Head of Mercedes Car Group Dr Eckhard Cordes announces that the diesel particulate filter is to be made standard equipment

Geneva 01.03.2005 (PROTEXT) - From summer 2005 Mercedes-Benzis to be the worlds first automobile manufacturer to equip allits diesel passenger cars with a particulate filter asstandard. The diesel initiative initially applies in Germany,Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland. This was announcedtoday by Dr Eckhard Cordes, the Head of the Mercedes Car Group,at the start of the Geneva Motor Show. "From summer this year wewill equip all diesel car models from the A-Class to theforthcoming S-Class with a diesel particulate filter as standardin Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland", Cordessaid in Geneva. A total of 30 different models are thusinvolved. The particulate filter system developed by Mercedes-Benz is maintenance-free and operates without additives. Thefilter is regenerated by appropriate adjustment of various enginefunctions.

At the Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz is emphasising itstechnological leadership in the field of car diesel engines."Nowadays our diesels are as powerful and sporty as the verylatest petrol units. At the same time they offer more torque andare particularly economical, environmentally friendly andsmooth", Cordes stated, referring to diesel technology as a corearea of competence of the Mercedes-Benz brand. Cordes: "Atpresent around 56 percent of all Mercedes passenger cars inWestern Europe are ordered with a diesel engine that is a newrecord in the history of our brand." The worlds first car dieselengine entered series production at Mercedes-Benz exactly 70years ago. To mark this anniversary, the Stuttgart manufactureris presenting seven models from all its vehicle categories inGeneva, providing an interesting insight into current and futurediesel technology and showing the versatility of the moderncompression-ignition engine. This presentation includes twofascinating sports car studies: an SLK 320 CDI with a 210-kW/286-hp triturbo diesel engine (630 Newton metres) and theVision SL 400 CDI with a new eight-cylinder engine which is soonto enter series production at Mercedes-Benz. With an output of231 kW/315 hp and a torque of 730 Newton metres, this future V8engine is the worlds most powerful car diesel unit. Cordes: "Thisengine shows that the future of the diesel has only justbegun." The new diesel models by Mercedes-Benz also include theCLK 320 CDI Cabriolet, which will be available from the fourthquarter of 2005.

World premiere of the B-Class: a Mercedes-Benz in newdimensions Two powerful, high-torque diesel engines are alsoinstalled in the new B-Class, which is celebrating its worldpremiere in Geneva. With this model series, Mercedes-Benz is forthe first time putting into practice the new Sports Tourerconcept, which takes the advantages of different vehicle typesand combines them into a distinctive profile of its own: as aCompact Sports Tourer, the B-Class is characterised by generousspace, exemplary comfort, excellent practicality, an excitingdesign and a high level of driving pleasure. The body of the B-Class has a length of 4270 millimetres, which puts it in thecompact car size category. In the interior, however, the newMercedes model is superior to cars of comparable size in thissegment in all comfort-related respects, e.g. shoulder-room,legroom and headroom. Moreover, at a maximum of 2245 litres theB-Class exceeds the load capacity of a large estate car. High-torque CDI diesel engines and up-to-date petrol units back upthe Sports Tourer concept's claim to provide excellentperformance and a high level of driving pleasure. There is achoice of six four-cylinder engines with outputs ranging from 70kW/95 hp to 142 kW/193 hp. The fuel consumption of the mostpowerful diesel model, the B 200 CDI (103 kW/140 hp), is only 5.6litres per 100 kilometres (combined consumption).

Contact: Global Product Communications Mercedes-Benz Passen-ger Cars Norbert Giesen, Telephone: +49 711 76422norbert.giesen@daimlerchrysler.com Internet site: More news fromDaimlerChrysler at: www.media.daimlerchrysler.com Page 2

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