MERCEDES-BENZ HIGHLIGHTS MILLION-MILE CAR AT NAIASDETROIT, January 9, 2005 – Mercedes-Benz underscored its renowned vehicle quality and durability at the 2005 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) by displaying a 1970 280SE sedan model that it recently acquired for the Mercedes-Benz Museum Collection in Stuttgart, Germany. The car’s original owners, George and Luzstella Koschel of Orange County, CA, bought the car new 35 years ago and drove it for more than one million miles – 1,019,000 miles, to be exact.“We believe the Koschels and their car personify customer satisfaction and vehicle quality, which are fundamental values and high priority goals for Mercedes-Benz,†said Paul Halata, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. “We invited them to join us with their car at one of the world’s most important auto shows to help us convey this message.†The Koschels join a growing group of Mercedes-Benz owners whose cars have reached more than one million miles. However, even they are still far behind high-mile champ Gregorios Sachinidis, a Greek taxi driver who holds the known record of 2,852,000 miles in his 1976 Mercedes-Benz 240D. “While not every Mercedes owner will keep a car for one million miles, our goal is to ensure the levels of vehicle quality and customer satisfaction that make such a milestone a possibility for any Mercedes with proper maintenance and care,†said Paul Halata.Mercedes-Benz USA learned about the Koschels and their 280SE while contacting owners for its early-2004 advertising campaign called “Faithful.†The campaign highlighted proud owners and their cars from around the world. The Koschels were among the many to write letters to Mercedes-Benz describing their cars and experiences with them, and the final TV spots featured the couple with their car.-more-The Koschels picked up their 1970 Mercedes 280SE in Germany as a European Delivery vehicle. Although the car holds more than a million miles of memories for the couple, they are "considering" a 2005 CLK320 Cabriolet in exchange for putting their beloved car in the museum.HERE is a pic of a 280 SE...
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