According to Benz Insider, AAA ranked the Mercedes Benz GL fourth among its list of the Top Commuter Vehicles Offering Efficiency and More.  Ranked alongside the Mercedes Benz GL is the Mini Cooper, Chevrolet Corvette, Buick Enclave, Volkswagon GTI and BMW 3 Series.  We’re pumped about this incredible honor, and can’t wait to hop into the GL and take it for a spin.  Nothing beats luxury and comfort on the morning commute!

We’re excited that the Mercedes Benz SLK Class and the CLK Class made the list for J.D. Powers and Associates 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study in the Compact Premium Sporty Car category.  Mercedes Benz has started the year out right, with a number of awards, including Mercedes Benz USA being named the best place to work in New Jersey.  It’s nice to see that Mercedes Benz is continuing to be recognized as the incredible brand we believe it is.  To see who else made the 2010 Vehicle Dependability list, click here.

I’m sure all of the other Mercedes Benz dealers in NJ will agree with this statement! Here at Ray Catena Mercedes Benz, we’re proud to be members of the Mercedes Benz USA team! That’s why it came as no shock when we read this press release on PR Newswire, which states that Mercedes Benz USA was named the best place to work in New Jersey! The article went on to feature this excellent quote from MBUSA CEO, Ernst Lieb, about his pride for MBUSA workers during the difficult economic climate.

“MBUSA has a long tradition of doing business in the Garden State and we thank our associates for their commitment and dedication that has led to continued success — both here at our headquarters in Bergen County and our regional offices in Parsippany and Robbinsville,” stated Ernst Lieb, President and CEO, MBUSA. “To achieve this accolade during one of the most challenging times in automotive history is a true statement of how unified we are, working together to inspire our entire organization and deliver the dream that customers associate with the Mercedes-Benz brand.”

We couldn’t agree more! Each and every day, we’re proud to be a part of MBUSA!

According to the Benz Insider blog, it looks like the new Mercedes Benz E-Class is making big waves in 2010! Already an award winner in the UK for its noted Attention Assist system, the new Mercedes Benz E-Class appears to now also be in the running for 2010 World Car of the Year, which will be announced at the Geneva Motor Show next month.  The new Mercedes Benz E-Class was also nominated in the 2010 World Performance Car of the Year category.  It’s already starting to feel like a great year for Mercedes Benz.  What are your predictions for the rest of 2010? Leave your thoughts and comments below!

PRNewswire announced today that Mercedes Benz has been ranked among Fortune magazine’s ‘100 Top Companies to Work For’!  We already know what an incredible honor it is to be an employee of Mercedes Benz, but check out the excerpt below for what Fortune editors and MBUSA President and CEO, Ernst Lieb had to say about this amazing recognition.

“FORTUNE Deputy Managing Editor Hank Gilman says, “The most important considerations for this year’s list were hiring and the ways in which companies are helping their employees weather the recession.  All 100 companies on our list are currently hiring, many of them aggressively, leading to more than 96,000 open job positions expected in the next year.”

“This is gratifying if you believe, as we do, that in order for a company to achieve long-term success, particularly in this economic environment, it has to have the full engagement, commitment and passion of its employees,” stated Ernst Lieb, President and CEO, MBUSA.  ”Only then can you inspire your retail network to do the same and deliver the dream that customers associate with the Mercedes-Benz brand.”‘

Look for Mercedes Benz and the other ‘100 Top Companies to Work For’ in Fortune’s February 8th issue, on newsstands January 25th.

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 International Engine of the Year Awards have become one of the most sought-after automotive accolades and an effective marketing tool for triumphant marques.

Judged by a panel of 65 renowned motoring journalists from 32 countries as disparate as the USA, Japan, China, Russia, New Zealand, India, Korea, Germany, France, Romania, South Africa, Mexico and the UK, the Awards highlight and acknowledge engine engineering excellence.

Judges apply their impressions from driving today’s latest cars to help them find the powerplants that offer the best driveability, performance, economy, and refinement, and reward manufacturers for the successful application of advanced engine technology.

And with that, comes the 2009 winner for Best Performance Engine, the AMG 6.2L power house. “This is an incredible engine – my neck hurt during the second day of testing!” – Christophe Congrega from L’Automobile Magazine

For some, an engine can transcend its role as an automotive power device and become a living, breathing thing. For those people, the Mercedes-AMG 6.2-litre V8 was devised. And in this case, AMG has created an angry, snarling monster.

Technology has been stretched to its limits to create the most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 engine in its class, with up to 525bhp and 630Nm of torque, depending on application – enough to ensure acceleration from 0-100km/h (0-62mph) in a mere 4.6 seconds.

In fact, Mercedes has put this AMG unit to good use. The powerplant is available in various states of tune, ranging from 451bhp in the CLK up to 518bhp in the CL, and is built in the AMG engine shop on the ‘one man, one engine’ principle, with one technician being responsible for hand-assembling a complete engine.

What makes the engine unusual is that motorsport DNA has made it a high-revving, large-displacement beast, due to its lightweight, rigid closed-deck crankcase and its cylinder walls with revolutionary LDS coating, as well as valve gear with bucket-type tappets in the cylinder heads for high engine speeds. Together with the variable intake manifold with two integrated throttle flaps, the flow-optimised intake and exhaust ducts ensure perfect cylinder charging and a high output. In short, it has a 7,200rpm redline for those brave enough to go for it.

Not convinced? Just consider the weapons-grade engines that AMG defeated to win this prize. Two of BMW’s mighty M engines failed to meet the AMG in the judges’ eyes, with both a V8 and a V10 falling behind, Porsche’s 3.8-litre flat-six and Jaguar’s supercharged V8 faltered, and Ferrari’s V12 didn’t even come close. Still not convinced? Just listen to one being driven in anger.

Christophe Congrega from L’Automobile Magazine tried one and lived to say, “This is an incredible engine – my neck hurt during the second day of testing!”

Courtesy of: International Engine of the Year Awards