Mercedes Benz

The first prototype of the next-generation M-Klasse made it out on German streets today.


Codenamed W166, the mid-sized SUV will be introduced in the summer of 2011 as a 2012 model. Although the camouflage is heavy, we can still judge some important lines in the design. For example, the newly-shaped, muscular radiator grille displaying 2 or 3 chromed slats, which embrace the big shiny star located in the centre. Mercedes-Benz will also most likely offer a set of LEDs for the daytime lights. From the point of view of overall dimensions, the future M-Klasse seems to highly resemble the current model;up to the moment, there appear to be no major changes.

Technically speaking, the 2012 M-Klasse will feature a new powertrain(strange as it may sound, it will be shared with the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee!) and it will also benefit from Merc's latest infotainment, active & passive safety and dynamics technology. Along with the traditional internal combustion engines, the engineers also plan to offer a hybrid version for the next ML, available from the start of sales.





Source of the photos:LeftLaneNews

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

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Silverstone, United Kingdom, Jun 21, 2009

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-24-04
- Started: 18th
- Finished: 16th
- Fastest lap: 1m22.576s (18th)
- Pitstops: two (Op-Op-Pr)
- 2009 points: 9 (11th)

A forceful opening lap saw Lewis vault from 18th on the grid to 15th by the end of lap one. There then followed a determined tussle with Robert Kubica; Lewis briefly overtaking the Pole before being re-passed after he was forced wide onto the grass at the exit of Chapel Curve. Reporting a lack of grip, Lewis pitted from 15th position on lap 20, switched to Options and rejoined in 20th.


A couple of brave passes – holding out against Nick Heidfeld into Maggotts and powering past Fernando Alonso on the inside at Copse – nonetheless failed to keep him in the hunt with the midfield pack. After his second and final stop, on lap 43, the team turned down Lewis’s engine and he finished 16th.

“I gave it my all today,” Lewis said. “Despite fighting for the lower positions, I was absolutely on the limit for the whole race. We knew it would be difficult, and I enjoyed my battle with Fernando, but we didn’t have the pace today to get into the points.

“The best thing about this weekend has been the fans: they really gave me some consolation by cheering me on throughout the race. I would love to have given them a result to make them happy and my country proud, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us before that will be realistic.”

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
- MP4-24-02
- Started: 13th
- Finished: ret
- Fastest lap: 1m22.418s (15th)
- Pitstops: two (Op-Pr-Pr)
- 2009 points: 4 (13th)

Boxed out on the run through Copse, Heikki dropped from 13th to 19th by the end of the first lap and spent the majority of his race pushing to make up places. Running 19th in the opening stint behind Buemi, Heikki was fuelled until half-distance, pitting on lap 35 and switching from Option to Prime. A lap later, he was hit from behind by Sebastien Bourdais under braking for Vale corner. The rear impact punctured Heikki’s left-rear tyre, and, while he pitted for a fresh set of rubber, he immediately reported that the rear-corner felt strange. The team chose to pull him into the pits and retire him for safety reasons.

“Of course, it’s disappointing not to finish the team’s home race,” Heikki said afterwards. “Until my retirement, the car had been working fine and the strategy was working for me too: we were on target. Then Bourdais just ran into the back of me and damaged the left-rear corner. I had to stop because the damage had made the car undriveable: we decided to retire for safety reasons.”

COMMENTS

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“This weekend has been a very difficult one for everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. No-one in our team likes not winning, and it goes without saying that we all remain utterly determined to return to our winning ways. That may not be a realistic prospect for this season – although significant improvements are in the pipeline – but the team is doing a huge amount of work in an effort to gain a full understanding of the performance issues our car is currently facing, with a view to developing next year’s car as well as improving this year’s car. Sometimes you have to go backwards before you can begin going forwards – and, painful as it was for all of us, this weekend was an example of that.”

NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“A race to forget. Our performance was by far not where it has to be and where it was when we won five of the last 10 races here on this classic racetrack. We should not talk a lot now but rather work a lot. Congratulations to our German friend Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing and Mark Webber for a very impressive performance and a clearly very dominant one-two today. This was the most impressive performance of the season so far.”


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

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Silverstone, United Kingdom, Jun 20, 2009

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
- MP4-24-02
P3 programme
- 18 laps/1m20.638s (17th)

Two runs in the morning on a circuit that was slightly damp at the beginning of the session but which dried quickly. Choosing to run without KERS in order to better balance the car for this high-speed circuit, Heikki completed an installation lap before conducting an eight-lap run on Prime tyres (1m21.915s). He finished the morning session by making a comparison run on the Option (five laps/1m20.638s)


Qualifying
- Q1 1m19.732s (15th)
- Q2 1m19.353s (13th overall)
- Q3 -

Starting on the Prime, Heikki set a fastest time of 1m20.756s on his first run. Switching to Options for the second, he recorded a 1m19.732s – a time which graduated him to Q2. In the second session, Heikki pulled together a strong, clean lap, but his best time of 1m19.353s was only enough for 13th position on tomorrow’s grid.

Heikki said: “Today’s result is obviously disappointing for the team but, given the circumstances, I’m satisfied with my performance: I gave it my all and couldn’t have gone any quicker. I didn’t make any mistakes and was on the limit all the time. It’s a pity that Lewis couldn’t improve on his time due to the red flag in the first session as I’m sure he would have joined me in Q2 as well.

“We knew this circuit wouldn’t suit our car and that it would be difficult to get into Q3, but the balance was quite okay this afternoon. We’re all working extremely hard to address the car’s lack of downforce. The guys worked hard overnight to make a lot of changes to the car and we worked really well together to get the most from the car during the morning session. The work doesn’t stop here, however, and our immediate aim is to maximise our strategy and finish the race.”

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-24-04
P3 programme
- 16 laps/1m20.048s (11th)

Lewis ran an identical programme to Heikki, completing runs on both tyre compounds. Starting the session on the Prime, he completed seven laps (1m20.628s) before switching to the Option (four laps/1m20.048s). “The improvements we’ve made overnight made the car feel better in the high-speed corners,” Lewis said. “But we’re still lacking the downforce to really get the best laptimes. But I felt I was able to attack the fast stuff with a bit more commitment than yesterday.”

Qualifying
- Q1 1m19.917s (19th overall)
- Q2 -
- Q3 -

Completing two runs on Options in the truncated session, Lewis pushed hard to set a 1m20.502s and a 1m19.917s. The first lap of his second run was a slower one, a 1m21.372s, and he failed to improve for his final effort when the session was red-flagged following Adrian Sutil’s accident. He starts his home race from 19th.

“I did the best I could today,” said Lewis. “I was pushing as hard as I could but our car is too slow. I gave it my all and there wasn’t really much more I could have got from the car.”

He also played down his chances of being able to improve before the stoppage, admitting: “I was pushing on that final lap – but it was nothing special. However, we live to fight another day and anything can happen in the race tomorrow. We’ll keep pushing on and hopefully put on a good show for all the fans. The great thing is that I’ve had incredible support these past few days from the fans – they’re the ones who are really helping me to get through it, so a big thank-you to all of them.”

COMMENTS

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“While a starting position of 13th for tomorrow’s race might not sound like a spectacular result, I think Heikki can be pleased with his efforts given the circumstances. Lewis was a little unlucky to have his final quick-lap cut short by Sutil’s accident. Today’s result is not a surprise, but it demonstrates that we still have work to do to address MP4-24’s weaknesses in high-speed corners. Nonetheless, we’re already fully focused on the race tomorrow and mindful that we could still produce a strong result in front of the many thousands of passionate fans who will be cheering us on.”

NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Quite painful for Lewis and everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to start from the last row after dominating this race last year. He just drove into his last qualifying lap in Q1 when the track was red-flagged. Otherwise a start from as high as the sixth row could have been possible, albeit unlikely. Heikki and his guys did a competent job in extracting what was possible from the car with its deficits in high-speed corners – plenty of which you’ll find at Silverstone. We’ll all stick together through these tough times and everybody will work very hard to come back to where we used to be in the last two years, when Lewis started 21 of his 42 grands prix from the front row. It’s time to get back to that place!”



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

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Silverstone, United Kingdom, Jun 19, 2009

In order to explore the performance of MP4-24 to a fuller extent, the team has chosen to pursue differing paths for Lewis and Heikki over the course of the Silverstone weekend. Today’s practice was the most divergent of the season so far: on a track where the benefits of using KERS are less pronounced, Heikki’s engineers chose to continue running the system while Lewis’s team decided to focus on developing the most effective balance without it.


Also evaluated today were further modifications to the floor and front wing, the back-to-backing of tongued and standard static front hubs and the addition of new double-fin sidepod strakes.

LEWIS HAMILTON
- MP4-24-04
P1 programme
- 26 laps
- 1m20.650s (8th)

Lewis spent the morning understanding the balance of the car and was encouraged by its consistency. He completed two installation laps and three runs, all on the Prime tyre, as he evaluated a series of new aero components. With the track starting off cold and slippery and the tyres requiring several laps to reach their optimum, Lewis spent the morning working down to a fast time. He completed runs of four laps/1m23.722s best; six laps/1m21.026s and seven laps/1m20.650s, ending the morning session eighth fastest.

“It took a while to get used to the car this morning,” he said. “It feels a little different from what we’ve been running in previous races. Generally, I’m very happy with the balance but, with a revised car and on a high-speed circuit like this, it takes a bit longer than usual to find the limit.”

P2 programme
- 35 laps
- 1m20.417s (7th)

Lewis’s opening five-lap run (1m21.181s) felt different from the pace shown this morning. Nonetheless, his second run, on Primes, was remarkably consistent, seeing him post the following eight-lap sequence: 1m22.572s, 1m22.736s, 1m21,826s, 1m21.862s, 1m21.768s, 1m24.032s, 1m21.644s and 1m21.688s. Two further runs on Options (10 laps/1m21.475s and four laps/1m20.417s) concluded his session.

“It’s no secret that we’re lacking speed in the faster sections,” Lewis concluded. “But the car wasn’t too bad today. The balance was good, we’ve made some set-up changes and it now appears to be fairly consistent. But this has already turned out to be one of the best weekends of the year for me because I’m at my home grand prix and the fans are incredible here – I’ve seen and felt their support from the very first lap I did today.”

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN
- MP4-24-02
P1 programme
- 22 laps
- 1m21.029s (12th)

Heikki completed three runs this morning: five laps/1m22.779s;four laps/1m22.161s and six laps/1m21.029s. MP4-24’s lack of high-speed grip and its nervousness in the faster corners meant it was difficult to extract a strong time from the car, but Heikki felt the team made progress with its understanding of the car and its balance at high speed.

“Firstly, it’s great to be back at Silverstone because it’s a circuit I love,” Heikki said. “I got pole position last year and I really enjoy driving here. We know we face a tougher weekend this season because we’re lacking grip, but the balance of the car didn’t feel too bad this morning. As Lewis is running without KERS this weekend, we now have to analyse the balance of both cars and see what we’ll do for the rest of the weekend.”

P2 programme
- 37 laps
- 1m20.733s (12th)

Another busy session. Heikki started off on Primes (five laps/1m21.796s) and Options (three laps/1m20.859s) before starting his long-run programme, completing runs of seven laps (Primes/1m22.682s) and eight laps (Options/1m22.822s).

“We’re definitely making progress,” he said afterwards. “It’s still difficult to say whether it’s an advantage to be running KERS, but I felt I was getting a laptime benefit from the system. This weekend will be all about developing our car and seeing what difference the changes make to both Lewis’s and my pace. The whole team is pushing like crazy and we’re getting a better understanding of our car. Whatever happens, we are definitely going to learn a lot of useful things about the car this weekend.”

COMMENTS

MARTIN WHITMARSH
Team principal, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
“We’re fully aware that the characteristics of the Silverstone circuit don’t suit our technical package, but we have taken on an aggressive approach for the weekend, splitting our drivers’ development programmes to more fully understand the nature of the changes we’ve made to each car. We’ll learn some valuable lessons from this approach and are confident that it will pay dividends and allow us to mount an increasingly stronger challenge throughout Saturday and into Sunday’s race.”

NORBERT HAUG
Vice-president, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Lewis today drove without KERS because Silverstone is a circuit where you do not brake too often: you get less of a benefit from the system here than you would on heavy-braking circuits. By way of comparison, Heikki used the system today and our specialists will analyse today’s results and decide whether we choose to continue using the system on his car for the rest of the weekend. Generally, this great circuit with lots of fast corners does not help our cars to be competitive.

“We need further dramatic improvements to come back to the position where we won five of the last 10 British Grands Prix – the last one in most convincing manner with Lewis last year.”


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

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Jun 19, 2009 – To coincide with its 30th birthday, the legendary G-Class benefits from new additional features that primarily enhance comfort and exclusivity in the interior.


Mercedes-Benz is once again going its separate way with the G-Class. Instead
of modernising the visual appeal of the striking design icon and relaunching it with a new design, those in charge have left its indestructible, hallmark traits untouched since 1979. At the same time, the consistent effort which Mercedes-Benz has put into the evolution of the "G" has helped safeguard its leading position.

In the most recent case, the "G" specialists have focused their attention on the interior and developed new seats. The ergonomically optimised front seats improve both comfort and lateral support, helping further bolster driver-fitness safety. The new design has also modernised the rear seat bench, with modifications that echo the styling of the driver's and front passenger's seat. "G" customers can choose between black or grey fabric upholstery and leather appointments either in black, grey or chestnut. Further added comfort comes courtesy of the new optional climatised multicontour seats. The line-up now also includes the exquisite designo leather upholstery in classic red or black as well as designo wood trim in black piano lacquer. Another highlight that will be available in early 2010 comes in the shape of the designo stone trim in Labrador blue pearl.

The standard specification now includes an Aux-in socket in the glove compartment and the familiar designer ignition key. As an option, indirect ambient interior lighting, a leather-trimmed dashboard, an extensive Chrome package as well as a media interface to connect an iPod, USBor Aux devices add to the feel-good factor on board.

New paintwork options are also available: "palladium silver metallic" or the "designo platinum magno" matt finish, which show off the striking body design of the "G" to particularly good effect, supplement the line-up for 2009. At the rear, the new models make a distinctive statement with a modified spare wheel cover with a three-dimensional Mercedes star.

Current model range: three body variants, three engines

The model family currently includes three body variants (short Station Wagon, long Station Wagon and Cabriolet), which can be combined either as the G 350 CDI (replaces the previous G 320 CDI with a new nomenclature) with the frugal V6 diesel engine or as the G 500 with a powerful 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine. The top-of-the-line G 55 AMG – available solely as a four-door long Station Wagon – offers muscular performance, which, together with the incomparable vocals, underpins the character of this decidedly sporty version. The G-Guard based on the G 500 long Station Wagon remains an important component in the model range. The fully armoured G-Class certified to bullet resistance level FB6 or FB7 provides protection against pistols/revolvers and long-barrelled weapons as well as against explosive charges of a defined size.

The evergreen Mercedes-Benz off-roader provides a superior synthesis of high-performance drive and dynamic handling control systems. The standard specification includes the electronic traction system 4ETS, the Electronic Stability Program ESP® and three differential locks selectable at the push of a button, alongside the permanent all-wheel drive with off-road ratio.

Key technical data* and prices at a glance:

On its 30th birthday: readers' poll awards mount up

Readers of the "4Wheel Fun" off-road magazine named the "G" "2009 superstar" in its readers' poll. The indefatigable off-roader came out on top in the same poll in 2007. Following on from the success in 2003 and 2007, readers of "Motor Klassik" once again chose the Mercedes-Benz G-Class as "classic of the future" in 2009. For an incredible sixth time – after 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 – readers of “Off Road” have bestowed the title “off-roader of the year 2009” on this automotive icon.

The G-Class boasts a long tradition of awards and accolades, reflected in the packed trophy cabinet. Readers of specialist magazine "auto motor und sport" have voted the G-Class the world's best off-roader no less than 14 times. In 1983, the Australian automotive magazine "bushdriver" named the "G" the best 4x4 off-roader of the year, undoubtedly rekindling memories of the Paris-Dakar victory that very same year. In 1993, readers of the French "Magazine 4x4" voted the G 350 TURBODIESEL the off-roader of the year. And in 1995, the readers of the specialist water-sports magazine "Boote" came to the conclusion that the G-Class is the best towing vehicle.

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

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart/Affalterbach, Germany, Jun 17, 2009

In the coveted "International Engine of the Year Awards 2009", engines from Mercedes-Benz and AMG were voted the best in three categories. The AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine carried off two awards: in the "Best Performance Engine" and "Above 4 litres" categories, this high-revving, naturally aspirated engine developing up to 386 kW/525 hp took first place by a wide margin in each case. In the "2 to 2.5 litres" category, the new four-cylinder diesel unit from Mercedes-Benz also took first place by a comfortable margin.


The "International Engine of the Year Awards" are among the most prestigious in the automobile sector, and are presented annually by the British motoring publisher UKIP Media & Events. The best engines of the year are chosen in twelve categories by an independent jury of 64 well-known motoring journalists from 32 countries. This year two engines from Mercedes-Benz and AMG prevailed against stiff competition from Germany, Italy, Great Britain, the USA and Japan. This once again demonstrates the great expertise of Mercedes-Benz and the performance brand AMG in the development and production of exciting engines.

For 2009 the winner in the "Best Performance Engine" and "Above 4 litres"
categories was the AMG6.3-litre V8 engine. This high-revving, naturally aspirated power unit with a displacement of 6208 cc develops an output between 336 kW/457 hp and 386 kW/525 hp, a maximum torque of 630 newton metres, and is used in seven AMG high-performance cars such as the C 63 AMG and the SL 63 AMG. The basis for its agile power delivery is a concerted technology transfer from motor racing, something that has been firmly embedded in the corporate philosophy of Mercedes-AMGfor more than four decades. Jury member Bill McKinnon (USA): "Enormous pulling power and the responsiveness of a racing engine, combined with a "Wagneresque" soundtrack - this AMGV8 sets the standard."

A high performance with exemplary fuel economy is also offered by the newly
designed direct-injection four-cylinder diesel engine from Mercedes-Benz. The most powerful variant develops 150 kW/204 hp from a displacement of 2143 cc, with a maximum torque of 500 newton metres. It is used in both the new E-Class and the C-Class. The C 250 CDIBlueEFFICIENCY Saloon equipped with this engine has a combined fuel consumption of just 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres - showing exemplary efficiency. The 125 kW/170 hp variant is happy with 4.8 litres of diesel fuel per 100 km (corresponding to CO2 emissions of 127 g/km) - the best figure in this category. Jury member John Carey (Australia) describes the engine as follows: "Effortless performance and an unbelievably low fuel consumption."

According to Friedrich Eichler, Head of Engine and Powertrain Development
at Mercedes-AMG: "These top rankings reflect the huge enthusiasm of our customers for the AMG6.3-litre V8 engine and the high-performance cars equipped with it - and they confirm the extremely positive test results in all the worldwide media." Christoph Schmidt-Arnold, Head Project Manager for the new diesel engines, echoes these comments: "We are extremely pleased that the new four-cylinder diesel engine from Mercedes-Benz has been so well received by our customers and that its combination of high efficiency and maximum driving pleasure has now been acknowledged with this award."



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

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

Stuttgart, Germany, Jun 16, 2009

For lovers of exclusive cars Mercedes-Benz is proud to announce the arrival of an eye-catching new version of the C-Class on the scene. The new Special Edition is set to draw admiring glances with its sporty, elegant design features, reserved for this model only, a high-quality interior plus some exciting technical highlights as part of the standard specification, including AGILITY CONTROL, ADAPTIVE BRAKE, BlueEFFICIENCY and the Intelligent Light System, ensuring that even the most discerning requirements are met for those looking for refinement, motoring pleasure and a car with a distinctive character. The Special Edition is available as a saloon and an estate and with all the C-Class engines.


Sporty passion, exciting dynamism and effortlessly superior style – these are the distinguishing characteristics of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Special Edition. The striking C-Class design that has won a number of awards has now been given an even finer, and yet at the same time more sporty, air by Mercedes-Benz through the addition of some charismatic details. Playing a major role in the vehicle’s image are its darkened front headlamps with a dark cover frame, the new indium grey paintwork (obsidian black, palladium silver, iridium silver or calcite white are also available) and 17-inch 5-spoke light-alloy wheels with mixed-size tyres (235/60 R 17 at the front, 255/55 R 17 at the rear). As an alternative there are also 16-inch 7-spoke light-alloy wheels and 205/55 R17-size tyres all round.

The optical finesse of the exterior comes courtesy of touches such as shoulderline trim strips in polished aluminium, the finned radiator in brilliant silver matt with chrome highlights and an integrated star, front fog lamps with a chrome ring and chromed twin louvres, chrome highlights in the bumper, rub strip and boot lid plus the B-pillar trim painted glossy black.

Like the exterior, the interior is based on the AVANTGARDE design and equipment line. Its aesthetics have been streamlined and its sportiness sharpened through the inclusion of further high-quality materials and carefully coordinated details. An example of these stylish elements are the seats – exclusively manufactured for the Special Edition – made from black ARTICO man-made leather with Liverpool fabric in como beige. There is contrasting topstitching in comobeige embellishing the seats, centre armrest, door centre panel and floor mats, serving to underline the dynamic theme. The floor mats also bear the “Special Edition” lettering. Leather seats are available as an optional extra – also in two-tone variants featuring black/sahara beige or black/cognac brown.

Trim parts in brushed aluminium which have been designed exclusively for this C-Class Special Edition contrast with the interior in black and beige, creating an ambience full of soul. The standard specification includes armrests with a double cup holder and a stowage compartment at the front and rear, 1/3 : 2/3 folding rear seats with a through-loading feature, a luxury multifunction leather steering wheel with a 4.5 inch display in the instrument cluster that boasts three analogue round dials with tapered tube-style surrounds, not to mention a shift/selector lever in leather, plus seat heating.

The range of equipment includes some superb technical innovations such as AGILITY CONTROL, ADAPTIVE BRAKE and BlueEFFICIENCY, helping the C-Class to set standards in the compact premium-car segment. Also part of the standard specification on board the Special Edition is the Intelligent Light System featuring bi-xenon headlamps with variable light distribution, an active light function, dynamic headlamp range control plus a cornering light function that ensures optimum adaptation to the current visibility. Yet more comfort is afforded by PARKTRONIC with its acoustic and optical distance warning.

The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class Special Edition is available now in both saloon and estate guise with the entire engine line-up, including the redeveloped, especially powerful four-cylinder diesel engines which come complete with the assurance of their exemplary thriftiness and environmental compatibility. Indeed, it is thanks to them that Mercedes-Benz has achieved model status in this class where efficiency is concerned.

Depending on which engine is ordered, the additional charge on the respective AVANTGARDE model in conjunction with the fabric/ARTICO man-made leather upholstery is between 2,689.40 and 3,879.40 euros (between 4,629.10 and 5819.10 euros in conjunction with leather upholstery) including German VAT.