Visitors wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus gather at the Mercedes exhibition booth at the Auto China 2020 show in Beijing, Sept 27, 2020. Auto China 2020, postponed from March, is the first major trade show for any industry since the pandemic began as automakers are looking to China, the first major economy to start recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, to drive sales growth and reverse multibillion-dollar losses. (ANDY WONG / AP)

The successful grand opening of the 2020 Auto China, or better known as the Beijing auto show, is giving German premium carmaker Mercedes-Benz's faith a boost in the Chinese auto sector, which has started to rebound in April.

I'd like to assure you that we at Mercedes-Benz will not rest in delighting our customers in China with the most desirable cars, fascinating technologies and excellent customer care.

Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG

The biennial motoring event undertakes more than what it usually means, following five months of its postponement that was put down to the long-lasting pandemic.

"I'm very pleased to see, that Auto China is physically taking place in Beijing as the first major international auto show this year," said Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG.

This is a clear signal for continuous recovery and it reinforces the company's confidence in the Chinese auto market, according to the managements.

The remarks once again justified the company's resolve to attach importance to its world's largest market and the optimism that drives them to further roll out their blueprint in China.

"I'd like to assure you that we at Mercedes-Benz will not rest in delighting our customers in China with the most desirable cars, fascinating technologies and excellent customer care."

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Mercedes-Benz has registered sales growth in China since the second quarter of the year, bucking the recession in the rough patch, and kept the positive momentum so far. The current quarter also shows promising dynamics, according to the managements.

They displayed to the event audience 24 of its latest models from stunning product lineup, which includes scoring a hat-trick with their just world-premiered all-new S-Class, and the new E-Class L together with all-new V-Class MPV launched at the news conference on Saturday.

Their appearance doesn't only represent the brand's leadership in innovative mobility technologies, but also preserves the company's strength and solid expertise in high quality, safety and comfort in delivering desirable products to its customers in China.

The new E-Class L, manufactured at the Sino-German joint venture Beijing-Benz Automotive Co, comes with a whole new front end in two different styles, with MSRP ranging from 430,800 yuan to 642,800 yuan (US$63,167 to US$94,252).

Over the past 15 years, BBAC has produced more than 3 million vehicles, with the first model being the E-Class.

"Since then, localization has proven to be a crucial success factor for us," said Hubertus Troska, member of the board of management of Daimler, responsible for China.

"That's why we remain dedicated to our strategy of further investment and expanding our local footprint to even better serve the needs of the Chinese market," he added.

The E-Class is the best-selling model in the brand's history, and it is one of the most important models under its "Made in China, for China "localization strategy, with three generations witnessing BBAC's consistent pursuit of quality.

At the meantime, Mercedes-Benz also debuted its all-new S-Class at a motor show. Their flagship model is scheduled to hit the market in the first half of 2021, and is expected to further drive its popularity in China.

"Our brand has always been standing for creation of automotive dreams and defining new levels of automotive technology, outstanding comfort and timeless elegance," said Jan Madeja, president and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co Ltd. "No other car embodies this aspiration stronger than our iconic Mercedes-Benz S-Class." For example, the all-new S-Class' second generation MBUX represents the most cutting-edge technology in the industry.

"As one of our major brand shapers, the S-Class not only has dominated its segment for many, many years but also has a very strong connection to our Chinese customers," he said.

The country is now the leading market for S-Class, and last year, two out of five S-Class sold were handed over to Chinese customers, the company said. With the launched models mentioned, the company will introduce 18 new models to the Chinese market in 2020 as planned, said Duan Jianjun, COO of Sales & Marketing at BMBS.He added that the company will also continue to offer platforms that enable customers to better experience the charisma of its product portfolio.

"With our unique brand, our fascinating products and with our untiring aspiration to deliver best customer service and premium customer care, we look forward to our further development in China with strong determination and deep confidence," said Madeja.

Customer-centricity has been and will always remain the core of its business, the company said. It aims to build the brand into the one with most desired premium service in China.

In realizing the goal, the company has been striving to meet customers' ever-changing demands with service and experiences beyond expectations, by constantly understanding markets with diverse cultures, lifestyles and consumption trends. Last year, the carmaker introduced the code of conduct with its dealers to set a standard to ensure a more transparent and customer-oriented approach at its dealer network. This year, that initiative was brought to a new level with the Mercedes-Benz premium customer care, making customer-centric a core pillar of its brands' future success.

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It reflects a return to the way that people relate to one another, as well as the quality standards a luxury brand stands for.

Taking Customer Advocate Manager as an example, "we have created, at both brand and retail level, a new dedicated function", said Madeja.

He said around 600 Customer Advocate Managers have been appointed throughout the country, and they represent the customers' interests and bring in their voice into the company's daily operations.

China is not only the largest single market for Mercedes-Benz, but also the market where it provides on-the-ground insights into digitalization with digital tools and channels.

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For example, its EQC Virtual Showroom, which went live in June, has already attracted nearly 3 million visitors. "We will continue to develop attractive digital tools and make sure that our customers can seamlessly move between all digital and physical touch points of our brand," said Madeja.

In addition to its business performance, Mercedes-Benz and its dealers are undertaking their responsibility as a corporate citizen with the Mercedes-Benz Star Fund.

They donated 30 million yuan earlier this year to support epidemic prevention and control efforts in the country, said Zhang Yan, senior executive vice-president at BMBS.

Globally, the company hopes to achieve a completely carbon-neutral car fleet by the end of 2039 and by the end of 2022, to turn Mercedes' global production network to carbon-neutral operations. "We at Mercedes-Benz are determined to create the most desired cars in the world. But, we are also determined to do it in the most responsible and sustainable way," said Madeja.

lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn