OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

London, United Kingdom, Jun 30, 2010

Mercedes-Benz is ready for the sixteenth Goodwood Festival of Speed, and this year’s show will be bigger than ever with a range of brand new models, automotive legends and a look into the future.


This year Mercedes-Benz will have cars in the F1™ and Supercar Paddocks, the Moving Motorshow, the FOS-TECH Pavillion, on the Mercedes-Benz expo stand and of course on track.

It will be the first opportunity for the crowd to see the spectacular new SLS AMG in action as it powers up the hill. The SLS AMG has a 571 hp 6.3-litre V8 engine, and of course those iconic gullwing doors – and is guaranteed to draw crowds on the hill and in the Supercar Paddock.

On Saturday and Sunday the crowds get an exclusive world-first public look at the new generation CL-Class, fresh from its Friday night media World Premiere at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge.

And the latest in a long line of “Brooklands Specials” makes its show debut, in the stunning form of the C-Class DR 520, an exclusive model only available through the Specialist Products Division at Mercedes-Benz World. Packing 520 hp under its bonnet, the DR 520 features a range of high performance enhancements as well as matt black or matt white exterior finish.

This year’s Official F1äSafety Car, the SLS AMG, features on the Mercedes-Benz stand on a quick pit stop before its duty at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Mercedes-AMG also continues the tradition of loaning the previous year’s F1äSafety Car to the Festival of Speed, in this case the SL 63 AMG which was used throughout the 2009 season.

Formula One drivers past and present will grace the Mercedes-Benz stand with racing legend Sir Stirling Moss and Mercedes-GP PETRONAS driver Nico Rosberg both making appearances. Mercedes-Benz is delighted that Sir Stirling Moss is well on the road to recovery after his accident earlier this year, and Sir Stirling will be taking a lucky passenger up the hill behind the wheel of the SLS AMG on Saturday morning.

Nico Rosberg will be signing autographs at the Mercedes-Benz stand at lunchtime on Saturday, 3 July and, team test driver Nick Heidfield will be on the stand on Sunday at lunchtime for his autograph session. The rest of the Mercedes-GP PETRONAS team will be in the F1 Paddock ensuring their car is perfectly prepared for its demonstration run up the hill.

Looking to the future the B-Class F-Cell is on display in the FOS-TECH Pavilion giving a real insight into the workings of fuel cell technology, while the new generation smart fortwo electric drive, which went on trial from the 29 June onwards, will be plugged in at the main Mercedes-Benz exhibition stand.

The iconic Mercedes-Benz G-Class is set to return to UK roads in the Autumn and the range-topping G 55 AMG will be on the main Mercedes-Benz stand for all to see. The G-Class boasts a unique timeless look and distinctive design that really sets it apart from the crowd and like the DR 520 will be available exclusively through the Specialist Product Division at Mercedes-Benz World.

Making its European debut at the Festival of Speed will be the latest Maybach 62, another highlight from the Specialist Products Division. Unveiled at the Beijing Motorshow earlier this year the latest generation Maybach 62 is even more self-confident and effortlessly superior.

Another element of the Specialist Products Division will also be represented at the Festival by a 230 SL Pagoda. The division stocks and can source excellent examples of classic Mercedes-Benz models for customers. The 230 SL Pagoda on display is available to buy.

Mercedes-Benz World and the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy will also be present on the main stand. This year customers will be able to book their driving experiences on site. One great day out at Goodwood can now lead to another at Brooklands, whether it’s a session out on the track in an AMG or getting the kids behind the wheel of an A-Class for their first taste of driving.



Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Visit the new www.mercedes-benz-blog-trivia.blogspot.com !

Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Commencing with the 3rd quarter of 2010, Mercedes-Benz will be offering a new powerplant for its GLK SUV. The GLK 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY will be the new basis unit(placed below the 220 CDI version) and will be powered by a 2.1 liters 4-cylinder diesel unit, boasting a maximum output of 136 BHP. The consumption figures reach 5.8 liters per 100 km in manual gearbox configuration and 6.2 liters per 100 km for the models fitted with automatic transmission.

Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

This are probably the last spy pics featuring the 2011 CL-Klasse Facelift before the first premiere of the car, which could happen at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, starting Friday, 2nd of July. It appears that the luxurious coupe from Stuttgart will remain a CL-Klasse and not switch to the S-Klasse Coupe title. Greetings to the spot-on reader who captured the photos on a German motorway!

Source of the photos >> Mercedes-Benz Passion Blog




Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

We have earlier seen shots of the dashboard prepared for the next generation of the iconic SL-Klasse, but this is truly the first time the shot is so clear. The SLS influences are obvious, but the new SL is also intended to have its own personality inside, with new and appealing shapes.

See more photos after the jump!







Source of the photos >> Motor Authority

Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Enjoy a selection of new and exquisite photos captured on Sunday during the exciting race!












* Official photos courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *

Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Mercedes-Benz is committed to be a tough contender when it comes to niche models. After we learnt that, in less than 3 years, the German constructor is bound to release versions such as the CLS Shooting Brake, the BLC compact 4door coupe or the BLK compact SUV, now we found out that Mercedes-Benz could also launch a BMW X6 fighter beginning with 2014, which could be entitled GLC. It will make use of a modified technical platform, whose basis components will be shared with the A-/B-Klasse models. The GLC will be offered in FWD or 4MATIC specification, while the engine range will include many new, powerful, but otherwise highly efficient diesel and petrol units. As expected, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz GLC will sport a very dynamic, coupe-ish design, in harmony with the anticipated future, organic styling philosophy.

Source of the photo >> Autozeitung

Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Valencia, Spain, Jun 27, 2010

Extending the lead in both world championships

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-25A-04
- Started: 3rd
- Finished: 2nd
- Fastest lap: 1m39.156s (4th)
- Pitstops: One: on lap 10 [including nosebox change] (Opt-Pri);Drive-through penalty on lap 27
- 2010 points: 127 (1st)

“Into Turn One, I was very close to Seb [Vettel], I went for the gap, I out-braked him and we went into the corner side-by-side. He gave me room, but we touched and the contact damaged my front wing.


“When the Safety Car came out, the team did a great job to change the nosebox and tyres. After that my pace was much better and I was able to push Seb, but it’s impossible to pass around here when the cars are so closely matched.

“Whenever a Safety Car comes out, it’s difficult to compute all the information. There are all these beeps in your ear, and lights flashing on your dashboard too. There’s got to be a certain time between the ‘Safety Car 1’ line and the ‘Safety Car 2’ line, and between those two lines you can go fast. So it’s all a bit complicated.

“So I pushed past the last Safety Car line, and was obviously then trying to close the gap to Seb. But as I came out of the first corner, all of a sudden I saw the Safety Car coming out, so I backed off and went across the line as I did that, so I thought I was okay.

“When the team told me I had a drive-through penalty, I made time by pushing as hard as I could, and was able to increase the gap a bit to the guys behind. I took my penalty – it’s quite a long time to spend at 60km/h in the pitlane – and I came out second. I don’t see how that’s unfair – it’s racing, and those are the rules, and we all have to accept them.”

JENSON BUTTON
- MP4-25A-03
- Started: 7th
- Finished: 3rd
- Fastest lap: 1m38.766s (1st)
- Pitstops: One: on lap 9 (Opt-Pri)
- 2010 points: 121 (2nd)

“The first lap was great – I loved it! I was alongside Robert [Kubica] for 10 corners, then we both went around Mark [Webber] in Turn Eight, one on the inside and one on the outside! We continued fighting until Turn 10, but I couldn’t get around the outside of him there – it was just too tight.

“I was very close to the pit entry when the Safety Car was triggered. I was warned by the team beforehand, who said, ‘There might be a Safety Car, in this lap,’ so I dived into the pits. There was no room to lift off or hit the brakes, so to be honest I can’t really see why I was called to the stewards.

“Later in the race, when I was behind Kamui [Kobayashi], I knew he’d have to pit again. His pace was reasonable, so I knew he wasn’t going to pit early, but you just can’t overtake around here. I was running pretty low downforce today, which gave me good straightline speed, but I couldn’t get out of the corners quick enough to get really tucked in behind him on the straights. As soon as he went into the pits, though, I had three or four laps when I could push and have some fun with the car. I got the fastest lap at that point, which was nice; the car was feeling very good, and I just wish I’d had more laps to play with!”

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

“Speaking before the stewards have finished their deliberations, I suppose I have to say I’m reasonably pleased with this afternoon’s events. Short of a win, second and third is pretty good – especially so when you bear in mind that we’d brought only a modest set of modifications here whereas some of the other top teams had introduced substantial upgrades.

“We’ve accepted Lewis’s penalty, but in truth we reckon it was a pretty marginal call. Okay, it didn’t deprive him of his second place on the road, but it did prevent him from being able to take the race to Seb, which had been our intention. And I think Lewis’s strong pace in the last few laps showed that, having saved his fuel and tyres early on in preparation for mounting an attack on Seb, he would probably have been in a position to have a fair old crack at it had he not been given a drive-through. So, yes, his penalty was frustrating for Lewis, frustrating for us, and ultimately I suppose you’d have to say it was frustrating for the spectators, at the track and in front of their TV screens, too. But, as I say, you have to accept these things and move on.

“Jenson drove a very solid race – although it was of course irritating for him to be stuck behind Kamui for so long. Having said that, in the chaos that always ensues with an early Safety Car, our engineers called the situation really well, with the result that we were able to change the nosebox on Lewis’s car [following contact with Vettel’s car on lap one] and send our cars back out in second place and fourth place. Actually, of course, Jenson’s fourth place was in effect third place, because Kamui was always going to have to make a pitstop for new tyres at some stage in the race. So it was a shame for Jenson to be stuck behind Kamui for so long too – but, again, racing can be frustrating and sometimes there’s simply nothing you can do about it.

“Assuming Jenson retains his third place in today’s race, he’ll remain in second place in the drivers’ world championship – not far behind Lewis, whose name still tops the list. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes leads the constructors’ world championship too, which is particularly satisfying for all our employees who work so hard back at our HQ in Woking [Surrey, UK] as they prepare for our home grand prix, at Silverstone, the home of British motor sport, in two weeks’ time.”














* Official photos and details courtesy of VODAFONE MCLAREN MERCEDES *

Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

A new rendering picturing the possible looks of the forthcoming SLK R 172 series has recently emerged. The author of the CGI, Reichel Car Design, managed to somehow correctly guess some lines and details of the real exterior design of the roadster, but after a closer inspection, pretty much of the final result they came up with is still far away from what is the future SLK-Klasse intended to look like. In some areas, surfaces and components look just too plain and bland, with no aggressive or bold touches whatsoever. So, a big NO for this inaccurate digital piece of drawing.

Source of the photos >> Mercedes-Benz Passion Blog


Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Valencia, Spain, Jun 27, 2010

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished the European Grand Prix in Valencia in 12th and 16th positions today as a frustrating race at the Valencia Street Circuit concluded a difficult weekend for the MERCEDES GP PETRONAS team.


The safety car following Mark Webber’s dramatic accident changed the course of the race for the pair with Nico losing the advantage of an early pit stop on lap eight and Michael being held in the pits by a red light when making his stop on lap 11.

An uneventful and frustrating remainder of the race left Nico and Michael unable to make progress on a circuit where overtaking opportunities are minimal and they finished the 57 lap race outside of the points.

NICO ROSBERG
“It wasn’t a great race for me today and not much fun out there. I struggled for grip throughout and had to work really hard to save my brakes which completely took away the ability to challenge and try to make up positions. But we tried to look for the positives and learn something because you can always learn from any situation and use the experiences later. It’s been a poor weekend from us all round and we have to try to resolve our issues and improve from here.”

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
“What a race. We would like to have clarification about the safety car situation as the red light on the exit from my first pit stop destroyed a race which otherwise would have offered us very good possibilities. Our point of view is that as the safety car had passed the pits without having the cars lined up behind it, there should not have been a red light. There was a green light for a moment and then suddenly it went red again. We believe that this was not correct. Our strategy was right in that context as we took the opportunity which could have given us a finish even close to the podium.”

ROSS BRAWN
“Today’s race was a disappointing outcome to our weekend in Valencia. The car was reasonable today but again we suffered from our qualifying performance which is an issue that we need to get on top of quickly. Nico got caught up at the start therefore we made an early pit stop which was unfortunately compromised when the safety car came out and we lost any benefit. From there, Nico’s race was about consolidating his position as we had some concerns over brake wear which he did an excellent job to manage. With Michael, we were looking to benefit strongly from the safety car. As the leaders had not been picked up, Michael was waved through and that gave us a golden opportunity to make his pit stop as our predictions were that the option tyre would hold up for the remainder of the race. However, when Michael came to exit the pits, the red light was showing which cost him a significant amount of time. In our view, the regulations are clear that the exit light should not go red until the line of cars has formed behind the safety car, and we would like the FIA to look into this. There was no line formed and over 18 seconds between Hamilton and Kobayashi when Michael came in. It was a good effort from Michael to try and recover from there but ultimately a very frustrating afternoon.”

NORBERT HAUG
"Michael could have finished quite high today if the red light at the pit exit had not been switched on. This happened contrary to our understanding of the rules which say the pit exit remains open until a line has formed behind the safety car. That clearly was not the case as there was a gap of over 18 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton whilst Michael was in the pits. He would have fitted in this gap if the red light had not have made this impossible. So Michael´s race was ruined even though he posted quick lap times throughout the afternoon. Despite three pit stops and a long wait at the pit exit, he finished 6.5 seconds outside of the points. Nico had to look after his brakes throughout and was therefore handicapped. It’s been a weekend to forget for our team but we will be stronger soon.”

* Official photos and details courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *

Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.

Enjoy a selection of new and exquisite photos captured on Saturday during the qualifying round!








* Official photos and info courtesy of MERCEDES GP PETRONAS *

Copyright © 2010, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.