Mercedes-Benz has brought its global “140 Years. 140 Places.” anniversary journey to Egypt, placing some of the country’s most recognizable landmarks at the center of the brand’s worldwide celebration of 140 years of automotive innovation.
The international campaign is taking the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class across 140 symbolic destinations on six continents, with Egypt selected as one of the stops on the more than 50,000-kilometer journey.
During its time in Egypt, the journey connected the brand with locations including the Pyramids of Giza, Cairo Tower and El Gouna, combining Mercedes-Benz’s automotive history with some of Egypt’s most recognizable cultural and contemporary destinations.
Mercedes-Benz Celebrates 140 Years Since the Birth of the Automobile
The anniversary traces its roots back to 1886, when Carl Benz registered the patent for his Motorwagen, widely regarded as a defining moment in the birth of the modern automobile.
Mercedes-Benz is using 2026 to celebrate 140 Years of Innovation, highlighting developments in engineering, design, safety and mobility that have shaped the company since those early days.
As part of the celebrations, three new S-Class sedans are travelling around the world and visiting 140 destinations before the journey eventually returns to Stuttgart.
The international tour followed the world premiere of the new S-Class earlier in 2026 and has travelled through Europe, South America, North America, Asia, Australia, Africa and New Zealand.
The S-Class Arrives at the Pyramids of Giza
One of the most striking moments from the Egyptian leg took place at the Great Pyramids of Giza.
Mercedes-Benz positioned the new S-Class against the backdrop of the ancient monuments, bringing together what the company described as two very different legacies of innovation and engineering.
For Mercedes-Benz, the setting carried obvious symbolism. The Giza Pyramids represent one of humanity’s most enduring architectural achievements, while the company’s anniversary celebrates 140 years since the invention that helped transform modern transportation.
The result was one of the most visually distinctive stops on the global journey, pairing a contemporary luxury vehicle with the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World.
Cairo Tower Lights Up for Mercedes-Benz’s Anniversary
The celebration then moved into the Cairo skyline.
As part of the Egyptian program, Cairo Tower was illuminated with the Mercedes-Benz star and the “140 Years of Innovation” anniversary branding, creating a special nighttime installation visible across parts of the capital.
The display formed part of an event held along the Nile for journalists and members of the Mercedes-Benz global team.
According to Mercedes-Benz Egypt, the activation was intended to connect the company’s long history with Cairo’s own mixture of heritage and modern city life.
From Cairo to El Gouna
The Egyptian leg did not end in Cairo.
The S-Class continued north-east toward El Gouna, where Mercedes-Benz incorporated the anniversary journey into the expansion of its customer experience and retail presence in Egypt.
The program included the soft opening of Mercedes-Benz Studio – El Gouna by Star National Automotive, designed as a contemporary brand space combining vehicles, luxury, design and customer experiences.
Mercedes-Benz Egypt later highlighted stops at El Gouna’s Festival Plaza and Marina, giving the global campaign a very different setting from the historic atmosphere surrounding the Giza Pyramids.
That contrast became one of the central themes of the Egyptian journey: moving between ancient heritage, modern Cairo and contemporary Red Sea destinations.
Mercedes-Benz Also Opens New 5A Studio
The anniversary activities also coincided with the soft opening of Mercedes-Benz Studio – 5A by Ezz Elarab Star.
Inspired by Mercedes-Benz’s international studio concept, the location is intended to offer an alternative to the traditional automotive showroom by combining the brand’s cars with a more lifestyle-focused environment.
The two new studio locations formed part of Mercedes-Benz’s efforts to expand the way customers interact with the brand in Egypt while the global anniversary campaign was passing through the country.
‘Bertha’ Completes Her Egyptian Journey
Mercedes-Benz Egypt has referred to the S-Class participating in the local leg as “Bertha,” a name that references Bertha Benz, whose pioneering long-distance automobile journey in 1888 became one of the most important moments in early automotive history.
After visiting the Pyramids, Cairo and El Gouna, the car’s Egyptian journey concluded with a stop at Mercedes-Benz Egypt’s head office, where employees gathered to mark the anniversary.
Mercedes-Benz Egypt CEO Thomas Waggershauser placed an Egypt sticker on the vehicle to commemorate the country’s participation before the S-Class continued its international route.
Why Egypt Was Chosen for the Global Journey
The “140 Years. 140 Places.” campaign is designed around locations with cultural, historical or symbolic importance.
Egypt offered several dramatically different settings within a relatively short journey — from the thousands-of-years-old Pyramids to Cairo’s modern skyline and El Gouna’s Red Sea lifestyle destinations.
Mercedes-Benz said the Egyptian leg was intended to highlight the country’s combination of heritage, culture, innovation and luxury, while placing it alongside a wider collection of global destinations selected for the anniversary.
A 50,000-Kilometer Celebration Across Six Continents
Egypt represents just one chapter in a significantly larger journey.
The Mercedes-Benz anniversary convoy is travelling more than 50,000 kilometers, visiting 140 destinations across six continents before concluding with a final celebration in Stuttgart later in 2026.
Each destination is being used to connect the company’s history with different cities, communities and landmarks around the world.
For Egypt, that meant seeing an all-new S-Class beneath the Pyramids, Mercedes-Benz branding illuminating Cairo Tower and the journey continuing toward El Gouna before completing its local route at the company’s Egyptian headquarters.
From one of humanity’s oldest surviving monuments to one of the automotive industry’s longest-running brands, Mercedes-Benz’s Egyptian stop turned its 140th anniversary into a journey through both history and modern Egypt.
