Join a global community of Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts for $49 and get thousands of dollars back in discounts and rewards Read the original: Mercedes-Benz Club of America Accepting New Members

Michael Schumacher and Nick Fry announced the partnership deal between Starwood Hotels and Mercedes AMG Petronas team, which means that the team will stay in different Starwood hotels as they travel to different countries for the Grand Prix. Starwood in exchange, will present their Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program to the Formula 1′s audience. “We are extremely proud to be an official team partner of the MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. The Starwood Preferred Guest programme goes beyond gaining and redeeming points, it’s about building a deeper relationship with our guests. We want to offer our members exclusive experiences that they are most passionate about – be it sports, music or arts. Through our collaboration with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, members can connect with their passion for the entertaining world-class sport, ” said Mark Vondrasek, Senior VP Distribution Loyalty and Partnership Marketing for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. On Mercedes Petronas side, Ross Brawn Team Principal commented, “We are very pleased to have agreed a new team partnership with Starwood, and to welcome the brand to Formula One for the first time. As regular travellers will tell you, a good hotel can make a real difference to your trip, and I am delighted that our team will have the opportunity to experience some of the Starwood hotel portfolio as we travel around the world. We are very much looking forward to working with Starwood and helping to promote their Starwood Preferred Guest programme to a new audience.” Source: Daimler Go here to read the rest:  Mercedes Petronas and Starwood Hotels are Now Partners!

Debuting at the 12 Hours of Sebring, BMW Motorsport and Schnitzer Motorsportentered a two car team. The cars were immediately fast, taking the pole position in qualifying. During the race, both cars ran towards the front for the first six hours. Unfortunately, V12 LMR chassis #001 suffered a large accident, damaging the car to the point that it would never race again. However, the second V12 LMR was successful in taking the overall win. From Sebring, the team went back to Europe in order to prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In early May, at the initial test session for Le Mans, three V12 LMRs appeared. In the tradition of the famous BMW Art Cars, one of the two undamaged cars featured a paint job created by artist Jenny Holzer. Unlike at Sebring, the V12 LMRs would be facing closed cockpit prototypes which were theoretically faster over a single lap yet not as fuel efficient. Even with this apparent setback, a V12 LMR was able to take the 4th fastest lap time over the practice session, behind two Toyota GT-Ones and a Panoz prototype. For the race itself, only two cars appeared with the Art Car being dropped from the line-up. In qualifying the two LMRs again showed their speed, taking 3rd and 6th places, again beaten only by the Toyota GT-Ones. During the race the V12 LMRs ran strong, outlasting a large number of closed cockpit competitors who suffered woes, including Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, and Audi. In the second half of the race, BMW’s main competitors were a pair of open-cockpit Audi R8Rs and the lone remaining Toyota GT-One. Unfortunately, in the closing hours of the race the #17 BMW V12 LMR driven by JJ Lehto crashed heavily in the Porsche Curves section of the track, as a result of a stuck throttle. This left the #15 BMW LMR in the lead, less than a lap ahead of the 2nd place Toyota. The Toyota was catching the BMW in the final hour until it suffered a tire blowout at high speed, allowing the Schnitzer BMW team to solidify their lead. The driving team of Joachim Winkelhock, Pierluigi Martini, and Yannick Dalmas were successful in bringing the V12 LMR home for the victory, a single lap ahead of the GT-One. The BMW V12 LMR is estimated to put out about 580 hp, which in the 1999 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans allowed the German prototype...

We’ve known about the partnership between Daimler and Renault – Nissan for some time now, but it is only today that we get very concrete reminders of the cooperation that involves engine- and technology-sharing between the automakers—the two have just concluded the groundbreaking for a new engine-manufacturing plant in Decherd, Tennessee. While there have been no details as to exactly which engines will be produced in the Tennessee plant, it has been disclosed that these would likely be four-cylinder engines that would be accessible to both automakers, perhaps something similar to the 1.8-liter turbo used in the current C250. Of course, three-cylinders for use in Mercedes-Benz vehicles and 6-cylinders for use in Infiniti vehicles aren’t out of the question. According to Nissan, the plant’s capacity is around 250,000 engines annually. It should take around two years for the automakers to finish building this engine plant in Tennessee and get it to full operational status. There is tremendous potential in this partnership, and many—including us—are expecting that we have yet to see the biggest thing to come out of the Nissan/Daimler deal. Stick around and we’ll surely bring you more news on this when it happens. See original here:  Groundbreaking for Mercedes-Benz/Infiniti Tennessee Plant

Hypermilers are an interesting bunch. You know the ones; they draft behind tractor trailers, coast to stops, take more right turns, etc. In other words, completely annoying when you have to get somewhere in a hurry. When gas prices get high though you think hey maybe there is a little something to this (no, not really…). Anyhow, Volkswagen is trumpeting a new record made in the Passat TDI by John and Helen Taylor. They achieved an astonishing 84.1 (by VW’s calculations) mpg on the trip. They covered 1,626.1 miles on just one tank of gas, traveling from Houston, Texas to Sterling, Virginia. Wow, we’d like to be getting that kind of mileage right about now. The trip took three days. The Taylors have a website called Fuel Academy, and over the the years they logged more than 90 fuel economy and vehicle-related records. They also teach classes with the aim of training drivers to drive more efficiently. VW is aiming to highlight real-life stories about its cars, such as the 500,000 mile Jetta that was torn apart recently by VW engineers. We wouldn’t be surprised to see more of these things happen in the future. The EPA numbers on the Passat are very impressive. 43 MPG for a large sedan like the Passat is an attractive proposition. We wouldn’t be surprised to see sales of the TDI shoot up if gas prices remain this way. The U.S buying public has always been reluctant to diesels; blame the old Mercedes turbo diesels of the 1970s and 1980s for creating a bad image. Sentiment may be changing though; even General Motors is launching a Cruze diesel. A heavy advertising campaign is expected to go along with it that will aim to educate people about modern diesel engines. We’ll see how it works – things change when gas gets above $4 a gallon. If you’re interested, Autoblog Green has a whole gallery of images that includes exhaustive documentation of the trip. No related posts. Automoblog.net – A Car Blog for Auto Enthusiasts View original here:  Volkswagen Passat TDI Sets New Record of 84.1 MPG

Even with their low cost of ownership , some have speculated that the electric car movement is being driven more by regulations than by consumer demand. Specifically, they’re referring to regulations in the state of California that demand major automakers sell a set number of “zero emissions” (i.e. electric or fuel-cell) cars in the state. Each of the biggest six automakers that sells cars in the state is subject to increasing quotas every year. Now those mandates are being updated to require more automakers to sell more electric cars starting in 2018. The main change to the program is that almost all major automakers who sell cars in the state will be subject to minimum zero-emissions vehicle sales requirement. The six companies currently subject to the mandate include the Detroit 3, plus the three largest Japanese automakers: Nissan, Honda, and Toyota. The current regulations are extremely complicated. Governed by California’s Air Resources Board (CARB), the regulations give partial credits for various emissions-reduction technologies on regular cars, additional credits for meeting targets ahead of the mandate’s time frame, credits for certain zero-emissions technologies such as drive batteries and motors, and a more credit for longer electric vehicle range. Fuel-cell vehicles get more credits than battery electric cars, because of their longer range and shorter refueling time. Starting in 2018, additional automakers, such as BMW, Hyundai and Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Volkswagen, and Volvo, will be required to sell zero-emissions vehicles in the state. Only automakers who sell fewer than 20,000 total vehicles in California would be exempt. In addition, the new standards will get simpler. Instead of credits for lots of different factors, the 2018 requirement gives credits only based on the length of the electric range. Ten other states have also adopted California’s zero-emissions vehicle regulation. Since credits are banked, and can be bought and sold, CARB says it’s hard to know how many electric or fuel-cell cars will actually be sold. But one thing is certain: we’ll be seeing more of them in California and beyond in the years ahead. See our guide to fuel economy and guide to alternative fuels ....

Car and Driver aims to find out what is the best entry-level luxury sports sedan and what’s a better way than driving comparable models from the premium brands: BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Infiniti. The Volvo S60 T6 AWD is thrown in the mix as well. So, here we have the 2012 BMW 328i vs. 2012 Audi A4 2.0T, 2012 Infiniti G25, 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport, 2012 Volvo S60 T6 AWD. With the new generation F30 328i, BMW moved away from the six-cylinder engine and into the era of four-cylinder turbocharged units. Initially the move was received with skepticism by consumers and BMW fans, but recent tests have proven that the four-banger is a phenomenal unit. The 2.0 liter I4 makes 240 horsepower and 255 lb-ft of torque, compared with 230 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque found in the previous E90 328i. The C250 from Mercedes is now powered by a turbocharged 201-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder instead of a 228-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 found in previous iteration. Torque is now up to 229 lb-ft. The 2012 Audi A4 has embraced four-cylinder power since the 1997 model, but the 2012 model makes use of turbocharging and direct fuel injection to produce 211 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque from a 2.0-liter unit. Infiniti and Volvo are the only two brands in this pack to still use a six-cylinder engine. The Infiniti G25′s 2.5-liter V-6 produces 218 hp and 187 lb-ft of torque, while the Volvo S60 T6 is powered by a 300-hp, 325 lb-ft of torque, 3.0-liter turbocharged-and-intercooled inline-six. Some of you might already be asking the question: is BMW still king in its class? Let’s find out. Print review can be f ound here as well. View post:  Video Review: 2012 BMW 328i vs. 2012 Audi A4 2.0T, 2012 Infiniti G25, 2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 Sport, 2012 Volvo S60 T6 AWD

The Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series is a 510 hp track machine shows its dark side with a big 6.2-liter V-8 Go here to see the original:  Mercedes C63 AMG Coupe Black Series in Magno Night Black Video

The history of Germany’s most traditional motorsport event is an integral part of Mercedes-Benz racing history View post: Mercedes-Benz Classic at the Nürburgring for the ADAC Eifelrennen

How much do you hate going to a gas station? Would plugging your car in every night be even more of a pain? Or would it become a simple routine, much like plugging in your cell phone at night? Those are some of the main questions electric car advocates are asking this week at EVS26, the 26th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles. The answers, of course, depend on what you’re selling. As we discussed yesterday, electric car charging consumes much of the conversation at this year’s event. Traditional electric-car advocates like to point out that in surveys, owners much prefer plugging in to going to a gas station. Now a counterpoint is springing up. Several companies, including Delphi, Siemens. and Qualcomm, have developed inductive charging mats that allow drivers to simply pull into their garage (or another so-equipped parking place) and charge. No plugging necessary. Both the car and the parking space would have to be equipped for such wireless charging. Siemens estimates the installation cost of both parts would run about $2,000, or twice what a corded home charger would cost at that time. Qualcomm has developed a technology that would allow the car to charge if the driver got within 8 or 9 inches of the proper position over the charging pad. That’s enough leeway that as long as the car is between the lines of the parking spot, charging should take place. A dashboard light indicates if the charger isn’t engaged. Inductive charging could be a huge potential benefit for fleet customers such as car-sharing and rental car services, because drivers wouldn’t have to worry about whether the previous driver had remembered to plug in. Looking further out, if such inductive chargers were embedded along popular electric-car byways, they could periodically top up the battery, giving the cars additional range. Or, perhaps more importantly, it could allow automakers to install smaller, lighter, cheaper batteries. As for those who plug in EVs in the meantime, there may be a disconnect between those who have a home charger with a cord installed, and those who don’t. In the United States, charger standards specify the cord be permanently attached to the charger. This makes it simpler than filling with gas. You just drive up, open...

The latest spy photos show substantial updates compared to the standard A-Class syling, updated front end, bumper and wheels Go here to see the original:  Mercedes A25 AMG Spied Testing

Rivals can become the best of friends. At least, when trying to come up with a car project that will enrich the lives of millions. Too good to be true? You better believe it. Daimler AG and BMW are combining their valued resources into a project known as the Visio.M. It actually involves other major players as well, including the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research which is shelling out almost 11 million euros (or $14 million US greens), the Technical University of Munich and other big names in the technology and automotive industries. Don’t be misled – it’s not a super EV car dream project that they’re working on. The Visio.M is geared towards the development of a lightweight electric vehicle with some real safety features. A press release explains that “on the way to mass production of electric vehicles, there are still significant technological hurdles to overcome. Previous small electric vehicles offer only a minimum level of vehicle safety and therefore are not mass-marketable. Electric cars that were derived from gasoline-powered models are usually too heavy and require large and expensive batteries.” This project is definitely something to look forward to for fans of both luxury car brands, apart from word that 2013 will welcome several releases including BMW’s i-Line and Mercedes-Benz’s E-Cell incarnation of the SLS AMG. Yippie ki-yay, folks. Source: gizmag.com Originally posted here: Daimler and BMW join forces on EV project

Nice guys finish last eh? Apparently not if you’re driving the new generation Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV. With its massive build – five doors, increased length and width, less height, heightened arm and leg space – comes more power. That’s right — more power. With a smaller engine, that is. Even without the old V6 3-liter turbo, the new twin-turbo diesel 2100 inline four powerplant sheds the same output at less cost – roughly two-thirds the fuel economy of the old engine. Greater efficiency comes at a price though. Less of a price, actually. It’s price tag is $10,000 less. You get 44 miles per galon, a 1,450km range out of its 93-litre tank, as well as a bunch of savvy features such as automatic start/stop. Of course, improved aerodynamics and brand new electrical systems all help in getting you more miles per drop of diesel. Need we say more? Fans of the brand in New Zealand are already reaping the benefits of the M-Class SUV’s new engines. So why shouldn’t you? Source: nzherald.co.nz Originally posted here:  The new M-Class: More miles at less cost

In the 2012 Dealership Experience Strategy Report, Mercedes-Benz was named among the top automotive companies where dealership experience is concerned. This aspect of the business is considered by Foresight Research, the firm that conducted the study, as an important one because of the changes caused by the recent recession. According to the study, older buyers have been increasingly taking up the share of sales for new vehicles. For these older demographic, more modern forms of marketing communications don’t come into play too often, making the dealership experience an important facet of the sale. The study further concluded that buyers in general tended to go for dealerships that had good inventories, offered financing, and provided quick quote responses, among other things. “With older buyers we historically have seen higher levels of brand and dealership loyalty,” said Foresight Research CEO Steve Bruyn. “That is not the case today. Manufacturers and dealers must refocus their marketing to seasoned buyers.” Foresight Research was founded in 1998 and conducts studies on various purchase decision influences in different industries. See original here: Mercedes-Benz Named Among Top Automakers in Terms of Dealership Experience

Mercedes-Benz USA was once again a partner of the James Beard Foundation in presenting the Best New Restaurant award, which went to Chicago’s Next restaurant in the recently concluded James Beard Foundation Awards held in the Avery Fisher Hall of the Lincoln Center in New York City. Since 2010, Mercedes-Benz USA had already been supporting the James Beard Foundation in a bid to help the organization foster the preservation of culinary heritage and usher in culinary innovation. The James Beard Foundation Awards is known colloquially as “The Oscars of Food” and honors various food professionals in America, from chefs and cookbook authors to restaurant designers and restaurants. “The Mercedes-Benz brand is synonymous with automotive excellence,” said Mercedes-Benz USA VP for Marketing Bernhard Glaser. “Our owners also enjoy fine dining experiences from the best chefs and restaurants across the U.S, and our relationship with James Beard underscores this connection.” Next provides diners with a unique experience and an innovative approach to the restaurant menu. For one, it makes use of a concept involving a first-come-first-served ticketing system. The tickets are released randomly each day, and it has been reported that tickets have fetched for over $3,000 on the secondary market. Another innovation is the shifting menu theme that guarantees diners will get an all-new, all-different experience every 13 months. For all that—and the good food—Next definitely deserves the award. Go here to see the original: MB USA Awards Chicago’s Next as Best New Restaurant