1992

The helicopter divisions of Deutsche Aerospace and the French aeronautics company Aérospatiale merge, creating Eurocopter S.A. with headquarters in Paris.

The O 405 GN makes its debut at the International Commercial Vehicle Show in Geneva, adding an articulated variant to the O 405 N low-floor urban bus series introduced in 1989.

With the sales start of the new 290 GD cross-country model, the cross-country vehicle sales range undergoes restructuring. The basic model series 460, which has covered the professional use segment since the introduction of the 463 series, is given the new model series designation 461. The 290 GD supplants the 250 GD, and the 230 GE is taken into the 461-series programme.

Mercedes-Benz presents to the press three limited special compact class models. The 190 E 1.8 AVANTGARDE ROSSO, the 190 E 2.3 AVANTGARDE AZZURRO, and the 190 D 2.5 AVANTGARDE VERDE together complement the existing colour and trime range with the addition of three youthful, state-of-the-art variants.

As part of a test and research program into alternative fuels, Mercedes-Benz AG supports a widescale experiment conducted by taxi operators in Freiburg, Germany. Predominantly in the interests of protecting the environment, the taxi drivers run their cars on rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME) instead of diesel over a 12-month period.

The successor generation to the light and medium-duty Unimog series is presented at the International Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover in the form of the U 90 (408 series) and U 110 and U 140 (418 series) models. Meanwhile, the EXT-92 Euro Experimental Truck is a design study and innovation vehicle presented by Mercedes-Benz to demonstrate how the long-distance truck of the future might look. Among the new products in the bus and coach segment are the O 100 City based on the MB 100 D and the prototype of the O 340 touring coach produced by Mercedes-Benz Türk. On display from the O 404 touring coach series are the basic variant O 404 RH and the O 404 DD double-decker. Setra presents the S 312 HD touring coach as a new variant in the 300 series and the S 215 NR, Europe’s first low-floor interurban bus.

Mercedes-Benz AG presents the results of its further development of the management organisation, commissioned by the Board of Management. It involves the introduction of profit centres in the plants and at headquarters as well as the reduction of management levels from six to four. Implementation is to begin throughout Mercedes-Benz AG on 1 January 1993.

The 300 CE-24 Convertible shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1991 is launched on the market in Germany. It adds an open-top four-seater to the mid-range 124 series.

The second Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio outside Germany is established in Yokohama, Japan.

The Mercedes-Benz 600 SL with the 300 kW / 408 hp V12 M 120 engine is presented to the press as the new top-of-the-line model for the 129 series and as the first twelve-cylinder SL.

A fleet of 12 electric minibuses and vans based on the MB 100, some with special bodies for timekeeping and television, see active service at the Barcelona Summer Olympics.

The last of 25,778 complete buses from the O 303 coach series rolls off the assembly line in Mannheim. In addition, during a production period of 18 years, 11,977 chassis were built to be fitted with bodies by other manufacturers. Added to the 330 chassis manufactured by February 1993, this amounts to a grand total of 38,085 units, making the O 303 the most successful touring coach in the world.

The Environmental Protection Agency presents the Mercedes-Benz S-Class with the "Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award” at the CFC and Halon Alternatives Conference in Washington, D.C. In so doing, the EPA, the top US environmental authority, pays tribute to the S-Class as the first CFC-free automobile and trailblazer for an automotive future without chlorofluorocarbons.

Mercedes-Benz presents the 400 E to the press. It is equipped with a 205 kW / 279 hp 4.2-litre V8 unit from the M 119 engine series and adds a second eight-cylinder model to the 124 series family of mid-sized passenger cars in Germany. At the same time, new four and six-cylinder models equipped with four-valve petrol engines are introduced. The four-cylinder units from the M 111 series come with 2-litre and 2.2-litre displacements, the six-cylinders from the M 104 series have 2.8 litres und 3.2 litres. Airbags and ABS are now fitted as standard on all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars.

At the new bus plant operated by Karl Kässbohrer Fahrzeugwerke GmbH in Neu-Ulm, series production of Setra buses and coaches gets underway after an almost two-year construction phase. The first vehicle to go into production is an S 315 HD touring coach.

The 300 SE 2.8 and 300 SD (140 series) S-Class models make their debuts at the Paris Motor Show as new entry-level models. With the 300 SD, a diesel-engined S-Class is available in the European markets for the first time. The new car models of the 124 series also have their public premiere.

Mercedes-Benz AG and South Korea's SsangYong Motor Company (SYMC) sign another cooperation agreement providing for the production of petrol engines in addition to the already agreed licence manufacture of Mercedes-Benz diesel engines and vans. Daimler-Benz AG takes a 5 % stake in SsangYong.