Mercedes-Benz has launched a new website design that features even greater emotional imagery, a stronger multimedia brand experience, and even more customer-friendly access to all products, services, and dealerships worldwide. The transition to the new format will affect more than 1,000 websites, ranging from the international brand site and Mercedes-Benz' national Internet sites to local dealership Web pages.

Recent studies confirm the increasing importance of the Internet and digital communication. Over the last 36 months alone, for example, the number of German households with broadband Internet connections has tripled. The number of visitors to Mercedes-Benz websites also continues to rise. Last year, over 50 million people checked out Mercedes-Benz products and services on the international brand site, the more than 50 national websites, and the approximately 1,000 dealership sites.

"With the new Mercedes-Benz website design, we can address specific brand themes in greater detail through multimedia features," says Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Mercedes-Benz Cars, responsible for Sales and Marketing. "In this way, we can ensure that visitors to the sites also experience the fascination of Mercedes-Benz as the most valuable premium automobile brand not only in digital media but also more intensively. Over the last few years, the Internet has evolved into one of the most important sales channels for the automotive industry. The new sites were therefore developed in close cooperation with our colleagues from the sales units in a manner that focuses more on sales processes, which also makes them more customer friendly."

The pilot project for the global website redesigning is the Mercedes-Benz German site at www.mercedes-benz.de, where the product pages in particular are being fundamentally reworked and improved through the use of rich media, including films, 360° views, and the latest ad campaigns. Customers are thus treated to an emotional introduction to the various model series and the features they offer.

The layout for the websites was aligned with the new brand design presented a few weeks ago and the reworked brand positioning strategy. New technologies that enable even faster Internet connections also make it possible to achieve higher screen resolutions and to employ state-of-the-art Web technologies (e.g. 3D), which will also be used in a new vehicle configurator. All the websites continue to offer up-to-date information with quick-loading and easy-to-understand pages in the typical Mercedes-Benz design. The modular structure of the sites enables Mercedes-Benz dealers to maintain their flexibility, while at the same time benefiting from a centralized basic site structure and the continually updated information it contains.

As part of its digital communication strategy, Mercedes-Benz is also increasingly using innovative online brand-communication platforms, such as Mercedes-Benz TV.