Category Archives: News and Notes

Mercedes Heritage: January 2011

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125 years ago – on 29 January 1886: Carl Benz filed the patent application for his three-wheeled “automobile with gas-engine drive”. German Patent number 37,435, dated 2 November 1886, is seen as the “birth certificate” of the automobile. Daimler AG will hold a ceremony to celebrate the start of the anniversary year. Continue reading →

February 1936: the diesel engine celebrates its premiere in the passenger car

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  • The Mercedes-Benz 260 D of 1936 was the first series-production passenger car with a diesel engine
  • Diesel technology at Mercedes-Benz is an almost one hundred year history of innovation
  • Modern car diesel engines are economical, powerful and refined power units
  • BlueTEC and hybrid drive make the diesel an engine technology for the future
Stuttgart – The Mercedes-Benz 260 D in the W 138 series was the world’s first series-production diesel passenger car. In February 1936 – 50 years after the invention of the petrol-powered automobile by Carl Benz – Mercedes-Benz presented this revolutionary vehicle at the International Motorcycle and Automobile Exhibition in Berlin. Its 2.6-litre OM 138 four-cylinder engine with the Mercedes-Benz pre-chamber system and a Bosch injection pump developed 33 kW (45 hp) at 3200 rpm, and was installed in the chassis of the petrol-powered Mercedes-Benz 200 with a long wheelbase. The Bosch Four-plunger injection pump allowed engine speeds of up to 3000 rpm and ensured rapid fuel delivery. Continue reading →

Tax Credits and Deductions

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Alternative Motor Vehicle Tax Credit

Individual taxpayers effected by the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) will be eligible for the personal use portion of the Alternative Motor Vehicle Tax Credit (30B). Currently, the following Mercedes-Benz vehicles qualify for the 30B credit:

  • 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTEC ($1,550)
  • 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTEC ($900)
  • 2011 Mercedes-Benz R350 BlueTEC ($1,550)
  • 2011 Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTEC ($1,800)
  • 2011 Mercedes-Benz S400 HYBRID ($1,150)
  • 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML450 HYBRID ($2,200)

If you purchase one of these vehicles before December 31, 2010, the government will subsidize the purchase through the credit regardless of income level. Please consult your tax advisor for details.

Passenger Safety Cell Patented

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Stuttgart. On 23 January 1951, Daimler-Benz AG registered a patent for the passenger car body with a passenger safety cell. This invention by Béla Barényi was granted Patent No. 845 157 with the title “Motor vehicle, specifically for personal transport”. This was a trailblazing innovation, as it is still seen as the fundamental feature of passive automotive safety to this day. In 1959 the safety body with its rigid passenger cell entered series production for the first time in the Mercedes-Benz W 111 series (model 220b). Together with numerous other developments, the passenger safety cell patented in 1951 is one of the technical standards that Mercedes-Benz continues to set worldwide for improvements in passive automotive safety. Continue reading →

Mercedes-Benz Heritage December 2010

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100 years ago – 3 – 18 December 1910: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presented a landaulet equipped with a valveless Knight sleeve valve engine at the Paris Motor Show. Series production of the first vehicle fitted with this unit, the 16/40 hp model, began in early 1911.
50 years ago – 17 December 1960: Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler-Benz AG, Fritz Könecke, presented a special long-wheelbase version of a Mercedes-Benz 300 d Landaulet to Pope John XXIII.
40 years ago – 12 December 1970: Jointly developed with Teldix, the first-generation anti-lock brake system (ABS) for passenger cars was presented to the press in Untertürkheim.

Maximum safety with optimum driving pleasure: The new Mercedes-Benz SLK – lifting the lid on safety

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Stuttgart – In January 2011, Mercedes-Benz will be launching the new SLK. The agile sports car will feature a new, exciting design, exceptionally high levels of comfort for a roadster, as well as plenty of open-air driving pleasure. At the same time, it will also set new standards for open-top sports cars in terms of safety. The third generation of the trendsetter will make use of a whole host of the latest assistance systems to support the driver, including the drowsiness detection system ATTENTION ASSIST, developed by Mercedes-Benz and fitted as standard; the optional occupant protection system PRE-SAFE®, which is unique in the world; and the PRE-SAFE® Brake, which can apply the brakes autonomously in the event of an impending front-end collision. As such, with the SLK too Mercedes-Benz is consistently and significantly exceeding the requirements imposed by safety standards. Continue reading →