The Chrysler 300 is a full-size sport/luxury sedan which was first shown at the 2003 New York Auto Show as a concept car and first introduced in the spring of 2004 as an early 2005 model, becoming North America's first mainstream rear- wheel drive sedan with a V6 engine since the 1995 Mazda 929. Designed by Ralph Gilles, the new 300 was built as a high performance, sporty sedan. The 300C is also sold in Australia, the first large Chrysler sold there since the Valiant was discontinued in 1981. The Chrysler 300 is based on the rear-wheel drive Chrysler LX platform which features components derived from the discontinued W210 Mercedes-Benz E-Class of 1996 to 2002. Such components include the suspension design, front seat frames, wiring harnesses, steering column, the 5-speed automatic's design, and a derivative of the 4Matic all-wheel drive system.