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23 January 1995
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The first 500 vehicles of the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van series ( internal designation T 1 N) leave the Düsseldorf plant and are driven to the sales outlets. The Sprinter, an all-new design, is the first van equipped as standard with disc brakes on all four wheels plus the anti-lock braking system ABS, including automatic brake differential ABD. In May, the Sprinter is voted "Van of the Year 1995".
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6 February 1995
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In Arjeplog in northern Sweden, Mercedes-Benz presents the active safety system "Electronic Stability Program" (ESP) to the press. The system reduces the risk of skidding in critical driving situations. An electronically controlled five-speed automatic transmission that permits especially comfortable and economical driving also is presented. Both components are part of the standard equipment of the S 600 Coupé starting in May.
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23 February 1995
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EvoBus GmbH is created by the amalgamation of the Bus and Coach unit of Mercedes-Benz AG with Karl Kässbohrer GmbH, effective 1 January 1995, following the EU Commission's decision on 14 February to give the merger the green light. Mercedes-Benz and Setra continue to trade as separate brands.
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28 February 1995
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The presidents of Freightliner Corporation and Oshkosh Truck Corporation, Oshkosh, Wisconsin/USA, sign a letter of intent in Portland, Oregon/USA, concerning far-reaching cooperation in the area of development, production, sales and marketing. The agreement also provides for a capital stake of Freightliner and the takeover of the Oshkosh plant in Gaffney, South Carolina/USA.
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9 - 19 March 1995
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Mercedes-Benz unveils the Vario Research Car, featuring variable bodywork design at the Geneva Motor Show. Also making their debut at Geneva are the PARKTRONIC ultrasonic parking aid, which will be a standard feature of the S 600 starting in April, and the special SL "Mille Miglia”, which will be offered in limited numbers starting in May to mark the legendary road race of the same name.
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8/9 April 1995
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The first event of the truck-racing season, taking place for the first time not in Brands Hatch, UK, but in Albacete, Spain, ends in a double victory for Mercedes-Benz. Slim Borgudd and Steve Parrish, both driving Mercedes-Benz 1834 S, take the first two places in both runs of the Super Race Trucks. Borgudd wins the first race, Parrish the second.
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April 1995
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Series production of a light van jointly developed with Mercedes-Benz on the basis of the MB 100 starts up at the Pyungtaek plant of South Korea's SsangYong Motor Company. In Korea the van will be sold under the name Istana by the SsangYong sales organisation. From early 1996 it will be sold under the designations MB 100, MB 140 and MB 180 by the Mercedes-Benz sales organisation in Asian markets outside Korea.
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1 July 1995
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Mercedes-Benz AG incorporates the Bad Homburg plant, with its 650-strong workforce, into a joint venture with Mahle-Wizemann-Pleuco (MWP). The legally and financially autonomous company EuroVal Motorkomponenten GmbH specialises in the development and manufacture of complete valve train systems for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
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11 July 1995
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At a press conference attended by Baden-Württemberg Economics Minister Dr Dieter Spöri, Mercedes-Benz AG announces its intention to set up a Centre of Competence for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles (KEN) at the Mannheim plant. With the KEN, Mercedes-Benz has brought its decades of development activities in the field of zero-emission commercial vehicle drive systems under one roof. In addition to the development of prototypes, the KEN also adapts series-produced vehicles for specific uses and handles the installation of alternative drive systems into individual customer vehicles.
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14 - 24 September 1995
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At the International Motor Show in Frankfurt am Main, the C 230 Kompressor and C 250 Turbodiesel complement the C-Class model range (202 series), which is presented with an upgraded standard equipment range. The E 50 AMG, the top-of-the-range model of the E-Class (210 series) is also unveiled, as is the stylistically and technically refined R 129 SL series. Also premiered are two armoured special-protection vehicles, which offer unique security against attack and the threat of violent crime thanks to protective elements integrated at the plant itself: the new S 600 Pullman state limousine with a one-metre-longer wheelbase, and the E 420, the first special-protection E-Class to be offered ex factory.
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15 - 25 September 1995
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At the first "Mondial du Transport Routier" commercial vehicle show in Paris, Mercedes-Benz presents the Sprinter, introduced in early 1995, in a 4.6-tonne version and as an electrically powered vehicle with the model designation 308 E. Serving as energy accumulator for the 33 kW three-phase asynchronous motor in the Sprinter 308 E is a lead-gel battery designed for 600 charging cycles. Alternatively, the Sprinter 308 E also is available with a more powerful high-energy battery from AEG.
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7/8 October 1995
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At truck racing's season finale, which traditionally takes place in Jarama, Spain, Slim Borgudd, Steve Parrish and Markus Oestreich, driving Mercedes-Benz 1834 S vehicles, occupy the first three places in the first run. This is the same as their overall placing in the European Championship. Slim Borgudd is Super Race Truck European champion for the first time, with a large points lead; Steve Parrish is runner-up. Mercedes-Benz wins the constructors' championship.
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16 October 1995
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Following the final DTM race on the Hockenheimring, Bernd Schneider with his AMG-Mercedes C-Class is overall winner both of the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) and the International Touring Car Championship (ITC). DTM runner-up is Jörg van Ommen, ITC runner-up Jan Magnussen. Mercedes-Benz also takes the honours in the constructors’ classification.
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15 November 1995
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The first Mercedes-Benz regular service bus produced in Poland is handed over to the Gdynia public transport authorities at the Jelcz plant, near Wrocław (Breslau). The bus is the result of an assembly and supply contract between Mercedes-Benz AG and its Polish general distributor, the Sobiesław Zasada group of companies. The first van from the Vito range built in Jelcz leaves the assembly plant on 17 September 1996.
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19 November 1995
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Chancellor Dr Helmut Kohl lays the foundation stone of the new Mercedes-Benz plant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As from 1996, passenger cars and commercial vehicles are to be assembled there in cooperation with Saigon Automobil Mechanical Corp. (Samco) and the May 1st Automobile Factory. The first passenger car, an E 230 "Elegance", rolls off the assembly line on 12 August 1996.
