1998

Event54

Mercedes-Benz presents V8 models in Detroit

Mercedes-Benz presents V8 models in Detroit

10 - 19 January 1998
Under the slogan "The year of the eight-cylinder”, the V8 Mercedes-Benz ML 430 and CLK 430 models are presented at the N...

Atego debuts in Amsterdam

Atego debuts in Amsterdam

5 - 14 February 1998
The light-duty Mercedes-Benz Atego truck for short-radius distribution is presented to the public at the BedrijfsautoRAI...

ESP for the A-Class

ESP for the A-Class

9 February 1998
The first A-Class cars fitted with ESP leave the assembly line at the Rastatt plant after a three-month break in produc...

Daimler-Benz Advanced Design Italia S.r.I. is founded

25 February 1998
Daimler-Benz Advanced Design Italia S.r.I. is founded in Como, Italy, as the company's third Advanced Design Studio afte...

EvoBus takes over property and buildings of Setra

February 1998
EvoBus GmbH takes over the property and buildings of the former Setra S.A. in Samano, Spain, establishing its fifth Eur...

Geneva Motor Show with new car models

Geneva Motor Show with new car models

5 - 15 March 1998
The Mercedes-Benz CLK Convertible (208 series) and E 55 AMG Estate (210 series) celebrate their world premieres at the G...

Award for basic concept of A-Class

Award for basic concept of A-Class

5 March 1998
During a two-day innovation symposium taking place at Stuttgart's Mercedes Forum, the Daimler-Benz Innovation Prize for...

New heavy-duty highway truck

New heavy-duty highway truck

8 March 1998
The new Freightliner Argosy heavy-duty truck, designed specifically for North American highways and fitted with a large...

New Formula One Medical Car: C 55 AMG Estate

New Formula One Medical Car: C 55 AMG Estate

8 March 1998
At the Australian Grand Prix, the opening race of the Formula One season in Melbourne, AMG deploys a C 55 AMG Estate as...

M-Class launched in Europe

M-Class launched in Europe

21 March 1998
After its successful launch in the USA, the Mercedes-Benz M-Class also appears at sales and service outlets and dealers...

Econic waste disposal vehicle premieres

Econic waste disposal vehicle premieres

31 March 1998
The newly developed Mercedes-Benz Econic waste disposal vehicle is unveiled to the press in Arbon, Switzerland. Producti...

FIA GT: triple victory in a Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR

FIA GT: triple victory in a Mercedes-Benz CLK-GTR

12 April 1998
In the first race of the 1998 FIA GT Championship Klaus Ludwig/Ricardo Zonta, Jean-Marc Gounon / Marcel Tiemann and Bern...

Facelift for the SL series

Facelift for the SL series

24 April - 3 May 1998
The new model range of the revised Mercedes-Benz SL-Class (R 129 series) is presented at the Turin Motor Show. Also on...

Successful start into the 1998 truck-racing season

Successful start into the 1998 truck-racing season

25/26 April 1998
At the first event of the truck racing season in Dijon, France, Markus Oestreich wins the second run of the Super Race...

Bremen: new customer center opened

Bremen: new customer center opened

27 April 1998
A new customer center is opened at the Daimler-Benz plant in Bremen. The delivery and experience center was built in 15...

G 500 is top-of-the-range in G-Class

G 500 is top-of-the-range in G-Class

29 April - 3 May 1998
The new top-of-the-range G-Class model, the G 500 with 221 kW / 300 hp V8 engine from the M 113 series, is unveiled to...

Service for private customers expanded

Service for private customers expanded

5 May 1998
A new type of service contract, which allows private customers to cover the full costs of maintenance and repairs for t...

Merger: contract signed with Chrysler

Merger: contract signed with Chrysler

7 May 1998
Daimler-Benz AG and America’s Chrysler Corporation sign a contract to merge the two companies, after discussions about...

Sales in Latin America and the Caribbean

13 June 1998
Daimler-Benz sets up Mercedes-Benz Latinas Inc., a new sales company for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Special dividend and capital increase

15 June 1998
With a special dividend of DM 20 per share, Daimler-Benz transfers retained earnings of DM 7.4 billion to its sharehold...

Daimler-Benz plans takeover of AMG

26 June 1998
Daimler-Benz announces the phased take-over of Affalterbach-based AMG GmbH. On 1 January 1999, AMG is to transfer an ini...

One-two win for new CLK-LM racing sports car

One-two win for new CLK-LM racing sports car

28 June 1998
The first competitive outing of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-LM racing sports car in the FIA GT Championship at the Hockenheimr...

Move: Mercedes-Benz sales headquarters in Berlin

Move: Mercedes-Benz sales headquarters in Berlin

20 July 1998
The first 54 members of staff move into offices at the new headquarters of the Mercedes-Benz Deutschland sales organisa...

Addition to heavy-duty trucks in US

Addition to heavy-duty trucks in US

22 July 1998
The first truck from the "Sterling" brand leaves the production plant in St. Thomas, Canada, joining Freightliner to co...

New engine plant in Untertürkheim

New engine plant in Untertürkheim

24 July 1998
The new in-line engine plant, part of the original Daimler-Benz plant at Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, is officially opened....

Cooperation with Nissan on light commercial vehicles

27 July 1998
Daimler-Benz, Nissan Motor and Nissan Diesel sign a basic agreement to co-develop a light commercial vehicle in the 3 t...

Board of Management gives go-ahead for Maybach

Board of Management gives go-ahead for Maybach

28 July 1998
The Daimler-Benz Board of Management takes the decision to develop the exclusive Mercedes-Benz Maybach and to produce t...

New diesel passenger cars with CDI direct injection engines

New diesel passenger cars with CDI direct injection engines

July 1998
The Mercedes-Benz product range is expanded by six new diesel passenger cars with CDI direct injection engines. The mark...

Windowbag provides protection against side impact

Windowbag provides protection against side impact

July 1998
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is now available with windowbag, a world first which considerably reduces the risk of head in...

Corporate University begins work

August 1998
The Daimler-Benz Corporate University begins work. The key objective of this internationally-oriented institution is to...

New products at Hanover Commercial Vehicle Show

New products at Hanover Commercial Vehicle Show

3 - 10 September 1998
The Mercedes-Benz Atego range is expanded to include a second line at the International Commercial Vehicle Show in Hano...

Dhareholders vote for merger of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler

17 September 1998
At the Extraordinary General Meeting of Daimler-Benz AG at Stuttgart’s Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle, 99.9 % of shareholde...

New products at the Paris Motor Show

New products at the Paris Motor Show

1 - 11 October 1998
The new 220 series S-Class celebrates its world premiere before the public at the Paris Motor Show. The top-of-the-range...

smart City Coupe in dealer showrooms

2 October 1998
The smart City Coupé goes on sale in Germany, the following day in the remaining eight European markets.

Daimler-Benz "quartier" at Potsdamer Platz officially opened

Daimler-Benz "quartier" at Potsdamer Platz officially opened

2 October 1998
The Daimler-Benz "Quartier" at Potsdamer Platz is officially opened in a ceremony attended by German President Dr Roman...

European Truck Racing Championship title for Mercedes-Benz

European Truck Racing Championship title for Mercedes-Benz

3/4 October 1998
At the last event of the truck racing season, traditionally held in Jarama, Spain, the French driver Ludovic Faure take...

Daimler-Benz AG takes over Thomas Built Buses

Daimler-Benz AG takes over Thomas Built Buses

7 October 1998
Daimler-Benz AG reaches agreement with the US company Thomas Built Buses to take over the school bus manufacturer, base...

Testing around the clock: testing grounds opened

Testing around the clock: testing grounds opened

8 October 1998
The testing grounds at Papenburg in the Emsland region, built by Daimler-Benz at a cost of DM 260 million, are officiall...

Daimler-Benz sells rights to UX 100 to Hako

Daimler-Benz sells rights to UX 100 to Hako

15 October 1998
Daimler-Benz AG and Hako Holding GmbH & Co., Bad Oldesloe, sign a Memorandum of Understanding, according to which the as...

Customer call center opened in Maastricht

Customer call center opened in Maastricht

15 October 1998
Daimler-Benz opens the Customer Assistance Center (CAC) in Maastricht in the Netherlands. The CAC attends to Mercedes-B...