1994

  • 10/11 January 1994
  • At the Mannheim plant, Mercedes-Benz presents to the press a new range of low-pollution commercial vehicle engines which meet the EURO 2 emission standard applicable from autumn 1996. The turbocharged and intercooled in-line engines OM 364 LA and OM 366 LA meet the EURO 2 standard thanks to a new injection pump, new injection nozzles and an improved turbocharger. The V-engines OM 441 LA and OM 442 LA and the OM 457h LA in-line six-cylinder additionally feature EDC (Electronic Diesel Control).
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  • 13 January 1994
  • Mercedes-Benz Omnibuses Mexico S.A., a joint venture of Mercedes-Benz Mexico and the Brazilian body builder CAIO, officially opens its new bus plant in Monterrey, in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. The plant produces Mercedes-Benz urban and rural regular service buses based on the OF 1318 chassis.
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  • 21 - 23 & 28 - 30 January 1994
  • Offering a particularly attractive price-performance ratio, the "Advantage” version of the O 404 touring coach makes its debut at the Mercedes-Benz Bus Days in Frankfurt am Main. Also premiered are the low-floor O 405 NÜ rural service bus and the O 405 GNG articulated bus, Europe's first natural-gas low-floor urban bus. Series production of the new model, which is also available as an O 405 NG solo vehicle and O 405 NÜG rural-service bus, gets underway in the summer. In July, the first vehicles are put into regular service operation in Hanover.
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  • 10 - 19 February 1994
  • Mercedes-Benz presents its new low-pollution EURO 2 commercial vehicle engines to the public at the BedrijfsautoRAI commercial vehicle show in Amsterdam. Another new product is the heavy-duty semitrailer tractor 1938 LS with revised design and equipment. It gives a foretaste of the updated generation of MK and SK medium and heavy-duty trucks introduced in May.
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  • 22 February 1994
  • The Board of Management of Daimler-Benz AG takes the decision to build the innovative urban Micro Compact Car (MCC) in cooperation with Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Mikroelektronik und Uhrenindustrie AG (SMH).
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  • 4 March 1994
  • In the Eco-Sprinter and Eco-Speedster, Mercedes-Benz presents to the press two near-series studies of the Micro Compact Car that will come on the market four years later under the name smart. Mercedes also outlines the use of alternative drive systems, including an electrically powered version with sodium-nickel chloride battery and a hybrid variant with a combination of diesel engine and electric motor.
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  • 10 - 20 March 1994
  • The stylistically and technically refined 140 series S-Class saloons are presented at the Geneva Motor Show. The S 420 Coupé also celebrates its world premiere, adding a third model to the range of S-Class coupés. Two debuts are made in the E-Class (124 series): the E 200 Convertible and the highly exclusive 500-unit special edition E 500 Limited model.
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  • 15 March 1994
  • Mercedes-Benz presents the new dynamic handling control system in the Swedish town of Arjeplog. Developed in cooperation with Bosch, it celebrates its market launch a year later as the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and represents a further milestone in the development of active safety features for cars.
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  • 15 March 1994
  • The "Funmog", an all-terrain SUV study based on the Unimog U 90 (408 series), is presented at the International Off-Road Show in Cologne and voted "Off-roader of the Year 1994".
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  • 22 March 1994
  • Mercedes-Benz presents the "Paintwork 2000" project to the press at the Sindelfingen plant. Its purpose is to gradually switch the Bremen, Sindelfingen and Rastatt passenger car assembly plants to environment-friendly water-based paints by 1998. Apart from emissions reduction, the emphasis is on reducing pollutive residues and wastewater.
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  • 27 March 1994
  • The Sauber-Mercedes C 13 takes the start for the first time at the Formula One race in Interlagos, Brazil. It marks Mercedes-Benz's return to Formula One racing after 40 years, as supplier of engines to the Sauber Team. The 3.5-litre V10 four-valve engine weighs only 122.6 kg and develops over 515 kW / 700 hp.
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  • 2/3 April 1994
  • At the first race of the truck racing season at Brands Hatch, UK, Steve Parrish, driving the new Mercedes-Benz 1834 S racing truck, wins both Super Race Truck runs. The three-time European champion in Class C is also successful from the outset under the new rules.
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  • 13 April 1994
  • At its Research Centre in Ulm, Daimler-Benz presents a fuel cell powered vehicle based on the MB 100 and christened NECAR (New Electric Car). The only exhaust gases emitted by this new model – developed in close cooperation with the Canadian firm Ballard Power Systems based in Vancouver – are fresh air and water vapour.
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  • 22 April 1994
  • In Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, Helmut Werner, Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG, and Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Engineering and Locomotive Co. (TELCO) headquartered in Bombay, sign an agreement on a joint venture in which Mercedes-Benz AG holds a 51 % share. The purpose of the company is to produce E-Class passenger cars and Mercedes-Benz engines in Pune, India. Mercedes-Benz India, Ltd. is founded on 22 November.
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  • 22 April 1994
  • In the presence of Board of Management Chairman Helmut Werner and Dr Ferdinand Piech, a supply and licence agreement between Mercedes-Benz AG and Volkswagen AG is signed in Stuttgart. It enables Volkswagen to derive the successor to its LT van from the new Mercedes-Benz van series. Mercedes-Benz will supply steering units, transmissions and axles worth around DM 250 million annually.
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  • 22 April - 1 May 1994
  • The SLK study celebrates its world premiere at the Turin Motor Show. The purist roadster is a milestone in the development of the compact, sporty two-seater that comes onto the market as the SLK in 1996.
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  • 27 April 1994
  • Micro Compact Car AG (MCC AG) is founded in Biel, Switzerland, as a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz AG and Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Mikroelektronik und Uhrenindustrie (SMH).
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  • 6 May 1994
  • The Eurotunnel beneath the English Channel is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and President François Mitterand of France. Passenger safety and maintenance of the two railway tunnels is enabled by a two-lane service tunnel, which can be accessed by vehicles of the Service Tunnel Transportation System (STTS). These special vehicles, developed by Mercedes-Benz and AEG and with bodies supplied by NAW are track-guided and travel at speeds up to 80 km/h along the 4.8-metre-wide tubes. Thanks to their interchangeable modular bodies, they can be used as rescue and fire service vehicles as well as for maintenance and inspection duties.
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  • 29 May 1994
  • The Penske Team lines up for the start of the Indianapolis 500 race in Indiana/USA with a 3.4-litre turbocharged V8 engine supplied by Mercedes-Benz. After 200 laps the Penske-Mercedes of Al Unser jr. crosses the line in first place.
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  • 30 May 1994
  • The documentation "Forced Labour at Daimler-Benz", prepared by the Gesellschaft für Unternehmensgeschichte (a scientific institution that promotes research into corporate history), is presented in Stuttgart.
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  • May 1994
  • The Mercedes-Benz MK and SK medium and heavy-duty trucks series are introduced in updated versions with improved equipment and modified looks. All models will be made available step by step with Euro 2 engines as an optional extra. The revised series also are offered as low-frame platform chassis and as semitrailer tractors with low fifth wheel. These Low- and Midi-Liners permit a higher loading height and thus a larger transport capacity.
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  • 1 June 1994
  • Mercedes-Benz Sverige AB is established in Stockholm following the acquisition of the previous general distributor Philipsons Bil AB.
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  • 3 June 1994
  • In Jakarta, Indonesia, Mercedes-Benz presents the new MB 700 truck to the press, series production of which has begun at the Indonesian affiliate P.T. German Motor Manufacturing in Jakarta. The light truck with a permissible gross vehicle weight of 7.5 t features a well-developed capacity for handling rough roads and is destined for the Asian market.
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  • 24 August 1994
  • In Hanover the Chairmen of the Boards of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG and Volkswagen AG, Helmut Werner and Dr Ferdinand Piech, sign an agreement on the supply of engines and automatic transmissions, calling for Mercedes-Benz AG to procure a six-cylinder petrol engine with automatic transmission from Volkswagen. Adapted to the requirements of Mercedes-Benz, the unit is intended for use solely in Mercedes-Benz's future multi-purpose vehicle (MPV).
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  • 3 - 11 September 1994
  • At the International Commercial Vehicle Show, in Hanover Mercedes-Benz presents the O 350 touring coach produced by Daimler-Benz's Turkish subsidiary and the prototype of the O 405 GNTD, a low-floor duo bus with diesel engine and electric hub drive. The compact hub drive permits enlarging the low-floor section and realising stepless entry and exit in the rear section of the new articulated bus. Moreover, it enables driving two axles, the rear axle and a middle axle. The electric power is supplied by a rear-mounted diesel engine coupled to a generator or via overhead cables. Also having its premiere is the prototype of the Mercedes-Benz 1117 with hybrid drive in which the 125 kW / 170 hp diesel is combined with a 46 kW / 63 hp electric motor. The electric motor is fed by lead-gel batteries which weigh a total of 2,000 kg and are fitted underfloor between the front and rear wheels. Already on sale in the regular delivery range are the electric vans 308 E and MB 100 E, available in all the versions in which conv
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  • 16 September 1994
  • Béla Barényi, the architect-in-chief of passive safety in automobiles and from 1939 to 1972 a designer in the passenger car development department at Daimler-Benz, is inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in Detroit, Michigan/USA, in recognition of his ground-breaking work in the development of vehicle safety.
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  • 19 September 1994
  • In Stuttgart the purchase contract is signed on the takeover of the bus and coach manufacturer Karl Kässbohrer GmbH by Mercedes-Benz AG.
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  • 22 September 1994
  • Mercedes-Benz AG and Chinese bus manufacturer Yangzhou Motor Coach Manufacturer (YMC) sign a letter of intent in Stuttgart to form a joint venture to produce buses and bus chassis in China.
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  • 26 September 1994
  • The first cut of the spade signals the start of construction work for a new Development and Preparation Centre in Sindelfingen. The building complex is the work of renowned architect Renzo Piano and will accommodate the Design and Passenger Car Development departments after its completion.
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  • 28 September 1994
  • Mercedes-Benz AG and future joint venture Mahle-Wizemann-Pleuco (MWP) announce their intention to form a company which will develop, produce and market valve train systems for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Mercedes-Benz will bring the Bad Homburg plant into the new company.
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  • 1/2 October 1994
  • At truck racing's season finale, which traditionally takes place in Jarama, Spain, Slim Borgudd in a Mercedes-Benz 1834 S wins both Super Race Truck runs. With second and fourth-place finishes, Steve Parrish captures his fourth European championship – the first in the Super Race Truck category under the new rules. Slim Borgudd is runner-up, and the manufacturers' crown again goes to Mercedes-Benz.
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  • 6 - 16 October 1994
  • Mercedes-Benz presents a further developed version of the near-series SLK roadster study, now featuring a vario roof, at the Paris Motor Show. The innovative folding roof disappears into the boot within 25 seconds at the push of a button, leaving enough space there for luggage.
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  • 9 October 1994
  • In the final race of the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) season, which traditionally takes place on Hockenheimring, Kurt Thiim wins the first run and Bernd Schneider the second, both in an AMG-Mercedes C-Class car. Two years after claiming his maiden DTM title, Klaus Ludwig wins the German Touring Car Championship for the second time in a Mercedes Benz. Runner-up is Jörg van Ommen, also in a Mercedes-Benz.
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  • 10 October 1994
  • The 10,000th Mercedes-Benz E 500 is delivered to a customer at the plant where it is assembled in Zuffenhausen. The fortunate customer is ex-racing driver Hans Herrmann.
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  • 28 October 1994
  • Mercedes-Benz presents its new concept for Formula One. The brand’s new partner is Team McLaren International, whom Mercedes-Benz supplies with the new 3-litre V10 engine co-developed with British manufacturer Ilmor.
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  • October 1994
  • AEG Daimler-Benz Industrie and South Africa's Anglo American Corporation form a fifty-fifty joint venture. This company is the world's first manufacturer to make ZEBRA high-energy batteries in large numbers on a pilot line.
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  • 14 - 19 November 1994
  • At the Family Car exhibition in Beijing, Mercedes-Benz presents the "Family Car China" (FCC), a compact family car design created specifically for the Chinese market.
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