all-wheel drive line-up for passenger cars in the 2003 model year. A total of 32 vehicles were available with 4MATIC in five model series. And in the line-up for the first time was the S-Class with short and long wheelbase. In 2006, the successor model series was unveiled, the first S-Class to combine a diesel engine with all-wheel drive, the S 320 CDI. Even the C-Class was fitted with 4MATIC as part of the 2003 all-wheel drive initiative for six-cylinder models.
In 1997, Mercedes-Benz made a foray into a newly emerging market by launching the M-Class. The Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) was generally fitted with 4MATIC all-wheel drive. The M-Class created a new segment that combined the comfort and handling safety of a passenger car with the ruggedness and off-road capabilities of a cross-country vehicle.
In 2005, the latest M-Class took on the strengths of its predecessor, sporting cutting-edge technology, new powerful engines, the standard-fit 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission, the even more effective 4MATIC all-wheel drive with an off-road package that includes locking differentials, AIRMATIC air suspension and the PRE-SAFE anticipatory occupant protection system.
In March 2005, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the R-Class touring SUV. The R-Class took the acknowledged strengths of established vehicle categories, such as sporty Saloon, Estate, MPV and SUV, and fused them to create a new car with a character all of its own. All engine variants were fitted with the 4MATIC all-wheel drive as standard.
The North American International Auto Show 2006 in Detroit hosted the world premiere of the GL-Class in January 2006, to be followed by the European debut in Geneva in February. The extremely robust, spacious lightweight construction gives the new award-winning GL-Class advantages in terms of ride comfort, dynamism and safety compared with its rivals. The standard specification includes 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive, providing the GL-Class with superb dynamic handling whatever the conditions.
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© Press Release 2007
