Mercedes-Benz: History of the S-Class Luxury Sedans
Mercedes-Benz looks back at the development of its S-Class line of luxury sedans. With its roots beginning in the Mercedes-Benz 220 of the early 1950s and the Mercedes-Benz race cars of the day, Mercedes carried forward the technology behind some of those predecessors and the company’s focus on safety to the development of the new S-Class sedans. The first Mercedes-Benz to officially be part of the “S-Class” was introduced in 1972 with the W116 and contained many of the company’s latest innovations in safety and performance.
Mercedes-Benz used the S-Class platform to introduce some of its newest technologies to the automotive market, including anti-lock brakes, seatbelt pre-tensioners, the driver’s airbag, electronic stability, air suspension, and collision detection. The S-Class has gone on to be one of the world’s most respected luxury sedans, a tradition that continues with the 2015 S-Class Coupé.