New Mercedes-Benz light-alloy wheels for summer 2017: Large formats and refined details still the order of the day

Stuttgart. Attractive light-alloy wheels from Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH enhance the appearance of any vehicle while lending an added touch of sportiness and elegance. Summer 2017 marks the launch of 20 new wheels for all vehicle classes. Below is a brief interview focussing on the trends as well as a selection of the new arrivals.

Three questions to the product manager, Oliver Rak, concerning light-alloy wheels from Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH:

Mr Rak, the Mercedes-Benz Accessories range contains several thousand products. But light-alloy wheels have been the undisputed top sellers for many years. Why do you think this is?

Oliver Rak: The light-alloy wheels from Mercedes-Benz Accessories enable each vehicle to be individualised to a high standard. We offer customers a wide range of wheel designs for Saloons, SUVs, Coupés and Roadsters, catering for every taste - from sporty to elegant, from slender multi-spoke wheels to large, distinctive wheels.

What are the design trends for light-alloy wheels in 2017?

Oliver Rak: It is a continuation of last year's trends: large formats are still very much 'in', as well as are light-alloy wheels with a high-sheen finish, whose allure stems from the contrast between the seemingly bare metal surface and the painted areas.

What are the advantages for customers who choose genuine Mercedes-Benz light-alloy wheels?

Oliver Rak: Aside from their visual characteristics, what makes these wheels so impressive is their excellent quality standard. Because wheels from Mercedes-Benz Accessories have to meet the same stringent requirements as Mercedes-Benz standard wheels. Furthermore, these wheels can be fitted without the need for assessment or TÜV entries in the vehicle documents as they already meet the vehicle homologation requirements.

Overview of the new Mercedes-Benz light-alloy wheels for 2017:

With the help of the accessories configurator at http://www.mercedes-benz.de/, suitable wheels and the correct tyre size can be found for practically any Mercedes-Benz. In addition to this, when configuring the vehicle, the appropriate complete summer or winter wheels can also be ordered and then requested from any authorised Mercedes-Benz dealer in Germany when the seasons change.

Extensive development and testing programme

Mercedes-Benz light-alloy wheels not only enhance the vehicle's looks, they also offer an extremely high level of safety. All the wheels are precisely configured for the vehicle models with respect to permissible loads and dimensions. Before the light-alloy wheels are allowed to become reliable companions on every journey, they absolve an extensive development and testing programme.

Every wheel design must pass a wide variety of endurance tests according to stringent Mercedes-Benz guidelines that go beyond the legal requirements. These include special test procedures that simulate the loads encountered in real traffic situations, as well as material tests using the latest X-ray equipment. High-sheen wheels are subjected to additional tests such as highly corrosive salt-water spray or a 28-day climate cycle. Only when they have passed all the tests are the wheels included in the range of genuine Mercedes-Benz light-alloy wheels.