The Mercedes-Benz W220 was a range of flagship sedans which, as the fourth generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, replaced the W140 S-Class after model year 1998 — with long and short wheelbase versions, performance and luxury options; available four-wheel drive; and a range of diesel as well as gas/petrol V6, V8, and V12 engines. Compared to its predecessor, the W220 had somewhat smaller exterior dimensions but offered greater interior volume, particularly in the long-wheelbase versions, and slightly less cargo volume. Development began in 1992, with the final design, under the direction of Steve Mattin, approved in June 1995 and frozen in March 1996. The completed prototypes were presented in June 1998. W220 production began on August 13, 1998, and C215 coupé production followed in 1999. Production of the 220-series totalled 484,683 units, slightly more than the production totals from the W140. Production ended in late 2005, when the W220 was replaced by the W221 S-Class and the C215 was replaced in 2006 by the C216 CL-Class. Styling Steve Mattin's design was the first sketch drawn in October 1992 and developed into 1:1 scale by late 1994. In June 1995, the Daimler-Benz AG board of management approved Mattin's final design at 38 months before production. By March 1996, W220 program engineers completed the design freeze, 29 months before production start in August 1998. The W220 exterior design (especially headlights) was previewed by the Mercedes-Benz F200 concept in late 1996. Being a Mercedes flagship vehicle worldwide, the S-Class largely popularized the theme. A facelifted version of the S-Class was designed in late 2000 and introduced in September 2002, offering a more refined front-end with a larger, more upright grille, transparent headlamp housings with sealed-beam projectors, and revised taillights. Much of the rest of the exterior remained largely unchanged from first phase W220 models. Inside, the update addressed several of the issues in the COMAND system and other interior features. Exterior updates included a more upright grille angle, new transparent housing for the headlamps (replacing the earlier translucent versions), and restyled lower air intakes on the front bumper. The S 600 series has a "V12" badge affixed to either side of the car, just forward of the front doors and back from the wheel wells. Models European Sales (for all versions of S-Class): North American models Approximate selection of US models. In the US, model years for the W220 were 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,