The Mercedes-Benz W220 was a series of flagship sedans which constituted the Mercedes-Benz S-Class during the early to mid-2000s. Development for the W220 S-Class started in 1992, with the final design, helmed by Steve Mattin being approved in 1994 and frozen for production in the first half of 1995. The completed prototypes were presented in June 1998. The W220 (and similar W215 CL-Class coupés) started production in 1999. The W220 was a replacement for the earlier W140 S-Class after the 1999 model year. Compared to its predecessor, the W220 had somewhat smaller exterior dimensions but offered more interior space, particularly in the long-wheelbase versions (although the trunk is smaller than on its W140 predecessor). Production of the W220 totalled 485,000 units, slightly more than the production totals from the W140. Production ended in 2006 when the W220 and W215 were replaced by the W221 S-Class and the W216 CL-Class.
In many European countries, the diesel S320 CDI version became the most popular model, making it the first S-Class in which a diesel engine achieved broad appeal.
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