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With the introduction of the new S-ClassMercedes-Benz S-ClassGermany, 1972 > present6 series
293 versions
353 photos
1 video
, Mercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
9852 photos
33 videos
is looking back on the role sales have played for one of its most important cars.
The S-Class has been a car that has defined what a Mercedes is outside of Germany. Today, more than 90% of them are sold outside of Germany, and in the model's 60-year history more than half of them have been sold outside of Germany.
The S-Class has never been an inexpensive car, even in its own market. An entry-level W108-chassis 250SMercedes-Benz 250 SGermany, 1965 > 19683 photos
cost 15,300 Deutsch Marks in 1968, and the top 300 SEL 6.3Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3Germany, 1968 > present3 photos
went for 39,160 Marks. At the time, the average German worker brought home 11,000 Marks a year.
A key to the S-Class's success has been Mercedes' willingness to create complete knocked down parts kits that allowed the S-Class to be built anywhere. The previous-gen S-Class was built as a kit in Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
In many markets the S-Class is also the de facto armored car. The first car Mercedes offered with armor as a factory option was the 1965 600 PullmanMercedes-Benz 600 PullmanGermany, 1964 > 19813 photos
. It built a special version of the W108-chassis 280 SEL 3.5Mercedes-Benz 280 SEL 3.5Germany, 1970 > 19721 photo
in 1971 for foreign representative of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The first major market for the S-Class abroad was in the United States. A third of the massive 600Mercedes-Benz 600Germany, 1963 > 19813 photos
2 videos
sedans were sold there. Today, that role has been taken by China where more than half of modern S-Classes are sold. It expanded the armored offerings with four versions of the W116Mercedes-Benz S-Class Gen.1 [W 116]Germany, 1972 > 198023 versions
14 photos
and seven armored versions of the W126Mercedes-Benz S-Class Gen.2 [W 126/ V 126]Germany, 1979 > 199183 versions
28 photos
.
Limousines based on the S-Class have also been a popular version of the car. Either officially or unofficially Mercedes has been the official car of the German prime minister. In 1995, it built a special extra-long wheelbase S600 PullmanMercedes-Benz S 600 PullmanGermany, 1996 > 20001 photo
for the prime minister with a 100cm longer wheelbase and armor.
The best-selling S-Class model was the W126 that was in production from 1979 to 1992. Mercedes-Benz built 818,036 of them.
There does not appear to be any end in sight for the S-Class. Mercedes just introduced the latest S-Class and sales will begin in just a few weeks.
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