We stumbled upon this video on the Mercedes-Benz Blog, and couldn’t wait to share it with you guys!  It’s an interesting look at how Mercedes Benz designers view the idea of the green automobile.  Follow the concept of Mercedes Benz environmentally efficient automobiles, which, according to the video does not come in place of, but in addition to the already amazing features each Mercedes Benz car has to offer.  Check out the video below, or head over to the Mercedes-Benz Blog for more information.

We’ll admit it, we’re a little bit obsessed with the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, but look at this car! It’s incredible.  The folks over at Inside Line recently posted some awesome shots (and a great article) of the 2011 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG driving on ice-covered roads.  This hit a soft spot for us, since our Mercedes Benz dealers in New Jersey have been dealing with the harsh winter weather elements for several weeks now.  Driving on ice is definitely unsafe, and we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who isn’t a professional driver.  But, boy does the winter white background made this car look sleek!

News of the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG is everywhere, and we can understand why! This car is a beauty! As if the gullwing doors weren’t enough of a draw, the sleek body and powerful speed officially make this car one we can’t wait to cruise around town in.  The SLS AMG is set to hit Europe in mid 2010 before making it’s way here to the U.S. some time in 2011.  In preparation for it’s European arrival, the German’s have aired a TV commercial in which the SLS AMG, with great speed and accuracy, loops a tunnel.  The commercial proves that the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG is an automobile for those who crave speed and style.  As the German tag line at the end of the commercial implies, the SLS AMG is more than just another car! Wunderbar!

Mercedes-Benz has provided Jay Leno with a 6.2-liter V8 (M156) to put into his vintage 300SEL 6.3.

the M156 uses a traditional wet-sump setup, as opposed to the SLS’ M159, with its dry-sump lubrication system, bespoke internals and magnesium intake manifold. The M156 is used in many Mercedes-Benz AMG models, such as the S63, SL63 and E63 AMG. It’s only down 45 bhp from its gullwing sibling, putting out 518 hp rather than the SLS’ 563 hp

Source: BenzInsider

Power comes from a 6.2L V8 making 563-hp with a maximum torque of 479 lb-ft of torque. Mated to an E-SELECT system that controls the AMG SPEEDSHIFT DCT 7-speed sports transmission the SLS AMG can go from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.7 seconds  with a top speed of 196 mph. It will be offered in an exclusive Desert Gold.

Check out the awesome video above. This color looks amazing against the desert sand.  Those camels seem pretty excited chasing after this beautiful vehicle!

Video and information courtesy of Carversation.

Source: Auto Blog

Ask us to pick our favorite Mercedes-Benz products of all time and towards the top of that list sits this: The 1968-1972 300SEL 6.3. Introduced at the 1968 Geneva Motor Show, the original 6.3 was the product of one rogue Mercedes engineer who took the 109-series Type 300 SEL sedan and shoved the Type 600 limo’s 6.3-liter V8 underhood. The heart transplant was good for 250 horsepower, allowed the Teutonic sled to rocket to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds, top out at 136 mph and made it the fastest road-going sedan of the time.

Not only did the 6.3 out accelerate the Porsche 911 S and Jaguar E-Type 4.2, with it’s pneumatic suspension, anti-dive control and four-wheel disc brakes, it could dance as well as it could surge. And of course, Jay Leno has a 1969 example parked in his So. Cal. stable.

During a press event earlier this month, Jay and the Mercedes crew held a little soiree at his “shop” and revealed Leno’s plans to swap in the 6.2-liter V8 from the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG into his 40-year-old sedan. The union of the 300SL and the 563-hp AMG-fettled mill apparently has Mercedes’ blessing, as the automaker’s engineerings are helping Jay with the swap. Naturally, we can’t wait to see and hear the results, and we’d expect a video of the reborn beast to be up in the coming months.

Source: Auto Spies

The current engine from the Mercedes-Benz AMG lineup — the normally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 – will be replaced by a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 beginning late next year. In an interview with Inside Line, Dr. Thomas Weber, member of the board at Daimler AG Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, said that all 2011 Mercedes-Benz models with V8 engines will be turbocharged.

However, Dr. Weber failed to disclose how much horsepower the engine has. But considering the current trend toward more usable and more environmentally friendly horsepower, it’s expected that the numbers won’t be much higher than those of the current engines. Mercedes says that it won’t only be AMG vehicles that will get turbocharged next year. Dr. Weber says that standard Mercedes-Benz vehicles will also be getting a twin-turbo V8 in the 4.5- to 5.0-liter range. We’ll most likely get more information during the official announcement at the 2010 Paris Auto Show next September.

[via insideline]

Sure-footed four-corner traction: Standard. Height-adjustable rear AirMatic suspension for deep-snow ground clearance: Standard. Luggage-rack rails ready to accept your Thule ski-rack: Standard (and low enough to show off your Dynastar Ferrari sticks at a comfortable viewing height). Seating for seven (okay, five and two-halves): Standard. Iconic style and a hood ornament that commands respect from the apres-ski club valets: Standard. Could there be a more perfect vehicle than the new Mercedes E-Class wagon for driving up to Deer Valley, Whistler, or Hochgurgl, Austria?

Mercedes-Benz invited us to the latter (if you can say it without dislodging any phlegm, you get a night free) to sample its new E350 4Matic Wagon’s suitability to wintry driving. The visit started with a tech briefing held in an igloo and concluded with a driving session on some of the most nicely groomed parking lots and most gorgeous snow-covered mountain roads on planet earth.

First, you should know that the new E-Class wagon will only be available with the 3.5-liter V-6 and all-wheel-drive. The wicked E63 AMG wagon is finished, at least for the time being. Please observe a moment of silence for its passing. Thank you. Next, you may be encouraged to hear that the latest iteration of 4Matic is lighter (adding just 100 pounds), more compact, and–teamed with the new seven-speed automatic–more efficient (improving by as much as 2.3 mpg on the EPA driving cycle). Its planetary center differential still provides a natural 45:55 front:rear torque split, with slippage at either axle causing friction in the pre-loaded center differential clutch to send as much as 70 percent of the torque to the axle with the best grip.

Mercedes still relies on individual wheel braking to equalize torque side to side or front to rear as needed beyond what the center diff can do. We find this to be a perfectly acceptable solution for on-road vehicles coping with momentary traction losses due to rain, snow or ice (using the brakes to go forward in a hill-climbing off-roader is nowhere near as effective or desirable as proper torque-directing differentials).

And indeed in a series of exercises on a large groomed-snow-covered parking lot, the fourth-generation 4Matic system and its coterie of backup electronic assistants functioned exactly as planned. With all systems on, the car faithfully cleaves to the driver’s intended driving line — at least to the extent that physics can allow (which is impressively high when the various electromechanical traction assistants are abetted by a set of Continental ContiWinterContact footwear). Switch ASR off and deep prods at the accelerator are rewarded with satisfying countersteerworthy slides at 30 or 40 degrees of slip angle (after which the systems step back in to reign in the fun)

Read more.

By Scott Evans at Motor Trend Magazine

Closing the sale is just about the most important thing in business, because without the sale you’re out of      business. Any good salesman will tell you, though, that getting the customer to keep coming back is nearly as important. Earlier this week, we looked at the brands with the happiest customers at closing, but today, it’s all about customer retention.

J.D. Power has released its annual customer retention survey for 2009 and this year’s big winner is Mercedes-Benz. Not only did the German luxury car-maker top the survey, but at 67% customer retention, it achieved the highest score in the survey’s seven-year history. Even more impressive is the fact that Mercedes-Benz also improved its customer retention by a full 8% over 2008 to beat second-place Honda and third-place Toyota. The highest-ranked domestic automaker was Ford at 56%.

“Mercedes-Benz has steadily improved its customer retention rates during the past five years, and in 2009, has achieved the highest rate ever attained by a manufacturer since the inception of the study,” said Raffi Festekjian, director of automotive product research at J.D. Power and Associates. “In particular, customers cite the resale value and appearance and styling of Mercedes-Benz models as primary reasons to remain loyal to the brand.”

Like all trends, the factors in brand loyalty most important to consumers tend to change regularly. Last year, safety, fuel economy, and deals/incentives showed the biggest rise in importance to consumers when considering brand loyalty. This year, the importance of resale value jumped 12% while the importance of quality jumped 6% as consumers become more thrifty in response to the country’s economic troubles.

“Although there are some signs of economic recovery, the outlook remains uncertain, so for many new-vehicle buyers, high resale value and quality are particularly important considerations that are driving purchase behavior,” said Festekjian. “Whether manufacturers are striving to increase loyalty or conquesting buyers from other brands, offering attractively styled models and having strong customer perceptions of resale value and quality are critical.”

While there was much fluctuation for individual brands in 2009, the overall industry average for customer retention held steady at 48%. Rising competition in the down market saw 13 of the 36 brands surveyed post increases in customer retention while 20 brands lost ground. This year’s most-improved are Porsche and Mini, up 14% respectively. For Porsche, resale value, fuel economy and quality contributed heavily. For Mini, it was incentives and resale value. Saab, meanwhile, came in last with just 9% of customers retained.

The study surveyed 128,939 new-owners and lessees between February and May 2009 and August and October 2009. Of them, 74,610 replaced a vehicle that they had bought or leased new.

Read more.

The duct tape and cardboard has finally come off, and we can start showing you the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in all its Gullwing glory.You’re no doubt familiar with the mighty SLS AMG, the first automobile built entirely from scratch by Mercedes-Benz’s Affalterbach-based performance division, AMG.

In July, MotorTrend editor-at-large Arthur St. Antoine tackled the Nurburgring in a pre-production prototype of the new Gullwing supercar, powered by the AMG-built, naturally aspirated, DOHC, 6208cc V-8. Among some 120 changes to the engine for SLS duty include forged pistons, modded cams, a new exhaust system, and, perhaps most important, a new dry sump system that helps lower the car’s center of gravity, eliminating the need for an oil pan. Power is a thundering 571 hp at 6800 rpm (torque checks in at 479 pound-feet at 4750 rpm).

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