Michael Jopp, vice-president of sales and marketing for passenger cars at Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, delivering his opening address (All photos: Soophye)
Embodying the essence of contemporary luxury, the new locally assembled Mercedes-Benz S-Class was introduced to Malaysians in great style at a black-tie banquet at the grand ballroom of the St Regis Kuala Lumpur recently. Held over five days to ensure the vast ballroom could get everyone seated generously apart, Options and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia teamed up for one of the nights to host a select group of guests to an experience whose narrative arc bridged the worlds of food, drink, music and motoring.
“The S-Class is the world’s best-selling luxury limousine, and we are also pleased that the new S 580 e will be a locally assembled variant, as was its predecessor. This is a testament of our commitment to reinforce our local presence in the country. The vehicle underpins our claim to produce the best automobile in the world. This is where covetable luxury meets the greatest possible safety and highest levels of comfort,” said Michael Jopp, vice-president of sales and marketing for passenger cars at Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, in his welcome speech.
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A sumptuous Chinese menu, paired with fine wines and spirits from Pernod Ricard Malaysia’s stellar stable of brands, including Martell and Royal Salute, ensured collective palates were well-pleased while the pièce de résistance was undoubtedly the chance to get up close to the new S-Class on stage.
Setting the benchmark for luxury limousines, guests admired the new S-Class’s combination of modernity, luxury and the latest technology and innovations, while also learning about the new generation of plug-in hybrids, which allow the car to be driven on battery power alone for in-city jaunts or the combustion engine for longer journeys.
The S-Class name originates from the German word sonderklasse or “special class”. So, if you need a sweet, sustainable and big on safety ride that resonates with your ideals and ambitions in life, you know which marque and model to turn to. You can tell us danke later.
The Elements:
The décor:
Handpainted wave-shaped rattan in ombre blue matched with preserved hydrangeas, craspedia, carnations, anthuriums and eucalyptus.
The opening theme:
The Spring violin concerto from Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons
The entertainment:
Smooth jazz and old favourites by Malaysia’s King of Swing Sharizan Borhan and Nicole Lai
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The menu:
Appetiser platter of deep-fried kataifi cheese roll and wasabi mayo, marinated Hokkaido scallop with fruit and steamed black pepper crystal prawn dumpling; double-boiled village chicken soup with fish maw and dried scallop; oven-baked fragrant spicy garlic lobster and vegetable; steamed Nyonya-style barramundi with okra; Kam Heong chicken fried rice; chilled red dates soup with lotus seed and peach gum; and deep-fried sesame glutinous rice ball with peanuts.
The drinks:
Royal Salute whisky, a selection of Martell cognacs, including the superb Chanteloup XXO, and the wine-based aperitif Lillet, among others. Creative cocktails included the Martell Swift Sour, Martell Kwai Fa-Shioned, Chivas Highball, Royal Salute Kensington, Royal Salute Mayfair and the Lillet Vive.
This article first appeared on Jan 24, 2022 in The Edge Malaysia.
