Hello ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the third episode
of Meet the S-Class DIGITAL.
Now, during previous episodes, we already had a chance to take a look
at some of the new functions such as the new MBUX
or also passive and active safety functions.
But as we all know, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is of course renowned
for its superb level of luxury and comfort
– which is why today, in just a moment, our expert guests will show us
what Mercedes-Benz has done to raise this to a next level.
Before we dive into the stunning features of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury experience,
why don’t we start out by having a look at
what makes it so very special on the inside.
Hey Mercedes, play my favourite song.
Alright. That was a great impression of the individual experiences
that you can have in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
But of course, we would also like to look at how this level of comfort
is achieved in the first place, which leads us to our first expert guest today.
A very warm welcome to Mercedes-Benz Head of Interior Design, Hartmut Sinkwitz.
Thank you for joining us.
Could you give us a bit more information about the philosophy
behind the interior design that we will be experiencing in the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class?
Sure. We wanted to set ourselves the goal for nothing less
than achieving the best touch architecture that has ever been made
for a luxurious interior.
And we’ve got this touchscreen that is reminiscent of a waterfall,
but it really stands out with all its beauty,
with the straightness and the lightness and elegance.
And here comes the tension: We did not connect the screen with the dashboard.
Instead, we kept it free-standing as a new and true icon
to keep it separate from the dashboard.
And harmony, we achieved that through the way we treated the surfaces
of the dashboard and the whole interior:
coming from the aesthetics of the touchscreen and bringing this into
the analogue world with all the rich materials
and the nice wooden deck that simply flows down from the windscreen
down below the touchscreen and into the doors in a very beautiful way.
So it actually brings together the high-tech experience
of the digital world with the beauty and authentic,
true value experience of our analogue history.
And your eyes shine when you speak of that passion and beauty.
That’s wonderful.
And it’s interesting how the small details really make such a big difference.
Hartmut, thank you so much for all of these insights
and thank you for joining us today.
Thank you very much and hope to see you again.
Me, too. I hope to see you again soon, Hartmut.
Thank you once more.
And now of course, we would like to take a closer look at some of the details
that Hartmut just told us about.
And for this, we do have for you a few exhibits right here in our studio.
And our next expert in the studio is here to explain them to us.
Thank you so much for joining us and welcome,
Head of Color and Trim from the Design Department of Mercedes-Benz,
Belinda Günther.
Hi Yasmine. Thanks for having me here.
Belinda, it’s my great pleasure. I’m glad you could make time.
And as you can see, we are surrounded by models.
Now, we would like to start out by explaining what we have here.
These pieces, I take, are all from the passenger side
of what is going to be the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, right, Belinda?
Yes, that’s right.
These are exhibits that help us apply our colour and trim ideas
directly onto the interior shape.
And this is pretty close to what we’re going to see
in the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class interior, but not exactly yet.
So this is a teaser, a very exclusive teaser for the viewers today.
Yes, that’s good.
Let’s call it a teaser.
The surfaces are going to be a highlight, I understand, in the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class
– could you tell us a little bit about these two surfaces
we‘re seeing here?
Yes, definitely.
One of the most surprising and unexpected aspects in the interior
is a very generous decor surface that flows through the complete interior.
And for this decor surface, we got inspiration from the deck of yachts,
the beautiful piece you see in front of you.
And we used an open port Walnut veneer.
We combined it with linear real aluminium inlays,
and these inlays are tailored perfectly to the shape.
So this piece unites craftsmanship and luxury on the highest level.
This one is also new, right?
Yes. We love colours, especially this shade of Saddle Brown.
And we got inspiration from the glamorous world of fashion.
We were looking into luxury items such as
really exclusive and really elegant handbags.
And in the background, the other exhibits show
different characters of colour combinations.
Belinda, should we wander on over to the table right here
to look at the other exhibits you’ve brought along?
Because I think on this side of the studio,
it gets yet even cozier, right?
Yes. It’s getting cozy.
We created a complete new generation of seats
for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class interior and those seats will offer a top level of quality,
of comfort and absolutely exquisite materials.
If we start out on my side, the seat right here has this lovely diamond pattern,
and this is what you call time-honoured pattern at Mercedes-Benz.
What does that stand for?
The time spent on the pattern, on the craftsmanship,
is part of our commitment to offer the highest luxury,
the highest quality to our customers.
And one thing, I’m sure that the viewers have noticed as well,
we’re seeing on both models, are these tiny little holes
– is this a mere design element
or does it actually have a function, Belinda?
The holes are perforations and they play an important role
in the climate control of the seat.
They also give a noble look to the seat as you see on both of them.
And they are also perfectly tailored to the mold, to the shape of the seat.
This is very intriguing.
We’re looking forward once again to September to the world premiere.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
And I hope to see you again soon, Belinda.
I hope so too. Thank you.
Thank you, Belinda. And take care.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, a luxurious driving experience
depends on so many factors as we’ve just seen.
And it also affects all of our senses.
We all know that the noise level perceived within the vehicle
is also very important to your well-being,
which is why we have prepared the following video.
And this is to learn about the almost noiseless driving experience
inside of the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Enjoy.
So why don’t we now welcome our next expert,
Head of Product Management Mercedes-Benz S-Class at Mercedes-Benz.
Thank you for joining us, Dirk Fetzer.
Thank you Yasmine, very happy to be here.
It’s a pleasure having you on the show as well.
Now, Dirk, we just saw the film about noiseless driving.
You actually picked this subject to open our conversation. Why so?
In fact, I could have picked any of the many details
that compose this very special feeling of luxury in our Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
It’s not triggered by a single feature.
Nobody would ever step in a car and say,
“Wow, look at this leather-covered armrest. Now that is luxury.”
But first and foremost, luxury is about
having a deep and absolute understanding
of what your customers need and want.
Sometimes even before they know they want it.
It doesn’t sound like an easy job to do,
but your customers do expect the best, of course.
Why don’t we return to the film we’ve just seen.
Are you saying that this class-leading quietness, as you call it,
is a component of luxury itself?
Yes, absolutely.
It’s one of those critically important invisible components of luxury.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has always been renowned
for offering a very good acoustic insulation
combined with virtually no vibration.
Our engineers spent countless hours to bring this
– what we call NVH, so noise, vibration, harshness – to new levels.
And they do all of this for the customer to feel nothing,
just an oasis of tranquility.
Oh, we like the sound of that – an oasis of tranquility.
Let me mention, at this point, Dirk, that you have actually spent six years
of your professional life in Dubai,
and I can only imagine that customers there
have very special requirements when it comes to luxury.
That’s the right imagination.
But what I learned there is exactly the opposite
of what you might think right now.
It is the little details that matter and that make us
stand out from the competition.
For instance, we have a super soft cushion as an add-on for the rear seats.
So we call it the “Kuschelkissen”
and actually many of our customers call it the “Kuschelkissen” already.
That translates to something like the “cuddly pillow”.
It is a small component, but it makes such a huge difference.
So the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class gets these even on the front headrests,
and the rear one is now even heated.
It’s not exactly something that I learned from Dubai because in Dubai,
you need a perfect air condition.
I would imagine that the air conditioning is more important.
And speaking of which, Dirk, you were mentioning before the show began,
the ENERGIZING AIR CONTROL – what is that all about?
And what's so important when it comes to that?
ENERGIZING AIR CONTROL is a new innovation to provide clean air in the car’s interior.
Filtration was already on a very high level.
But with ENERGIZING AIR CONTROL,
we continue to provide our customers with a high quality product,
which removes particles and pollutants from the air.
We use an innovative particulate air combi filter with activated carbon
to help to reduce fine dust, pollen and odour.
But this is just one of the many energizing features to help increase
the well-being as well as the mental and physical fitness of the driver,
which is very important.
One of many features – the only thing missing now would be a proper massage.
Is that also one of the features in the ENERGIZING package?
Absolutely. I mean, who doesn’t want to be pampered by a massage.
With the active multi-contour massage seats,
our Mercedes-Benz S-Class customers can now choose from ten programmes even,
at all seats, from a classic massage to even programmes
offering an active workout.
Now, summing it all up, Yasmine, this is all a unique result
of countless components and the dedication
of a huge team of engineers, designers, product managers, and many others.
It’s so hard, I guess it’s even impossible to just describe all of this.
So people, customers, you need to experience it.
And I’m very positive that once you do, you will remember this conversation.
And now, you know, this is not a coincidence
what you’re going to be feeling,
but it’s an Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
That’s a done deal, Dirk.
I happen to have a few minutes time left on hand.
If there’s a new Mercedes-Benz S-Class standing around somewhere,
let’s check it out.
But I think I’m going to have to stay patient till September.
That is true, but September is coming very soon.
September is just around the bend.
Thank you so much for all of this insight.
And we now look forward even more. Thanks for joining us today, Dirk.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
That’s it for today. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you as well for joining us.
Of course we are now looking forward even more
to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class world premiere on 2 September.
Until then, stay safe, everyone and bye – see you soon!