Category Archives: News and Notes

Vehicle 2 Vehicle Communications

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Last month Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America and the U.S. Department of Transportation launched the largest connected vehicle field in the world in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Over 2800 passenger, commercial, and transit vehicles were being fitted with 5.9GHz Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) radios.

Mercedes-Benz, being a pioneer in automovite safety, considers innovations based on the 5.9Ghz DSRC technology, in combination with invehicle Advanced Driver Assistance Systems as an important step towards accident free driving.

The passenger vehicles have an LED indicator on the dashboard that will illuminate if an impending collision exists.  The commercial vehicles display warnings through tablet devices installed in the cockpit.  Local Ann Arbor residents will drive these vehicles over the course of a year, while researchers collect and analyze data to assess the systems effectiveness.

Mercedes-Benz continues to collaborate with government agencies and other manufacturers both in the U.S. and Europe and is currently heading up a similar project in Germany.

5 Years Ago…

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5 Year Employee Anniversary

It is hard to believe that this time 5 years ago RBM of Atlanta-North staff started reporting for training and to begin to prep the store for its October opening.  I remember walking in the first day and thought to myself there is no way we are going to be open in 2 weeks.  The showroom was a disaster area.  The sales cubes were in boxes, there were bucket lifts on the showroom floor, construction workers and painters were feverishly working to get the doors open.

The first week consisted of sitting at 8ft folding tables in a horseshoe shape completing paperwork and discussing the sales processes that were put in place.  The original sales staff was recruited from a variety of backgrounds ranging from Honda, Infinity, Nissian and Audi.  I was the only sales person with Mercedes-Benz experience.

Week 2 brought the start of product training by Mercedes-Benz and the drawing for our office cubicles.  This was a big deal as we were all starting fresh and had different ideas about which seat was the best seat in the house.  Once our cubicles were set up, it was back to learning online.  Mercedes-Benz requires dealers to maintain staff certification by completing a number of online classes and tests.

The inventory arrival…if I recall correctly we received 80+ cars and trucks in one day.  It was all hands on deck to help get the cars checked in by pulling the books and keys to get them ready for PDI (predelivery inspection).

Opening…the store had a soft opening on the first of October as planned.  It was almost like “if you will build it they will come” to quote the movie Field of Dreams.  The store opened and people showed up without much advertisement.  The official opening came a couple of weeks later in mid October once the last of the construction work was completed.

It’s really amazing looking back at how far the store has come in 5 years.  To quote our General Sales Manager “it (RBM North) is like a ball of clay, consistently being shaped and molded.”  In 2010 RBM North was awarded the first Mercedes-Benz Sprinter franchise in Atlanta.  RBM North also received the Mercedes-Benz “Best of the Best” award for 2010.  2012 brought the second smart car franchise in Atlanta to RBM North as well as being awarded the “Womens Choice Award”.

The future…the Mercedes-Benz brand is the best it has ever been with new cars and fresh designs.  I am excited to see what the next great innovation by Mercedes-Benz will be.  As for RBM North, our vision is simple, to continue to deliver the best of Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz Top Safety Picks 2012 – IIHS

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Top Safety Pick AwardTOP SAFETY PICKs 2012

To determine crashworthiness — how well a vehicle protects its occupants in a crash — the Institute rates vehicles good, acceptable, marginal, or poor based on performance in high-speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts. To earn TOP SAFETY PICK for 2012 a vehicle must have good ratings in all four Institute tests.

Mercedes-Benz Top Safety Picks:

C-Class

2 Door E-Class

4 Door E-Class

GLK

M-Class

2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index

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MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERS TOP RANKED BY 2012 PIED PIPER PROSPECT SATISFACTION INDEX®

Pied Piper PSI Ranking

– Treatment of car shoppers improves industry-wide;
– New highest industry average PSI score

Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of car-shoppers. Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to industry sales success.

Acura, Infiniti and Lexus dealerships, the luxury brands from Honda, Nissan and Toyota respectively, finished in a tie for second. Overall auto industry performance improvement was widespread, with twenty-four of thirty-four auto brands improving PSI performance from 2011 to 2012. Industry-wide improvement led to a new highest recorded industry average PSI score of 105.

For a copy of the complete press release, including 2012 Pied Piper PSI auto brand rankings, or for more information about the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, and the patent-pending PSI process, go to https://www.piedpiperpsi.com/press/

2013 GLK Redesign

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The Mercedes-Benz GLK has been redesigned for the 2013 model year, with bolder exterior styling, a dramatically restyled interior, and crisp driving dynamics.

 

2013 GLK Exterior

The 2013 GLK redesign involves nearly 1,000 new parts that include bolder front and rear bumpers, new headlights and a more graceful front grille. Inside, the new dash features eyecatching burl walnut trim that now spans the entire width of the cabin as well as shift controls relocated to the steering column. Continue reading →

Luxury Brand of the Year

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Mercedes-Benz Named Luxury Brand of the Year for 2012

NEW YORK — After three years of turmoil and consumer skepticism, the automotive industry is beginning to rebound. With new car sales finally on the rise, two manufacturers – Mercedes-Benz and Honda – reign supreme in successfully harnessing their equity and leading their industries as Brands of the Year. In fact, Mercedes-Benz is enjoying this achievement for the second year in a row, according to the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend® (EQ)study, a yearly brand health assessment from Harris Interactive, one of the world’s leading custom and multi-client market research firms.

Mercedes-Benz Retains Title as Lead Luxury Auto Brand

In a segment where luxury is synonymous with superb quality and craftsmanship, the Mercedes-Benz brand resonates more strongly with consumers than any other luxury automotive brand included in the Harris Poll EquiTrend study. Mercedes-Benz’s strong performance in EQ has earned it the Luxury Automotive Brand of the Year accolade for the second year running.
“Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have been battling over this top ranking for the last eight years,” says Mike Chadsey, Senior Consultant for Harris Interactive’s Customer Relationship Consulting team. “Mercedes has ranked at the top for two years in a row and four of the last eight years, while Lexus has made it to the top spot three times. BMW is also usually within the top three, with especially strong scores over the last three years. Quality and Purchase Consideration both play important roles in these annual rankings,” says Chadsey.