OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Sep 29, 2009

Between the 6th and 16th of October 2009 the Mercedes-Benz Museum will have another attraction to show: the new Gullwing, which had its world premiere just recently at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, will land 42 metres up on the museum’s roof terrace. For a few days visitors then can take in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in an open-air setting.


“This will be a very emotional experience for our visitors,” says Michael Bock, Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz Museum GmbH. “This super sports car stands for excitement, passion and high-tech. As museum for the past. present and future of the automobile we provide an ideal setting for the exclusive presentation of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.”

A unique vehicle calls for exceptional surroundings: the roof terrace of the Mercedes-Benz Museum normally is not open to visitors. The 465 square metre outdoor area can be accessed through Legend Room 1 on level 8. At a dizzy height one has a grandstand view of the surrounding vineyards and the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim plant. To place the SLS on the stage set for it, a 120-ton hydraulic crane will let the car float down onto the roof terrace - an ultra-precision job.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has an exciting technology package to offer: aluminium spaceframe body with gullwing doors, AMG 6.3-litre V8 front-mid engine with a maximum output of 420 kW/571 hp, 650 Newton metres of torque and dry sump lubrication, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission in transaxle configuration, sports suspension with aluminium double wishbones, and a DIN kerb weight of 1620 kilograms - this combination guarantees driving dynamics on the highest level.

The Gullwing accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. The top speed is electronically governed 317 km/h. The fuel consumption of 13.2 litres per 100 kilometres (combined) ranks it at the top of the competitive field (all figures provisional).

The Mercedes-Benz Museum can be quickly and conveniently reached by public conveyance. Apart from the No. 56 bus line, which plies between the Bad Cannstatt train station and the “Mercedes-Benz Welt” bus stop, it is also possible to use the “Neckarpark (Mercedes-Benz)” suburban railway station. The multi-storey car park of the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the P4 car park are open to guests of the Mercedes-Benz Museum arriving by private car. The address of the Mercedes-Benz Museum:
- Mercedesstrasse 100, 70372 Stuttgart. Visitors can reach the Classic Customer Center by calling +49 (0)7 11 / 17 - 30 000. Further information is available at www.mercedes-benz.com/museum


Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Here you have it, under layers of camouflage, measuring instruments, notebooks and juice bottles:the dashboard of the future Mercedes-Benz M-Klasse.


As seen from the images, the styling of the dash will be far more driver-oriented and sportier than that of the current M-Klasse model. Contrary to the new, angular design philosophy adopted by Mercedes-Benz, the dashboard will display beautifully sculpted curvy lines and an attractive center console with new air vents. The future COMAND system, with its LED display and new operating controller, is also on the list. The instrument cluster will go on with the current arrangement idea, that of the completely separated turometer and speedometer, each located in its own alveolus.
Moving our attention to the front armrest, we see that there are definitely more controls than usual. Apart from the COMAND controller which can be easily recognized, we could only wonder what those other buttons are useful for:probably a new 4x4 management system, with specific settings for specific running surfaces. There will also be plenty of fine materials for customizing the dashboard, such as wood and metal trims.





Source of the photos:Motor Authority

Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

The giant crossover from Stuttgart, known to be, more or less, the most unsuccessful model of the German luxury carmaker, is due for a major makeover for 2010.


The R-Klasse has been on sell since the end of 2004, but never reached the desired selling target. That is why Mercedes-Benz decided to revamp the GST for the forthcoming year. The new crossover will feature a completely revised front fascia, displaying new headlights(probably featuring LED technology), radiator grille, bumper and air intakes. The rear end will also suffer some modifications concerning the tail lights and the exhausts, and last but not least, the current exterior mirrors will be replaced by the new, rectangular ones which made their debut on the E- & GLK-Klasse ranges. The overall dimensions of the car will not suffer any changes;in the interior, the 2010 R-Klasse will boast the same roomy architecture, with comfortable seats, lots of practical pockets for storing personal objects, and classy & premium quality materials for the dashboard. A new steering wheel and minor changes to the arrangement of the buttons are expected, as well as an updated COMAND system. The entire range of powerplants will be updated so as to meet the latest emission standards and be more efficient in terms of fuel consumption. So, BlueEFFICIENCY units all the way!




Source of the photos:Autowereld

Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Woking, United Kingdom, Sep 29, 2009

LEWIS HAMILTON
“It feels like I’ve been waiting my whole life to race at Suzuka – so, as you can imagine, I’ll be really excited when practice starts there on Friday morning. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve raced Suzuka on computer games – and while it kind of gives you an idea of how the circuit goes, nothing can beat the real thing. It looks like a real driver’s circuit – the first sector esses look very demanding and the higher speed corners towards the end of the lap will probably require real precision and a good car set-up.”

“I’m also really looking forward to returning to Japan – it’s one of my favourite countries and I love racing in front of the Japanese fans. It should be a great weekend.”


HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
“I had one of my greatest Formula 1 drives in Japan, in the wet race at Fuji in 2007 when I finished second behind Lewis, so I have some fantastic memories of the country. While I’m really looking forward to racing at a classic racetrack like Suzuka for the first time, I don’t think the circuit will be ideal for our package: it’s a bit of a mix of places like Silverstone and Istanbul, with high speed corners, and will require a car with good downforce and mechanical and aero balance. But, that doesn’t put us off: the improvements we’ve made to the car over the course of the season have been genuinely remarkable and I think we still go to Japan confident that we can do a very good job.”

MARTIN WHITMARSH - Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Along with Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka is one of Formula 1’s greatest circuits, and one that every driver relishes. Certainly, McLaren has had more than its fair share of spectacular moments there – we’ve won at Suzuka on six occasions, and I vividly remember the 2005 race, when Kimi [Raikkonen] took the lead on the final lap of one of the most spectacular grands prix I have ever witnessed.”

“For 2009, we go to Japan knowing that overall victory will not be easy to achieve – but the improvements we evaluated in Singapore, particularly some useful changes to the floor, should give us a competitive boost and it will be interesting to see how our pace translates against that of our rivals.”

NORBERT HAUG - Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“From a teams and drivers’ perspective, the Japanese Grand Prix is one of the biggest challenges of all 17 races this year. The track layout offers everything from the ultra-fast 130R corner to a slow hairpin. With Kimi Räikkönen we won there in 2005. With two race wins and 45 points from the last five races, the final one being last Sunday in Singapore, our team has continued this upwards trend. I don’t think we’ll be among the favourites for victory at Suzuka; however, everybody in the team is working hard to conclude the season with further good results in Japan and the following races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.”

Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

More spy photos >> HERE

Source:Carscoop,Motor Authority


Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Marina Bay Circuit/Singapore, Singapore, Sep 27, 2009

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-24-02
- Started: 1st
- Finished: 1st
- Fastest lap: 1m48.345s (2nd)
- Pitstops: two (Pr-Pr-Op)
- 2009 points: 37 (6th)

Second win of the season for Lewis who dominated the second Singapore night race from start to finish.


Starting from pole position, Lewis quickly established a slim lead over Nico Rosberg. Despite looking set to establish a greater advantage over his pursuers by virtue of his pitting later, his lead was eradicated by a Safety Car period, which coincided with Lewis’s first stop. Nonetheless, he remained at the head of the field and withstood sustained pressure from Sebastian Vettel – who was running significantly lighter than Lewis and was therefore able to push hard for the lead.

After making his final stop, and dropping to second behind Fernando Alonso, Lewis resumed the lead once the Spaniard had made his final stop and maintained his advantage over the chasing Toyota of Timo Glock. This was Lewis’s 11th grand prix win.

“This is the perfect end to a fantastic weekend,” said Lewis afterwards. “The race was physically very tough for all the drivers, but it was actually quite straightforward for me. I made a good start and I knew I was running longer than the guys behind me, so I was able to bridge the gap back to them. It was a very nicely controlled race in that way.

“The team did radio me about a small problem with KERS – but I didn’t have a problem in the cockpit and was able to just disable it and then re-engage it. It worked fine after that.

“We came here hoping for a good result – and I wanted to redeem myself after the last lap in Monza – and we got it!”

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
- MP4-24-03
- Started: 8th
- Finished: 7th
- Fastest lap: 1m49.283s (11th)
- Pitstops: two (Pr-Pr-Op)
- 2009 points: 22 (12th)

Heikki lined up eighth on the grid (after the cars of Rubens Barrichello and Nick Heidfeld had been demoted beneath him) but was jumped by the lighter-fuelled Barrichello at the start. He slotted into ninth, jumped Robert Kubica at the first stops and was comfortably running in the top six until Mark Webber’s shunt prompted a flurry of stops on lap 46. The net result saw Heikki lose two positions to Jenson Button and Vettel. He eventually finished seventh.

Heikki said: “I had no problems from start to finish and was feeling very comfortable, but I couldn’t go quicker. I drove to the pace I could with this car. I struggle a bit to maintain the tyre’s performance and the car gets out of shape if I try to increase my pace, so I can’t carry more speed through the corners. My focus now is to get the car better for me, so I can achieve better results.

“As a team, we’ll take many positives from this race. First of all, our car performance has been fantastic all weekend – and Lewis’s victory shows that the performance is definitely there. But, to be honest, my weekend was ruined yesterday in qualifying, which was very unfortunate for me.”

Nonetheless, the team’s double-points finish moves Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to within three points of third position in the constructors’ championship with three races remaining.

COMMENTS

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“You won’t be surprised to hear me describe what Lewis did this weekend as ‘a fantastic job’.

“After a slightly troubled Friday, the team worked tremendously hard throughout Friday night and Saturday morning to rebuild Lewis’s car completely – and the result, combined with a brilliant pole lap from the man himself, was that we were able to approach today with a win firmly in our sights.

“As such, it was a perfectly paced weekend – and Lewis delivered magnificently today. Working together with the team, he was able to control the race from the front – and, although at one point both Nico [Rosberg] and Sebastian [Vettel] were piling the pressure on, we were always confident.

“In short, I’d describe it as a great victory – not only for Lewis, but also for the team. To design and manufacture the new parts required for our latest upgrades, against time pressure, and yet to do it accurately and reliably, is a truly superb achievement. In fact, I’m every bit as proud of the team as I am of Lewis himself.

“As for Heikki, he was unlucky in qualifying yesterday, but today he put in a solid performance from 10th position on the grid, in tricky circumstances, and earned us some valuable world championship points as a result.”

NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“A first-class grand prix from Lewis and our whole team. Lewis did everything right, setting pole position yesterday and winning the race today. The team was at its best by building up a different chassis for Lewis over night from Friday to Saturday – and they all got the reward for their exceptional work including perfectly timed and well-executed pit stops.

“Heikki came home seventh, and more was just not possible after his 10th place in qualifying. Well done to everybody – nobody scored more points than Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in this so important night race here in Singapore.

“The statistics speak for themselves: this is the 60th grand prix victory of the McLaren-Mercedes partnership, and no team has scored more points than us in the five races since Lewis’s victory in Hungary two months ago Now we all are looking forward to a great season finale with three more races to go.

“Congratulations to our German friend Timo Glock and Toyota for their second place today, they have been strong all weekend.”




Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Marina Bay Circuit/Singapore, Singapore, Sep 26, 2009

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-24-02
P3 programme
- 1m47.632s (15 laps, 1st)

Lewis’s mechanics effected a precautionary overnight change of his chassis in order to alleviate a suspected issue with the car’s KERS wiring – he continues the weekend aboard chassis 02. Third practice went well: Lewis immediately fell into the groove and reported that the car felt much better balanced and easier to drive than it had during Friday evening.


He completed three runs, the first two on Prime tyres (five laps/1m48.346s best and one lap/1m48.197s) and the final one on the Option (two laps/1m47.632s).

Qualifying
- Q1 1m46.977s (on Prime, 1st)
- Q2 1m46.657s (on Option, 4th)
- Q3 1m47.891s (on Option, 1st overall)

With his confidence boosted by the positive early evening session, Lewis blitzed the opening session, setting the fastest time, on the slower tyre, with just a single run. For Q2, he maintained his competitiveness, posting a fourth-fastest 1m46.657s and aborting a second run after comfortably making the cut. Into Q3, Lewis set a competitive banker lap of 1m47.891s and was all set for another attempt when the session was red-flagged and cut short following Rubens Barrichello’s crash.

“It’s an absolutely fantastic result,” said Lewis. “We came here with several technical upgrades, and we didn’t know if we’d be up there – particularly after Friday practice, which wasn’t spectacular for me.

“My pole lap was very relaxed: the car has just got better and better as the track has evolved, and I think I would have gone faster on my final lap if the session hadn’t been aborted.

“I didn’t expect to be on pole today, but our pace has been really good. We’ll need to see what fuel loads everyone else is running, but I feel quite confident in what we’re doing and I’m in the best position for the race tomorrow.”

Today’s pole position is Lewis’s third in the last four races and the 16th of his career.

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
- MP4-24-02
P3 programme
- 1m48.420s (14 laps, 4th)

Without any major issues yesterday, Heikki was able to pick up where he had left off yesterday. He continued to refine the car’s balance, particularly noting the effect of tyre wear and, despite experiencing heavy traffic on his final run of the session, reported himself very happy with his progress.

Like Lewis, he ran the Prime for his first two runs (three laps/1m49.263s and three laps/1m48.420s) before switching to the Option (one lap/1m57.833s).

Qualifying
- Q1 1m47.542s (on Prime, 8th)
- Q2 1m46.842s (on Option, 10th)
- Q3 1m49.778s (on Prime, 10th overall)

The late stoppage at the end of Q3 was particularly unfortunate for Heikki. After comfortably graduating through the first two sessions, he and his engineers chose to conserve a set of unused Option tyres for their final run of the night – but were unable to capitalise on their advantage due to Barrichello’s crash. As a result, Heikki was forced to rely on his earlier laptime – set on Prime tyres – which left him 10th – a result that does not reflect accurately on either his speed or his efforts.

“This is a very disappointing result for me,” Heikki said afterwards. “In the first two sessions, things went smoothly – although my laptimes weren’t as competitive as I was expecting. For Q3, I didn’t get a good enough lap in during my first run as I’d been running the harder tyre, which wasn’t quick enough. I also made a couple of mistakes, but I was focusing my efforts on my second run – which would have been on a set of new Option tyres.

“It’s going to be a tough race tomorrow: starting from 10th will make things very difficult, but there’s nothing I can do about that now, so I’m just going to absolutely go for it tomorrow.”

COMMENTS

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Although today’s qualifying ended slightly anticlimactically, owing to an accident that befell Rubens [Barrichello] and triggered a red flag that prevented the session from running its full allocated hour, Lewis thoroughly deserved his pole position.

“Other drivers were also pushing hard at the end, and undoubtedly it would therefore have been close, but we feel relatively confident that Lewis would have remained unbeaten.

“By contrast, on the harder tyre, Heikki hadn’t managed to cut a really quick lap in Q3 by the time the session was red-flagged – but we believe that, with the benefit of another lap, he would have been able to go significantly faster. As a result, although he’s understandably disappointed that he’ll be starting the race from P10, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t put in a competitive showing tomorrow.

“Overall, then, we’re hoping to score plenty of points – but, since Lewis will be starting from pole, I grant you that that isn’t a particularly bold statement. I make no apology for that: the weather will be hot and humid, and we may even see rain; the walls are close and unforgiving; the circuit is a challenging one. But we think we’re pretty well set.”

NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"Congratulations to Lewis for a fantastic job and his third pole position in the last four grands prix since Valencia at the end of August.

“Also, a big, big thank you to everyone in the team who worked through the night until 10 this morning to build up a different chassis for Lewis as a precaution after a problem related to a cable of our KERS Hybrid.

“Sorry for Heikki, who was strong all weekend until the last session when his first run did not work out in the expected way. After Rubens’ crash there was no time for a second run left, so Heikki has to start from 10th position.

“Strategy-wise we should be in a good position and hopefully we can fight for a win tomorrow.”




Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Marina Bay Circuit/Singapore, Singapore, Sep 25, 2009

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
- MP4-24-03
P1 programme
- 21 laps
- 1m50.699s (6th)
P2 programme
- 30 laps
- 1m48.952s (3rd)

Heikki completed three short runs in the first session (three laps/1m52.331s best, four laps/1m51.255s and six laps/1m50.699s) as he evaluated the upgrade package for MP4-24.


Into the second session, he continued his progress, conducting two runs on the Prime tyre (four laps/1m51.008s and two laps/1m50.370s) before switching to the Option and recording best times of 1m49.701s (eight laps) and 1m48.952s (seven laps).

“I’m very happy,” Heikki said. “I didn’t have any problems today and I think we made some good progress between the sessions. Both tyre compounds seem to work okay, so that’s another reason to be optimistic. I’m confident we can find a bit more time overnight, too.

“However, the other teams are also looking quick here, so it’s not going to be easy. The main difference to the track this year is the change to the Turn 10 chicane: it’s slower and tighter, and the kerbs are bigger so you cannot attack there because you can’t afford to risk damaging the car.”

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-24-04
P1 programme
- 17 laps
- 1m50.715s (7th)
P2 programme
- 28 laps
- 1m49.358s (9th)

Like Heikki, Lewis also back-to-backed the new front wing this afternoon, completing three runs (three laps/1m52.816s best, four laps/1m50.715s, three laps 1m52.920s). For the evening session, he evaluated the two different tyre compounds, running stints of three laps/1m50.867s and two laps/1m50.479s on the Prime, before switching to the Option and recording best laps of 1m50.319s (six laps) and 1m49.358s (three laps).

“I’m still lacking some speed in certain areas, so I need to work on that,” he said afterwards. “The sessions were a little up and down for me today – I didn’t have any major problems, but I wasn’t as fast as I’d hoped to be.

“Today’s not the important day though, and when the track gets a bit cleaner tomorrow, we’ll have a better understanding of the tyres. The track’s still very bumpy and all the traffic makes it quite difficult to get a clear lap, and the Turn 10 chicane is also worse than last year – a bit more dangerous – but nobody’s had any problems there so it should be okay.

“The main thing for us is to analyse the data, try and improve the car and find some more time for tomorrow.”

COMMENTS

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Like most street circuits, the track surface is invariably not in great shape on the opening day of practice – and today was no exception. The heavy traffic and red flag stoppages in each session didn’t help our progress through the day.

“We spent the majority of the second session comparing tyres and studying the effects of fuel-load and tyre degradation. We also need to look closely at the results of our back-to-back tests with the new FW6 wing. While we don’t appear to be the only team suffering from oversteer issues today, it certainly looks like the cars setting the benchmark here are the Brawns and the Red Bulls. It will be interesting to see where everyone stands tomorrow after a night of studying the data and making improvements.”

NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“What a great atmosphere here at this special event in Singapore.This was absolutely impressive at the inaugural practice session last year – and it still is. We worked to our planned programme and I think Lewis, Heikki and the team have found quite a decent baseline. But it will be very tight again tomorrow, today, Jenson Button in fifth was separated from Lewis in ninth by less than half a tenth of a second.”





Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart/Affalterbach, Germany, Sep 25, 2009

The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the highlight of the 2009 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main, will soon be delighting video game fans the world over. The gullwing model is being featured in the latest version of the PlayStation®3 (PS3TM) game Gran Turismo®5, in which it is expected to excite gamers with its breathtaking performance.


The most exciting car for the most exciting game. In the new Gran Turismo®5 video game, exclusively for PlayStation®3, gaming fans and car enthusiasts alike will be able to enjoy an intense and interactive driving experience at the wheel of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in full HD quality thanks to an extremely realistic rendering. Drivers of the SLS AMG can look forward to taking part in thrilling high speed races on a variety of different race tracks, including the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, while competing against other vehicles from the super sports car segment.

For an emotionally appealing and realistic reproduction of the vehicle from different camera angles, the game designers and engineers from Polyphony Digital Inc. have digitised the new gullwing model using elaborate video scans. But it is not just the visual aspects of the game which are a delight: the in-game performance virtually matches the real performance of the SLS AMG on the race track.
will be a fantastic experience," explains Yamauchi, who is in addition both Senior Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and President of Polyphony Digital Inc.

Gran Turismo®5

Developed by Polyphony Digital Inc. exclusively for the PlayStation® family of products, the Gran Turismo® series is not only one of the world's best-selling video games, having clocked up sales of more than 52 million copies, but thanks to its impressive true-to-life detail and realistic vehicle handling it also represents the absolute benchmark among fans. Gran Turismo® , the series’ next iteration, is currently in development exclusively for PS3TM and latest information on Gran Turismo was unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show (24 – 27 September 2009).

SLS AMG with exceptional technology package

The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is truly exciting with its unique technology package: aluminium spaceframe bodywork with gullwing doors, AMG 6.3-litre V8 front centre engine with a maximum power of 420 kW/571 hp, 650 Nm of torque and dry sump lubrication, 7-speed double clutch transmission in a transaxle configuration, sports suspension with aluminium double wishbone axles and a kerb weight of 1620 kilograms according to the DIN standard - this combination guarantees the very highest level of driving dynamics. The ideal weight distribution of 47 to 53 percent between the front and rear axles and the low centre of gravity accentuate the distinctive sports car design. The gullwing accelerates to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, and has a maximum speed, which is electronically limited, of 317 km/h. Its fuel consumption of 13.2 litres per 100 kilometres (combined) ranks it top among the competition (all values are preliminary).

Enclosed you will find a pdf-file with an integrated video-file with copyright free music:

> Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Gran Turismo®5

Information: For full multimedia functionality please use Adobe Acrobat 9 or click here: http://mb.in4mail.de/2009/09/25/en/webedition/

"PlayStation", "PS" Family logo, and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Gran Turismo TM/ © 2009 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Manufacturers, cars, names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game in some cases include trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners.





Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Little has passed since the new SLS AMG has been officially unveiled and there have already appeared rumors that the Affalterbach-based tuner decided that a Black Series for the new Gullwing is highly compulsory. For an extreme level of adrenaline, of course!


Currently, the king of the Black Series range is the SL 65 AMG Black Series, powered by a pumped-up version of the 6,0 litres V12, delivering 661 BHP. According to insiders, it won't be long till the situation will change, as the future SLS AMG Black Series will appear on the stage. More carbon fiber and lightweight materials are expected to be applied to the body - in this way, the new BS model will end up weighing around 1361 kilograms. Moreover, the special SLS will most certainly boast an extreme version of the 6,0 litres V12, which may well offer no less than 700 BHP, thus ensuring a maximum speed in excess of 350 km/h and a 0-100 sprint in almost 3 seconds.

However, the car will be very pricy - provisional numbers indicate a 300,000 $ entry tag!

Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

The Finnish driver, who raced for McLaren between 2002 and 2006 and became world champion with Scuderia Ferrari in 2007, is rumored to have signed a pre-agreement for returning to the Woking-based F1 team.


Kimi Raikkonen, current Scuderia Ferrari driver(2007-2010?), has his future open to new partnerships, as his place at the Maranello-based team for 2010 season is uncertain. Expected to be replaced by Renault F1's Fernando Alonso, Raikkonen has to analyse other opportunities for racing in Formula 1. Insiders said that the Finnish had plenty of choices, such as Brawn-Mercedes or even Renault, but as the Mirror publication states, Kimi may have already signed a pre-agreement for returning at McLaren-Mercedes. The only problematic issue to be solved is the indemnifyings Ferrari needs to pay to Raikkonen for firing him before the agreement comes to the normal end.

However, Jonathan Noble, editor at the British Autosport magazine, denied those stated by the Mirror.

Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart/Affalterbach, Germany, Sep 21, 2009 – The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG which celebrated its world premiere during the 2009 International Motor Show (IAA), is the highlight in the latest version of the PlayStation®3 video game Gran Turismo®5. And just as with the visitors to the IAA, it is expected to excite gamers worldwide with its breathtaking performance.


When Gran Turismo®5 comes out soon to continue the success of this popular game series, fans the world over can look forward to the opportunity to take control of a very special car. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will be just as impressive in the game as it is in real life, thanks to the extremely realistic rendering techniques used to depict its drivers. Drivers of the SLS AMG can look forward to taking part in thrilling high speed races on a variety of different race tracks, including the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, while competing against other vehicles from the super sports car segment.

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will be displayed at the Tokyo Game Show (24 - 27 September 2009) with latest information on Gran Turismo®5.

With the new interpretation of the legendary gullwing, Mercedes-Benz is presenting a truly exciting super sports car which features an extremely impressive technology package: aluminium spaceframe bodywork with gullwing doors, AMG 6.3-litre V8 front centre engine with a maximum power of 420 kW/571 hp and dry sump lubrication, 7-speed double clutch transmission in a transaxle configuration, and sports suspension with aluminium double wishbone axles. The ideal weight distribution of 47 to 53 percent between the front and rear axles and the low centre of gravity accentuate the uncompromising sports car design. The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG will celebrate its market launch in the spring of 2010.

"PlayStation", "PS" Family logo, and "PSP" are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Gran Turismo TM/ © 2009 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Manufacturers, cars, names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game in some cases include trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners.


Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Woking, United Kingdom, Sep 18, 2009

Lewis Hamilton
“Last year’s inaugural Singapore Grand Prix was a real example of how to host a new Formula 1 race – fantastic facilities, slick organisation and a unique and interesting track that was not only fun and demanding but also really forced you to push to the limit and take a few risks to get the best from the car. I remember my race in Singapore last year was all about damage limitation – I was driving with one eye on the world championship and wasn’t going to take too many risks. I was happy to finish on the podium. This year, it’s very different – I know I’m out of the title hunt and I want to attack these last four races, pushing for as many victories as I can.”


Heikki Kovalainen
“We really seem to have discovered the sweet-spot of this year’s car. I’ve had points finished in every race since the Nurburgring, and we’ve got some interesting new upgrades in the system that are planned for the Singapore race. Of course, racing at night is what really makes this event unique, but the lighting system is so fantastic that you tend to forget that you are even racing in the dark! Singapore is the sort of circuit that should suit our package – there are lots of slower corners and we’ll be able to use KERS to our advantage. Overall, the city is also a fantastic backdrop to what has already become one of the best circuits on the Formula 1 calendar.”

Martin Whitmarsh
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“Our pace in recent grands prix increasingly shows that we have developed MP4-24 into a pretty decent all-round competitor and we remain confident for the Singapore Grand Prix. For this race, we are introducing our last major upgrade package of the season before fully devoting our efforts and resources towards next year’s car. Last year’s event was a fantastic success and a testimony to what can be achieved in Formula 1 when you have vision, dedication and foresight. Everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is looking forward to these final four flyaway races, the climax to a thrilling, eventful and unexpected title battle and our own steadily improving fortunes. Singapore is a fantastic advertisement for Formula 1 – one that vividly reminds you what a fantastic sport we operate in. Let’s hope for some good, close racing.”

Norbert Haug
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Formula 1 will present some challenging weeks. After the end of the European season, four grands prix within six weeks will take place in Singapore, Suzuka, Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi. As with last year’s inaugural race, Singapore will again be held at night. This street circuit has a total of 23 corners and six of them are slower than 100km/h. Our target is to continue our trend shown over the last five races.”

Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

After more than a month of silence, the second generation CLS-Klasse has once again come to journalists' attention.


A prototype of the next generation of Merc's 4-door coupe has been spotted in a car parking. The one who took the photos really cared about revealing important details still hidden under the heavy camouflage. That's why now we can better see the shape of the headlights, the way the radiator grille is drawn, the overall design of the side part of the CLS, and, for the first time, the looks of the tail lights. Which brings us to a definitive conclusion:Huck* was right >> Huckfeldt:Future CLS .

Shame there are no photos of the interior, even though the test prototype was static. The mystery continues as, in some of the photos, a strange instrument in the form of an antenna is closely attached to the fuel filler cap. What's Merc up for?We shall get the answer in approximately one year from now on... Or more...

Get ready for the FEP cars. 'Cause that'll be a long wait till the official car is premiered!

*we learnt that Huckfeldt is the lucky man(ghetto language:sonuvabitch) who gets to see Mercedes-Benz future models for the first time, then he's given the task of drawing something similar, for the unlucky guys to see how the real thing will look like




Copyright © 2009, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.