AAVision in January 1996 - Start of the Mercedes-Benz SUV success story 25 years ago

With the AAVision, Mercedes-Benz opened a new chapter in its successful ongoing product offensive in January 1996: The brand presented the concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. 25 years ago, it points in the direction that the M-Class (W 163) production vehicle will take a good year later. In May 1997, the M-Class marked the brand's successful launch into the sport utility vehicle (SUV) segment. Since fall 2015, the model family has been called the GLE. This locates the successful SUV in the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Since the market launch of the M-Class in 1997, more than two million customers have opted for the off-roader. This makes the GLE the best-selling SUV in the history of Mercedes-Benz. When the AAVision was presented 25 years ago, Mercedes-Benz was in the midst of a product offensive: new model series further fanned out the brand's range. These include, for example, the A-Class (W 168, 1997) and the compact SLK roadster (R 170, 1996). With this growing portfolio, the brand lays the foundation for a successful start to the new millennium.