Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz USA check out the following article about the 2010 DTM Driver’s Championship and the Shanghai race.
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The 2010 DTM season has ended at the Shanghai Circuit in China and AMG Driving Academy sponsored driver Paul DiResta is the Driver’s Champion. AMG Mercedes drivers rounded out the top three with Gary Paffett nipping season long points leader Bruno Spengler in this final race. The top placing Audi driver was defending Champion Timo Scheider in 4th. AMG Mercedes had already clinched the DTM Manufacturer’s crown at the penultimate round of the series in Adria.

The final race was won by Paffett in his Salzgitter HWA AMG C-Class, the 9th AMG Mercedes win of the 11 race season,  with DiResta’s second place enough to earn him the crown worn by such legendary AMG drivers before him as Bernd Schneider and Klaus Ludwig. The DTM Driver’s title has not been won by an AMG Mercedes driver since Schneider in 2006.

The Holiday dinner table back in Scotland will be plenty festive as DiResta’s cousin Dario Franchitti won the 2010 Indy 500 and was crowned the Izod Indy Car Series Champion for the second year in a row.

DiResta is now rumored to be headed to Formula One where he has been reserve driver for the Force India Mercedes team. This would open up the best seat in the DTM in the crack HWA Team for 2011.

The 2011 season will again see the specification of the cars frozen at 2009 designs ahead of an all new DTM formula for 2012 when BMW rejoins the series and DTM prepares for their style of racing to be exported around the world including to the US for 2013.

Here are the final standings for the 2010 DTM Driver’s Championship and the Shanghai race- round 11.

Shanghai Round 11
1.  Gary Paffett Salzgitter HWA AMG C-Class
2.  Paul DiResta AMG Driving Academy HWA C-Class
3.  Timo Schieder Abt Sportline Audi A4
4.  Martin Tomczyk Abt Sportline Audi A4
5.  Miguel Molina Abt Rookie Team Audi A4

2011 DTM Driver’s Standings
1.  Paul Di Resta
2.  Gary Paffett
3.  Bruno Spengler
4.  Timo Scheider
5.  Mattias Eckstrom

Here we have a video of Mercedes-Benz’s latest technological innovation in the race towards building the perfect automobile.  This professional driving simulator uses a 360-degree range of landscape imagery as well as 12 meters of rail for transverse motion. This research simulator will enable Mercedes engineers the ability to study driver and vehicle behavior without having the risk of injury or accidents.  Check out the video below to learn more about this Mercedes-Benz driving simulator.

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Mercedes-Benz was rewarded by Euro NCAP with two awards for its anticipatory occupant protection system PRE-SAFE.  PRE-SAFE is linked to the Brake Assist and Electronic Stability Program (ESP), as well as other driver assistance systems, whose sensors can detect critical driving and traffic situations and information to the electronic control units within a matter of milliseconds.  Check out the video below to learn more!

Mercedes-Benz has a great lineup for 2011!  Thanks to Mercedes-Benz TV we have this quick video highlight of Mercedes-Benz at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.  In this video Mercedes introduces its latest models, along with the newest Mercedes edition, the CLS.  We hope you enjoy it!

Not only are all Ray Catena dealerships donating $100 for every car that is sold and delivered through the month of October in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness month, all dealerships are also offering the following service specials.

These offers expire 10/30/10. Donations are cash or check only made out to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Coupon must be presented at time of service. Excludes oil changes and tires. Cannot be combined with other offers.

With every donation, and while supplies last,  you will receive a Limited Edition Breast Cancer Awareness Early Detection Bracelet or a Pocketbook Holder in our service department! See your Service Advisor for details.

We will also be accepting additional donations during this time, so please stop by to visit with us and drop off a donation in support of this very deserving charity.

Today we came across this YouTube video about the Mercedes-Benz Reporter plug-in hybrid pickup truck concept vehicle.  Continue reading below to find out more information about the Reporter and watch the video to learn how this concept pickup truck came to be.

Source: YouTube

MBtech (Mercedes-Benz Technology) will present the Reporter pickup concept study at the Paris Motor Show this weekend.

According to MBtech, the Reporter is more than just a design study. It features what is called the DualX E-Drive drive solution that makes the reporter both a plug-in and full-hybrid vehicle with an all-wheel drive system.

That drive system includes a 70 kW electric motor which powers the rear axle coupled with an independent 1.2 liter, 4-cylinder natural gas combustion engine with a gas exhaust turbocharger driving the front wheels. The 1.2 liter power plant acts as a range and performance extender enabling the Reporter to make a top speed of 130 km/h and have a range of around 300 km in the European Driving Cycle.

Also available on the Reporter concept are three driving modes for the driver to choose from. Those include an “eco” mode for emissions-free city driving, “4range” for long-range economical driving and “4dynamic” that maximizes the power available for all-wheel drive performance.

The Reporter also features a special “Solar Top” which is not a proper solar panel but does generate enough wattage (266 Watts) to power some of the electronics of the vehicle, including the air conditioning, and taking part of the load off of the 12V car battery.

The MBtech Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler AG.

Mercedes-Benz USA announced last week a monthly sales increase of 15% for August with a sales total of 19,674 vehicles, which is a 22.2% increase year-to-date.  Leading the pack with impressive gains is the sporty C-Class with a sales increase of 43.4%, followed by the 9^th generation E-class with an increase of 25.6%.  The versatile M-Class SUV rounded out the top three volume performers with sales of 2,473 for the month.  Also improving on sales gains is the R-Class crossover (up 389.7%) and the commanding G-Class SUV (up 62.2%). The company also sold 56 of its newly launched supercar, the SLS AMG, bringing its year-to-date sales to 321.

For the full article click here.

As some of you may know Mercedes-Benz USA is the Official Vehicle of the US Open and today they announced that they would be participating in the USTA’s environmental strategy by providing fleets of “luxury eco transportation” for the players and VIP transportation.  MBUSA will be positively impacting the US Open’s green initiatives and a new green PSA is expected to feature Alec Baldwin.  For more information on this green initiative check out a portion of the press release below.

Source:  News Blaze/Mercedes-Benz USA

As the Official Vehicle of the US Open, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) announces today that it is a driving force behind the USTA’s commitment to green initiatives by providing Mercedes-Benz S400 HYBRID sedans and Mercedes-Benz F-CELL (Hydrogen Electric Vehicle powered by a fuel cell) vehicles representing 60 percent of the fleet used for player and VIP transportation during the 2010 US Open tournament.

As an innovator in luxury eco-transportation, Mercedes-Benz is dispatching its F-Cell hydrogen fuel vehicles with zero emissions in addition to 75 S400 Hybrid vehicles in an effort to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the US Open tournament. The US Open launched its comprehensive environmental program three years ago and continues to expand green initiatives each year. In 2010, key initiatives include recycling, energy management, composting and utilizing paper products comprised of at least 30% post-consumer waste. In addition, a new green PSA campaign is planned featuring Alec Baldwin.

“We are very excited to participate in the USTA’s environmental strategy and positively impact the US Open green initiatives through the Mercedes-Benz transportation fleet. By tapping our portfolio of eco vehicles, we can provide athletes, staff and officials with green transportation without having to sacrifice luxury or safety,” said Stephen Cannon, Vice President of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA. “Over the next four years, Mercedes-Benz is committed to exploring new ways through innovative eco mobility to help the USTA expand their environmental initiatives.”‘

For the full article click here.

Here are some excerpts from Daimler’s news release about Mercedes-Benz’s July sales.  The article is pretty lengthy, so we decided to provide you with the most important facts from the article relating to the U.S. market.  Happy reading!

July was a promising month for Mercedes-Benz, rising by 17%.  This marked the ninth month in a row that sales have increased at a double-digit rate.  Sales now total 654,400 units since the beginning of the year, representing an increase of 16 percent.  “Our sales figures continue to rise — after a successful first half of the year, the second half has now also begun extremely well with a high growth rate,” says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars.  “Starting this fall, a range of attractive new models will join the E- and S-Class to provide us with additional momentum. The new generation of the R-Class, for example, has met with a very good customer response, and the thoroughly updated CL will ideally supplement our lineup in the luxury segment.”

In addition, Mercedes-Benz is gradually introducing its new and especially efficient six- and eight-cylinder gasoline engines in all model ranges, from the C-Class up. The high-tech direct injection gasoline engines are combined with an enhanced 7GTRONIC automatic transmission with an integrated standard start-stop function. Dr. Schmidt adds: “Our strong product range puts us in a very good position, which is why we can look ahead with optimism. We want sales at Mercedes-Benz to grow at a double-digit rate in full-year 2010.”

The U.S. market continues to be a key pillar for the success of Mercedes-Benz in the second half of the year. In July, Mercedes-Benz boosted sales in the country by seven percent, to 17,400 units. The brand has handed over a total of 121,000 vehicles to customers since the beginning of the year, representing an increase of 20 percent. This performance makes Mercedes-Benz the German premium brand with the highest sales volume in the U.S. since the start of this year.

For full article from Daimler click here.

We’ve got more….you’ve guessed it….SPY SHOTS! Some of you may be thinking what the heck? The Mercedes-Benz B-Class doesn’t exist for United States Mercedes lovers, however that will soon change as Mercedes is planning up to three B-Class variants for the U.S. market!  The hatchback version in these photos (courtesy of LEFTLANE) will likely be a part of the B-Class’ U.S. mix, but two other models are still under consideration as well.  Mercedes-Benz is planning sedan and SUV variants of the next B-Class, giving the premium compact a broader appeal among U.S. buyers.

As you can see in the interior shots the display for the radio and navigation has moved up a bit on the dashboard as well as it seems that the gearstick for the automatic gearbox comes with a steering column gear selector rather than a gearstick in the center console. That will offer more possibilities for storage in the center console.

Look for the next-generation B-Class to debut sometime next year as a 2012 model, with a U.S. sales debut likely a year or two later.

For full article click here.