S-Class Coupé “Night Edition”

Mercedes-Benz is extending its range of exclusive models with the arrival of the S-Class Coupé: “Night Edition”. This two-door model will be available to order as a S 400 4MATIC Coupé; S 500 Coupé and S 500 4MATIC Coupé.

The exterior equipment details of the S-Class Coupé “Night Edition” include its distinctive radiator grille with a single louvre in high-gloss black, together with 20-inch AMG multi-spoke light-alloy wheels. The exclusive wheels are painted black and feature high-sheen detailing. The exterior mirror housings and the inserts in the side sill panels are also finished in high-gloss black. Front and rear aprons with AMG bodystyling come as standard, with “Night Edition” badges on the front wings. Selenite grey magno paint comes as standard.

The interior features engraved “Night Edition” wording on the insert of the nappa leather AMG sports steering wheel. Customers can choose from upholstery in leather, nappa leather or AMG nappa leather in black/black; crystal grey/black; saddle brown/black; or Bengal red/black; while a high-gloss black poplar wood trim comes as standard.

Boasting a stylish appearance, generous equipment and refined driving characteristics, the S-Class Coupé combines modern luxury with state-of-the-art technology.

Technical data at a glance:
S 400 4MATIC Coupé - V6 2996cc - 367hp & 500Nm
S 500 Coupé - V8 4663cc - 455hp & 700Nm
S 500 4MATIC Coupé - V8 4663cc - 455hp & 700Nm

The Night Edition S-Class Coupé  will celebrate its world premiere at the Detroit auto show in January 2017.

Mercedes-Benz continues its sales drive, notching up another record performance this month (March 2015) selling an impressive 183,467 vehicles - an increase of 15.7% over last year. This is the highest sales total ever seen by Mercedes-Benz in a single month. Year-to-date sales are also impressive - 429,602 vehicles have been handed over to customers, an increase of 14.8% over the previous year.

Mercedes-Benz and TopGear Magazine awards

Mercedes-Benz scooped two important awards at the recent BBC TopGear Magazine Awards, crowning a successful year in the UK with Mercedes-Benz UK making history by selling over 100,000 cars within a year. Likewise, Mercedes-AMG continues to set new records with registrations up by 58 per cent for the year to date.

The fastest-accelerating Mercedes-Benz production car ever, the 631 hp SLS AMG Coupé Black Series, Series has been crowned ‘Lairy Car of the Year', the judges commenting: "It looks like it wants to bite your leg off, but actually it bear hugs you and covers your back like a best mate. It is lairy but not scary."

Drawing on the lessons learned on-track from the SLS AMG GT3 customer sport racing car, which has enjoyed tremendous success worldwide, the SLS AMG Coupé Black Series is the most extreme expression of the SLS AMG Coupé created to date and is capable of accelerating to 62 mph in just 3.6 seconds and has a top speed limited to 195 mph. Tobias, Moers Chairman of the Management Board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, said: "Thanks for the award - that's pretty much what we were aiming for with the car. The SLS AMG Coupé Black Series promises pure, unadulterated Driving Performance and is the ultimate choice for extremely quick lap times and exciting driving experiences."

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class was crowned BBC TopGear Luxury Car of the Year. According to the BBC TopGear Magazine judges: "There is no other luxury car half as deserving of the tag. It is the pinnacle of technical achievement and technological advancement." Created with the aim of being the ‘best car in the world', the new S-Class takes comfort, refinement, safety and personalisation to new levels the TopGear award proves that Mercedes-Benz engineers have achieved their aims.

Book review: Return to Glory! – The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Racing Car

1952 was one of the most important years in Mercedes-Benz racing history; after a 13-year absence, the marque returned to motor sport competition with an automobile that rewrote the history of modern sports car racing. The 300 SL's debut was the culmination of a long, difficult road back to racing for Mercedes-Benz. This book (limited to just 1500 copies worldwide) vividly depicts the 300 SL's performance in the five races in which it competed in 1952, and tells the story of how it became the most successful competition sports car of that year.

Through dramatic photographs, and equally stirring text, one of the greatest years of sports car racing is brought to life, filled with automobiles often finished in national racing colours, prepared by great factory teams, driven by men who were national sporting idols, and raced under gruelling conditions unique to the age.

From its Mille Miglia debut, through the Nürburgring (the first Mercedes-Benz victory at Le Mans), the Le Mans 24 Hours, to its greatest race, the Carrera Panamericana (highlighting the climactic Mercedes-Ferrari battle), the 300 SL's career from conception |(including design and development) to retirement is presented, culminating with a detailed photographic essay illustrating restoration of the oldest 300 SL in existence. The books reveals Alfred Neubauer's world-class leadership and strategy skills, provides details of Fangio's first race for Mercedes-Benz and is a treasure trove of evocative historic photographs with informative captions.

Return to Glory! by Robert Ackerson
ISBN: 9781845846176UPC: 6-36847-04617-0

Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG

 

The new Mercedes-Benz S 65 AMG uses twelve cylinders, 5980ccm and two turbochargers to produce 630 bhp and 1000 Newton-metres of torque - making it the most powerful vehicle in its market segment. It reaches 62 mph in 4.3 seconds, gliding effortlessly to a governed 155 mph.

Despite this impressive engine performance the S 65 AMG offers improved fuel economy over the out-going V221 model as well as complying fully with Euro 6 exhaust emissions requirements, it even comes with a Start/Stop function for those really wanting to feel eco-friendly.

The hand-built V12 AMG engine is mated to a new 7 speed AMG Speedshift Plus 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox which has dramatically improved the performance of the S 65 in all conditions - this includes a greater emphasis on fuel economy especially when the transmission is place into C (Controlled Efficiency) mode - there are also Sport (S) and Manual (M) modes which focus more on power and speed than outright efficiency.

In order to handle the performance offered by the 630 bhp engine the S 65 uses the most modern suspension system currently available; using Magic Body Control  and a stereo camera the AMG is actually able to recognise road surface undulations and changes in advance and alter the suspension settings accordingly, prior to actually driving on the changes in surface.

As with every S 65 technological advancementsAMG are to the fore - this time two new innovations make their debut in the S 65 : the head-up display and the Touchpad. The head-up display projects important information such as vehicle speed, speed limits, navigation information, traffic signs and information from Distronic Plus onto the windscreen - appearing to float on the bonnet around two metres in front of the driver. The new, innovative Mercedes-Benz Touchpad makes it significantly easier to operate the radio, telephone and navigation system. Unlike in conventional systems, the touch pad makes it possible to operate all infotainment functions. The touch pad is controlled in the same way as a smart phone or tablet PC: it can recognise one- and two-finger gestures, swipe gestures and zoom gestures through intuitive widening and narrowing of the fingers. It is also possible to enter letters, numbers and special characters using handwriting, as an alternative to the touch pad, the driver can also use the Comand controller and Linguatronic for the control of radio, telephone and navigation system.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class for 2014 BTCC

Current British Touring Car Championship team Ciceley Racing have announced that they plan to build and race a new NGTC-spec Mercedes-Benz A-Class in the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The team, which will become the first team to run a Mercedes in the series, took the decision to run the A-Class in conjunction with title sponsors Ciceley Commercials Mercedes-Benz Truck and Van dealership. 

Currently there is no works support for the project, Mercedes continue to focus their touring car efforts on the DTM, 2013 having been a reasonably unsuccessful year for the marque thus far. A successful debut season for Ciceley Racing's A-Class may well alert the Stuttgart marque to the BTCC.

The Ciceley Racing A-Class will be one of the few front wheel drive Mercedes to have ever taken to the race track, luckily the BTCC regulations balance FWD and RWD perfectly ensuring that Ciceley Mercedes and driver, Adam Morgan, could well be battling rival German marques Audi and BMW for race wins from the first race of the 2014 season.

With the BTCC being dominated by Honda Civics of late a Mercedes Benz A-Class could well be an inspired choice, it is certainly a very welcome choice with series boss Alan Gow welcoming the move “It will be great to see a Mercedes-Benz on the grid, to add to the already huge roll-call of other great brands competing in the BTCC."

Smart ForJoy - IAA Concept

The IAA in Frankfurt is the debut show for Smart's FourJoy concept which, according to Smart themselves, previews its new four seater (ForFour) model that is due to go on sale in late 2014.

The ForJoy offers glimpses of the new ForFour as well as traditional concept car styling. The Smart FourJoy does not have any doors nor does it have roof or tailgate glass but its silhouette and dimensions are expected to be very close to the new incarnation of the ForFour (which was dropped in 2006 because of poor sales). The ForJoy is a design study that focuses on adventure and pleasure (why else would you include two electric powered longboards??) but lurking underneath is an important model for Smart, their return to 'family' motoring. Whilst the FourJoy emphasises the traditional Smart Tridion cell (an exposed metal frame or exo-skeleton to which the body panels attach.) by using polished aluminium, the production model will use less dramatic painted steel. Expect a return to original Smart styling for the rear lights though, these are almost certain to follow the ForJoy's lead and be sculptured within the rear Tridion area.

The production version of the ForFour may well have both the electric drive line from the ForJoy and current ForTwo (55kW motor) as well as a new 900cc three-cylinder direct-injection petrol engine.

The new Smart ForFour will be built alongside the new (3rd generation) Renault Twingo Slovenia, continuing the tradition of the ForFour being a joint venture.

DTM - Brands Hatch

Mike Rockenfeller used his inherited pole position to take a dominant win in the DTM race at Brands Hatch, leading from the outset Rockenfeller led all bar a few laps benefiting from perfect strategy for this the British round of the DTM. Bruno Spengler took an inherited second place once Augusto Farfus's BMW coasted into retirement.
Superior tyre strategy and a yellow flag penalty for Gary Paffet allowed  Robert Wickens to claim the final podium position, finishing highest placed Mercedes driver as well. The penalised Paffet dropped behind BMW drivers Marco Wittmann and Joey Hand to sixth overall, just in front of former champion Mattias Ekstrom in his Audi.
Rockenfeller now leads the championship but the close nature of the racing, enhanced by the Hankook tyres means any of 10 drivers could be crowned DTM champion at the end of the season.

Top 10 results:-

1. Mike Rockenfeller - Audi

2. Bruno Spengler - BMW

3. Robert Wickens - Mercedes

4. Marco Wittmann - BMW

5. Joey Hand - BMW

6. Gary Paffett - Mercedes

7. Mattias Ekstrom - Audi

8. Christian Vietoris - Mercedes

9. Timo Scheider - Audi

10. Pascal Wehrlein - Mercedes

DTM - Brands hatch

After Martin Tomczyk's BMW M3 was found to be under-weight the starting grid for the Brands Hatch DTM race looks like this:-

1  M. Rockenfeller - Audi

2  A. Farfus - BMW

3  J.Hand - BMW

4  B. Spengler - BMW 

5  T. Scheider - Audi

6  M. Wittmann - BMW

7  A.Priaulx - BMW

8  E. Mortara - Audi

9  M. Molina - Audi

10  T. Glock - BMW

11  G. Paffett - Mercedes

12  M. Ekström - Audi

13  R. Wickens - Mercedes

14  D. Werner - BMW

15  A. Tambay - Audi

16  C. Vietoris - Mercedes

17  J. Green - Audi

18  F. Albuquerque - Audi

19  R. Merhi - Mercedes

20  P. Wehrlein - Mercedes

21  D. Juncadella - Mercedes

22  M. Tomczyk - BMW

 Live coverage of the Nürburgring 24 hours:-

http://www.24h-rennen.de/live/

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Chinese Grand Prix preview

Shanghai International Circuit facts & stats

The scale of the Shanghai International Circuit is breathtaking. Built on marshland in 2003, the track sits on more than 40,000 stabilising concrete pillars and its infrastructure is bigger and bolder than at any other circuit on the Formula 1 calendar.

The track is a good technical challenge for the teams and drivers with some high-speed changes of direction and a 1km back straight offering a challenge to find the least compromised set-up. One of the most demanding corners on the lap is Turn One, a tightening right-hander entered at speeds in excess of 300km/h with an apex speed or 70km/h. It places the left-front tyre under prolonged stress, which has an impact on wear rates and race strategy.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has a strong record in the Chinese Grand Prix. The team has won the race three times and finished on the podium on seven further occasions.

Race distance               56 Laps (189.568 miles/305.066km)

Start time                     15:00 (local)/07:00 (GMT)

Circuit length               3.387 miles/5.451km

2011 winner                 Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) 56 laps in 1hr 36m58.226s (188.758km/h)

2011 pole                     Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) 1m33.706s (209.416km/h)

Lap record                   Michael Schumacher (Ferrari 2004) 1m32.238s (212.749km/h)

McLaren at the Chinese Grand Prix

Wins                3 (2008, 2010, 2011)

Poles               2 (2007, 2008)

Fastest laps      3 (2005, 2008, 2010)

Car 3: Jenson Button

Age      32 (January 19 1980)

GPs      210

Wins    13

Poles   7

FLs      7

You called the Malaysian Grand Prix a “bad day in the office” – does that change your preparations for this weekend’s race in Shanghai?

“Not really, it makes you a little keener to get back in the cockpit as you’re always a bit more determined to be looking ahead rather than looking back. But, like I say, it doesn’t really make any difference. In fact, the three-week break has been extremely relaxing – I was able to get away, relax and keep training. It’s still the start of a very long season, so it’s good to keep fit and refreshed. I’ve usually gone well in Shanghai, it’s a circuit I really enjoy and I’m looking forward to the race weekend.”

You memorably won here in 2010 – what is it about the circuit that makes it special?

“Well, the facilities are amazing, but it’s a very good, modern circuit – the first two sectors are pretty technical, there are some interesting combinations of corners and you need a good, responsive car to go well. Then the track opens up, the straight is one of the longest in Formula 1 – it just keeps going – then you’re into the hairpin and the final turn, both of which offer good opportunities for overtaking. There’s no one particular corner that stands out, but that’s good, because it means they’ve done a good job with the whole track.

“And if it rains, then it’s going to be another extremely unpredictable race as we’re all still learning about the cars and tyres in damp conditions. Whatever happens, it should be interesting.”

What will be the key to a good race performance in 2012?

“There will be the usual set-up compromises: setting the car up to offer good downforce through some of the faster corners, but without sacrificing too much speed along the straights. We saw different teams address that balance in different ways over the first two races, so it will be interesting to see if things start to converge this weekend after a few weeks back in Europe.

“Tyre wear will also be very important – last year we saw a real disparity between the compounds – so getting the preparation right will be crucial.”

Car 4: Lewis Hamilton

Age      27 (January 7 1985)

GPs      92

Wins    17

Poles   21

FLs      11

You opened your winning account in China last year, are you hoping for the same this season?

“I’m looking at the championship as a whole – although, of course, I’d love to win every race, it’s more important to be in a good points-scoring position at every race. I think the first two races have shown that, as a team, we’re definitely in positions to win.

“I think Malaysia was a good example of how to pick up points when you’re looking at the championship – and that was something I really took away as a positive from that race. But yeah, I’ll be heading to China looking to win – but it’s just as important to pick up some good points if, for whatever reason, a win isn’t on the cards.”

What do you like about the Shanghai International Circuit?

“I have some vivid memories of racing in China – some good, some not so good! I’ve won there twice – both were victories I’m really proud of: in 2008, it was a very important race, and I really needed a good result for the championship – we had a pretty much perfect weekend with pole position, fastest lap and the race win. Then in 2011, coming off the back of a difficult weekend in Malaysia, I had a great race, kept pushing every lap and managed to take the lead right at the end. It was a very important win because it showed that we could be a force in the championship that year.”

Your two third positions have consolidated your position in the championship – is that the key to a good season? 

“I won’t deny that I’m disappointed to have had two pole positions and not to have been able to convert either of them into victories, but I prefer to think of it that luck just hasn’t been on my side, and that it will swing my way sooner or later.

“I also think last year taught me the value of consistency: it’s no use chasing a great result if you can't back it up with another strong finish the following week. So maybe I’m just playing myself in gently: after all, in 2007, I didn’t win a race until the sixth round, and I was in the hunt for the title all through the year. I still don’t think the pecking order has settled down yet, so it’s important to get some good results in the bag while we can. It will be very interesting to see how the order has shaken itself out over the last three weeks – it’s going to be an interesting weekend.”

Martin Whitmarsh

Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

“The Chinese Grand Prix is a race in which we’ve traditionally gone very well – we’ve won three of the past four races here, all of which have come through faultless performances from Jenson and Lewis – and we head to Shanghai this year keen to add to that tally.

“While there are mixed feelings to have only been able to convert two all-front-row starting positions into one race win, everybody here at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes feels extremely encouraged by our pace in the first two grands prix of the season.

“Make no mistake, however: we’re acutely aware that our rivals won’t have stood still during the past three weeks. We’ve certainly been extremely busy, too, and we don’t take anything for granted: if the overall competitive order was a little hard to read in the first two races, I have no doubt that it will start to become clearer next weekend, and I strongly believe that, once again, it will be closely fought at the front.”

Mercedes-Benz Euro 5 Vito Taxi

Mercedes-Benz UK is promoting the Mercedes-Benz Euro 5 Vito Taxi as a solution for London taxi drivers looking to change their tired Hackney carriages.
Steve Bridge, Van Sales and Marketing Director at Mercedes-Benz, said: “Mercedes-Benz has long been associated with public transport; in 1898 the world’s first bus was launched by Daimler – a milestone for passenger travel. Fast-forward to today and we are still pioneering and leading the way in terms of comfort and efficiency for both driver and customer with the new Euro 5 Vito Taxi. We are delighted to be offering the special London initiative programme and look forward to welcoming more drivers to become part of Mercedes-Benz public transport story.”
The new Euro 5 Mercedes-Benz Vito Taxi is setting the standard for taxis in London and other cities. Offering remarkable versatility and unprecedented levels of comfort, including six seats for fares, the Vito Taxi delivers significant improvements in fuel economy, lower emissions and a stress-free ride for both taxi driver and passenger.
The Vito Taxi also boasts a highly promising array of technical merits: the state-of-the-art 4-cylinder CDI engines and BlueEFFICIENCY models set standards in terms of economy and sustainability.
All four CDI diesel engines meet the requirements of the Euro 5 emissions standard and consume far less fuel than the predecessor engines, while also reducing exhaust gas emissions. One thing that hasn’t been reduced, of course, is the high level of ride comfort. Quite the opposite, in fact, as refinement has actually been enhanced thanks to in-engine measures.
In addition, the Euro 5 Vito Taxi enjoys a three year/150,000 mile warranty and up to 24,000 mile service intervals to help reduce whole life costs. In addition, each vehicle comes with Service24h included as standard, which entitles drivers to free roadside assistance for three years.
For more information, please visit www.vitotaxi.co.uk

Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL

Geneva saw a world first from Mercedes-Benz Vans: the Vito E-CELL Crewbus is the first seven-seater vehicle worldwide to offer local emission-free mobility ex-factory as standard. With its range of around 130 km it is ideal for use in environmentally sensitive areas as well as by the environmentally conscious. The range of 130 km is optimised for deployment on short routes involving numerous stops, opening the E-CELL to as broad a range of consumers as possible..

The Mercedes-Benz Vito E-CELL Crewbus lends itself to a broad scope of applications: in particular, offering an emission-free and yet highly comfortable means of (relatively) short-range transport.

The electric motor (60 kW with a maximum torque of 280 Nm), power electronics, transformer and AC/DC charger are accommodated under the bonnet. The generated power is transmitted to the front wheels. The powerful and robust lithium-ion traction batteries are accommodated under the passenger compartment floor. The nominal voltage stands at 360 V, with a capacity of 36 kWh. The speed is electronically limited to 89 km/h in the interests of a range but even so the Vito E-CELL offers perfect around town and city performance, fitting in perfectly with the traffic flow of most large conurbations.

The Vito E-CELL's batteries are charged from a 380/400 V grid in a maximum of five hours although the E-CELL's battery additionally stores recuperated power while the vehicle is in motion.

The Vito E-CELL does not compromise on safety: ESP and driver's airbag come as standard and a safety belt is integrated in each seat. The batteries are protected by a crash element. In the event of airbag activation, the high-voltage technology will be shut down automatically. The Vito E-CELL has demonstrated its high safety standard in an impressive manner in crash tests.

Currently there are 230 Vito E-CELL vans on the road as part of the promotion schemes in operation in Germany. Together, they have so far successfully covered around 650,000kms after their first year in service with customers ensuring that the Vito E-CELL has proven its credentials as an ideal vehicle for urban traffic.

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes at Jerez - days 3 & 4

Lewis Hamilton stepped into MP4-27 for the first time on Thursday, taking over from Jenson Button, who had conducted the previous two days’ testing at Jerez.

As with Jenson, the first day was about acclimatising Lewis to the new car, finding a workable set-up direction and ironing out a few minor issues following Lewis’s initial feedback. After completing 80 laps, and setting a 1m19.464s best, Lewis declared himself happy and comfortable with the new car.

He said:  “Today felt pretty good considering it was my first time in the new car. My initial feelings are pretty positive, despite going through a long, tough programme of initial tests – there were no nasty surprises, which is pleasing. This year’s car feels a bit different from last year’s: in 2011, we had so much stability from the rear-end, particularly in the high-speed corners – but we’re now having to find that grip elsewhere, or, at least, take grip off the front and somehow offload it at the rear.”

“This car’s baseline is something we can really work with. I know the men and women back at the factory will take a lot from this test and translate it into something new and even better for the next test. The car feels reasonably quick – and that’s a nice feeling.”

Lewis Hamilton was in the MP4-27 yesterday for his second day of testing.

After Lewis completed 86 laps, and set a 1m19.640s best, David Redding, Team Manager, McLaren Racing said: “Today was a good day of testing.  The first hour or so was spent aero data gathering, then Lewis embarked on two or three hours intensive set up work, exploring suspension geometries and general car set up.  The afternoon was then spent comparing tyre compounds.

We had the opportunity to try some changes that were time consuming, so things you wouldn’t normally do at a race weekend.  It was good to get those fundamental changes and tests out of the way early on. The car ran reliably and without any issues.”