Eurocopter’s EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style helicopter – which features an easily transformable interior and is tailored for high-end corporate, executive and private operations – made its world debut at the 2011 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. The first rotary-wing aircraft is being displayed prior to delivery for a European customer.

“Only one year after Eurocopter presented the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style concept at EBACE 2010, we now are unveiling the first aircraft and can announce the initial sale in this high-end helicopter series to a corporate operator,” said Olivier Lambert, Eurocopter’s Senior Vice President Sales and Customer Relations. “These achievements confirm Eurocopter’s successful approach in developing products that meet the demanding expectations of executive and private customers worldwide.”

Conceived in a styling project led by the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Como, Italy, the interior of the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style is inspired by the automaker’s range of high-end vehicles. It features deluxe materials, elegant woods and ambient cabin lighting, along with multi-function boxes.

“We are very pleased to have realized the first product of Mercedes-Benz Style with Eurocopter,” said Prof. h.c. Dr. Gorden Wagener, head of design at Mercedes-Benz. “The interior design of the EC145 ‘Mercedes-Benz Style’ helicopter represents the classic passion of the Mercedes- Benz design language and fulfils the very highest expectations in terms of elegance, luxury and comfort.”

With its versatile interior, the EC145 Mercedes-Benz Style is tailored to a broad range of travels: executive transportation, family voyages, as well as leisure and sport trips. All seats are mounted on rails and can be easily reconfigured for different seating arrangements from four to eight passengers – or removed to make room for luggage. Multi-purpose storage is made possible by numerous attachment points on the floor and walls.

The EC145 is the perfect match for Mercedes-Benz Style, as this turbine-powered aircraft is at the top of its class in the medium-sized, twin-engine helicopter category. It combines Eurocopter’s leading-edge developments in cockpit design and avionics, while also incorporating a hingeless rotor system and enhanced rotor blades that reduce sound and vibration levels. More than 400 EC145s have been sold around the globe for a full range of operations, and is the only helicopter of its type that can seat up to eight passengers.

Eurocopter offers the widest helicopter range in executive and private aviation, comprising 12 different model types in the light single-engine, light/medium twin-engine and heavy twin-engine categories, which accommodate from four to 19 passengers in executive and private configurations. More than 500 helicopters have been sold in these market segments during the past four years to customers ranging from private owners and charter companies to small/medium enterprises and multi-national corporations.

In responding to the high-end market’s evolving demands, Eurocopter has launched three major initiatives in eight years for the executive and private marketplace, combining high-end design and interior outfitting for a full range of discerning travelers, executive and corporate operators. Along with the EC145 “Mercedes-Benz Style,” Eurocopter’s Stylence family of helicopters and the EC135 Hermès version offer unique travelling experiences.

Eurocopter will be exhibiting in Hall 7 on Stand 7065 at the 2011 European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, which is being held at the Geneva PALEXPO exhibition center.

EADS press release