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February 1989
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As part of the "Diesel '89" initiative, Mercedes-Benz equips all diesel cars with revised engines that cut particulate emissions by 40 % owing to improvements to the combustion process. With that the improved diesel models meet the stringent particulate limits applicable in the USA even without a particulate trap and operate almost entirely smoke-free. This advance is made possible by a redesigned pre-chamber featuring oblique injection, which ensures more efficient combustion.
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9 - 19 March 1989
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The new R 129 Roadster series, featuring the 300 SL, 300 SL-24 and 500 SL models, celebrates its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show. The most important innovations are the electro-hydraulically operated top, the roll-over bar that extends automatically if the car threatens to overturn, and the integral seat. The new SL models are the first Mercedes-Benz production cars equipped with four-valve six-cylinder and eight-cylinder engines. The 300 SL-24 has the 162 kW / 220 hp 3-liter in-line six-cylinder M 104 unit, and the 500 SL has the 5-litreV8 M 119 with 240 kW / 326 hp. The sporty 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution (201 series) is also premiered. To homologate the Group A racing touring car it will be produced in a 500-unit limited edition and made available from the end of March.
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5 - 12 April 1989
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Mercedes-Benz presents the new generation of medium-duty trucks at the Hanover Trade Fair. The new MK trucks, offered as platform trucks, semitrailer tractors and construction site vehicles, feature the up-to-date cabs of the SK heavy-duty models introduced a year earlier. The power plant is the 160 kW / 218 hp OM 441 V6 engine.
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9 April 1989
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In the first race of the Sports Car World Championship in Suzuka, Japan, the Sauber-Mercedes C 9 cars compete with a new engine and silver-coloured body. The further developed Mercedes-Benz M 119 V8 engine now features four-valves-per-cylinder technology and an even higher performance potential. Mauro Baldi / Jean-Louis Schlesser and Kenny Acheson drive the new Silver Arrows to a one-two win in the car's very first competitive outing.
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19 May 1989
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Deutsche Aerospace AG (Dasa) is established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Daimler-Benz Group as a result of the merger of Dornier GmbH, MTU Motoren- und Turbinen-Union München/Friedrichshafen and of two divisions of AEG AG. The new company's Chairman of the Board of Management is Jürgen E. Schrempp.
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5 - 9 June 1989
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Mercedes-Benz presents its LEV (Low Emission Vehicle) concept for the further reduction of exhaust gas and noise emissions to 300 politicans, representatives of government agencies and associations and representatives of the media at the "Commercial Vehicles and the Environment" workshop. Apart from vehicle-borne engine encapsulation, the presented technologies include the particulate filter with catalytic regeneration, which initially is offered as special equipment on urban buses.
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10 - 11 June 1989
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37 years after the first - and to date only - victory for Daimler-Benz at Le Mans, the new generation of Silver Arrows, the Sauber-Mercedes C 9, take the top two places in the legendary 24-hour race. At the wheel of the successful Silver Arrows: Jochen Mass / Stanley Dickens / Manuel Reuter and Mauro Baldi / Kenny Acheson / Gianfranco Brancatelli.
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29 June 1989
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Mercedes-Benz AG is established as part of the restructuring of the Daimler-Benz Group. Prof. Werner Niefer is made Chairman of the Board of Management. Under the umbrella of Daimler-Benz AG as the holding company, Mercedes-Benz AG, AEG AG and Deutsche Aerospace AG function as independent companies.
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14 - 24 September 1989
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The updated Mercedes-Benz 124 series is presented at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt am Main, offering stylistic modifications and an enhanced range of standard equipment. The new top-of-the-range models are the 300 E-24, 300 CE-24 and 300 TE-24, powered by the 162 kW / 220 hp M 104 four-valve engine. Meanwhile, the six-door 250 D and 260 E long-wheelbase saloons add further variants to the mid-range model series. Also celebrating premieres are the fundamentally revised Mercedes-Benz cross-country vehicles from the new 463 series, as well as the O 405 N low-floor regular service urban bus and O 408 rural service bus.
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16 - 17 September 1989
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On the penultimate weekend of the truck racing season at the Nürburgring, the first run in Class C ends in a quadruple victory, the second run in double victory for Mercedes-Benz. Thomas Hegmann in a Mercedes-Benz 1450 S takes second place in the first run and wins the second run to capture the driver's title in Class C; Mercedes-Benz finishes by securing the brand classification by a comfortable margin.
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29 October 1989
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At the final race of the Sports Car World Championship in Mexico City, the driver pairing Jean-Louis Schlesser/Jochen Mass captures its fourth win of the season, which is the eighth win of the 1989 season for Sauber-Mercedes. Jean-Louis Schlesser wins the drivers' competition; runner-up is Jochen Mass. The constructors' title goes to Sauber-Mercedes by a large margin.
