1999

  • 1 January 1999
  • Mercedes-AMG GmbH in Affalterbach, in which DaimlerChrysler initially holds a 51 % interest, commences business operations.
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  • 9 - 18 January 1999
  • At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan/USA, Mercedes-Benz presents the "Vision SLR", a study of a GT sports car for the 21st century. The "Study AMG" is presented as the future flagship model of the M-Class .
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  • 16 - 24 January 1999
  • At the Brussels International Commercial Vehicle Show the Vito van range (638 series) is presented in revised form with CDI diesel engines and a newly developed five-speed transmission. The Mercedes-Benz Atego wins the "International Truck of the Year 1999" award.
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  • 20 January 1999
  • DaimlerChrysler and ABB announce their decision to integrate the joint venture Adtranz into the business portfolio of DaimlerChrysler. To this end DaimlerChrysler takes over the 50 % share previously held by ABB.
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  • 26 February 1999
  • The Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center (CAC) in Maastricht is presented with the "Cat Award" for the most innovative company in the call centre sector.
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  • 1 March 1999
  • The 100,000th M-Class is completed at the production plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama/USA. On 9 March the successful Mercedes-Benz model series is presented with the coveted "World Car Award" at the Geneva Motor Show, recognising it as the vehicle best equipped to deal with driving conditions on all five inhabited continents of the Earth.
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  • 3 March 1999
  • The wholly-owned Daimler-Benz subsidiary Freightliner Corp. and the British Mayflower Corp. sign a letter of intent to set up a joint venture. It will bring together the Freightliner subsidiary Thomas Built Buses and Mayflower subsidiaries Walter Alexander and Dennis Bus and Coach with a view to manufacturing low-floor buses of lightweight design for local public transportation and selling them throughout North America.
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  • 10 March 1999
  • Erich Klemm, Works Council Chairman at the Sindelfingen plant, is elected Chairman of the Central Works Council following the resignation of Karl Feuerstein from his Works Council office on health grounds.
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  • 12 - 21 March 1999
  • The Geneva Motor Show hosts the world premiere of the new Mercedes-Benz CL Coupé from the C 215 series. It is the world's first production car to be equipped with the active suspension system Active Body Control (ABC). The top-of-the-range CL 600 debuts with the 270 kW / 367 hp 5.8-litre power plant from the new V12 M 137 series, which features three-valve technology, dual ignition and automatic cylinder shutoff (CSO). In the CLK 55 AMG, Mercedes-AMG presents an especially powerful variant of the CLK Coupé (208 series). Also having their first showing are the facelifted V-Class (638 series) and the armoured special-protection version of the S-Class. The special-protection variants of the E-Class, S-Class and G-Class bear the new designation Mercedes-Benz Guard. Micro Compact Car smart GmbH presents the diesel variant of the smart City Coupé, scheduled for launch at the end of the year.
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  • 17 March 1999
  • The A-Class-based fuel cell powered NECAR 4, which establishes a new milestone for alternative drive systems, debuts in Washington, D.C. The fuel cell system, which operates on liquefied hydrogen and has a 40 % higher capacity compared with its NECAR 3 predecessor, is completely accomodated in the underfloor of the A-Class. The vehicle attains a top speed of 145 km/h, can travel up to 450 kilometres on one tank and has space for five passengers and their luggage.
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  • 25 - 27 March 1999
  • A range of new Business Class Freightliner truck models is presented at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky/USA, fitted with Mercedes-Benz engines for the first time. The OM 906 LA six-cylinder in-line engines have a 6.4-litre displacement and develop output of up to 205 kW / 279 hp.
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  • 25 March 1999
  • The debitel share is listed for the first time on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The emission volume comes to about € 700 million. With a capitalisation of approximately DM 6 billion, debitel is one of the biggest German IPO's of recent years. The IPO results in the widespread scattering of around 20 % of the share capital of debitel AG.
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  • 23 April 1999
  • DaimlerChrysler opens Latin America's first Mercedes-Benz passenger car production and assembly plant in Juiz de Fora in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The new facility, built on the back of investment totaling € 760 million, will accommodate production of the A-Class for the South American market.
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  • April 1999
  • Mercedes-AMG GmbH presents a whole series of new sporty high-performance models. The most powerful SL to date is the SL 73 AMG, equipped with a 386 kW / 525 hp 7.3-litre V12 engine from the M 120 series; the S 55 AMG, SL 55 AMG and G 55 AMG models have a 5.5-litre V8 unit from the M 113 series that develops up to 265 kW / 360 hp.
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  • 26 May 1999
  • The Steyr-Daimler-Puch plant in Graz, Austria, where the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is already being built, starts production of the M-Class. The successful off-roader from Mercedes-Benz will thus also be produced at a European site two years after production started in Tuscaloosa, Alabama/USA.
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  • 11 June 1999
  • DaimlerChrysler and Magna announce that DaimlerChrysler will acquire the shares in Eurostar Automobilwerk GmbH & Co. KG based in Graz, Austria, from Steyr-Daimler-Puch Fahrzeugtechnik (SFT), as of March 1998 a majority holding of Magna International Inc. Established as a joint venture between the Chrysler Corporation and SFT, the Eurostar plant produces the Chrysler Voyager MPV from October 1991.
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  • June 1999
  • Mercedes-Benz launches the A 190 to add a new 92 kW / 125 hp top-of-the-range model to the A-Class.
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  • 19 - 21 July 1999
  • At the Commercial Vehicle Technology Days in Papenburg, DaimlerChrysler presents the current position of its research and development work into future technologies and concepts for the commercial vehicle, which include the Lane Assistant, proximity control, and a lightweight tractor. The presented vehicles with alternative drive systems include a Vario 814 D with hybrid drive, which features a 55 kW / 75 hp electric motor in addition to its 100 kW / 136 hp diesel engine. The lead batteries weighing 1.2 tonnes permit a range of 35 km in purely electric urban driving.
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  • July 1999
  • The saloons and estates of the 210 series E-Class are presented in facelifted versions with optimised design features, technology and equipment, available from Mercedes-Benz’s company-owned sales and service outlets and sales partners. The E 270 CDI and E 320 CDI complete conversion of the diesel model range to the innovative CDI technology, and the E 430 4MATIC is the first V8 model to feature intelligent all-wheel drive.
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  • 26 August - 10 September 1999
  • The Mercedes-Benz O 560 Intouro makes its debut at the Izmir Trade Fair as the new interurban bus for combined-service transport. Built at Mercedes-Benz Türk, the combined-service bus was principally developed for the Turkish and Eastern European markets.
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  • 27 August 1999
  • DaimlerChrysler and Westfalia Werke GmbH & Co. in Rheda-Wiedenbrück agree on a 49 % stake of DaimlerChrysler in Westfalia Van Conversion GmbH, the vehicle finishing operation of Westfalia.
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  • August 1999
  • The facelifted Mercedes-Benz CLK Coupé and Convertible models (208 series) of 2000 are unveiled with a more extensive package of standard equipment. In addition, the updated range includes two new models – the CLK 430 Convertible and CLK 55 AMG Coupé models. All CLK-Class, C-Class (202 series) and SL-Class (R 129 series) variants now come with the Electronic Stability Program (ESP) as standard.
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  • 1 September 1999
  • DaimlerChrysler Business TV is launched. The DaimlerChrysler TV (DCTV) channel for the Group's employees is the world's first and only in-house TV station to broadcast daily and up-to-date information bulletins around the world and in seven languages. DCTV can be viewed by 420,000 employees in 36 countries on five continents.
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  • 1 September 1999
  • After some four years of development work, the Mercedes-Benz plant in Berlin-Marienfelde begins production of the CDI diesel engine for the smart. The 0.8-litre three-cylinder OM 660 unit is the world's smallest diesel engine fitted in a passenger car.
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  • 16 - 26 September 1999
  • Mercedes-Benz presents the new roadster variant of the Vision SLR sports car study at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. The V12 S 600 and the S 320 CDI and S 400 CDI diesel models are added to the S-Class range (220 series). Equipped with the 4-litre V8 OM 628 engine, the S 400 CDI is the first production passenger car to feature an eight-cylinder diesel engine, and with output of 184 kW / 250 hp it is the world’s most powerful diesel car. The diesel-powered ML 270 CDI and sporty ML 55 AMG join the M-Class range (W 163). On the basis of the S-Class, Mercedes-Benz presents a new hybrid vehicle which combines a 132 kW / 180 hp V6 petrol engine with an 80 kW electric motor. The smart brand presents a two-seater roadster study as well as the smart Convertible with innovative soft-top technology.
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  • 2/3 October 1999
  • On the last weekend of the truck racing season in Jarama, Spain, Heinz-Werner Lenz in a Mercedes-Benz 1838 S wins the second run of the Race Trucks to make himself European champion in the Race Truck class for the third straight year. In the Super Race Truck category, last year's champion Ludovic Faure only manages a sixth-place finish overall in his Mercedes-Benz Atego racing truck.
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  • 14 October 1999
  • DaimlerChrysler, the French Lagardère Group and the French government announce the formation of Europe's largest aerospace company. The German-French group, entitled "European Aéronautic Defence and Space Company" (EADS), is to be created by merging Aerospatiale Matra S.A. and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa).
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  • 15 - 20 October 1999
  • The Mercedes-Benz Tourismo touring coach series from the production of the Turkish subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Türk is completely revamped inside and out and debuts at the Busworld bus and coach show in Kortrijk, Belgium. Setra presents the combined-service S 317 GT-HD bus: with 61 seats it expands the ComfortClass and offers an economical alternative for regular and occasional services.
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  • November 1999
  • Mercedes-Benz presents the Pullman variant of the S-Class (220 series). This new representational limousine boasts luxurious levels of spaciousness and state-of-the-art technology.
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  • November 1999
  • Mercedes-AMG adds the CL 55 AMG, CLK 55 AMG Convertible and four-wheel drive E 55 AMG 4MATIC – available as a Saloon or Estate – to its model range.
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  • 2 December 1999
  • The contract to merge CASA, Aerospatiale Matra S.A. and Dasa to create EADS is signed in Madrid. With an overall workforce of 96,000 and revenues totalling around € 21 billion, EADS is one of the world's three biggest aerospace companies and number one in Europe.
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  • 6 - 22 December 1999
  • The NEBUS (New Electric Bus) enters regular service with transport operator Hamburger Hochbahn AG in order to collect practical experience and familiarise the public with this prototype of a zero-emission fuel cell powered urban bus.
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