Mercedes-Benz Celebrates 20 Million Facebook Fans with Stratosphere Flight

And unlike in the sales department, Mercedes-Benz is actually the leader of the three premium German brands, with BMW following closely at one million fans behind and Audi trailing disastrously at just over nine million. So Mercedes-Benz did have plenty of reasons to celebrate having beaten its fierce rival to the 20 million mark - and it's safe to assume that these clips you're about to see will get it even more followers.

To mark the occasion, Mercedes-Benz went all Felix Baumgartner and strapped four tiny versions of some of its SUVs and a 360 degrees camera rig onto a weather balloon. The camera recorded the ascension as the four model cars (a GLC, a GLE Coupe, and two G-Wagens) made their way up into the Earth's atmosphere. They collect water as they pass through the clouds, they freeze and then they thaw and finally they reach the outer limits of the atmosphere where the balloon pops and a tumultuous descent begins - one that the clip doesn't show.

Back on the ground, a team of full-sized G-Class SUVs are battling the difficult terrain to get to where the camera and the four model cars touched the ground. Using hi-tech tracking equipment and the G-Wagen's natural off-road abilities, they manage to salvage the rig so that we can now watch the video.

As the balloon reaches the highest point of its journey, a text that reads "We sent our stars into the heavens on a thank-you mission for 20 million Facebook fans. Together we all shine" can be seen. That's a little too pathetic for our taste, but then again, the whole image is as surreal as they get - four model cars sitting on transparent plastic poles are hovering above Earth at the edge of space. What is the appropriate thing to say at a moment such as this? Nobody knows. But even if you think it's both lame and cool in equal measures, it's still nice of Mercedes to think about rewarding its fans one way or another.