Mercedes-Benz SLK and M-Class Win Golden Steering Wheel

This year’s double win for Mercedes-Benz at the “Golden Steering Wheel” awards marks the continuation of a fine tradition

With over a quarter-million voters ranking their favorites in this year’s Europe-wide reader  vote, the Mercedes-Benz M-Class and Mercedes SLK won their respective category. These two additional wins have made Mercedes-Benz the most successful automotive brand at the “Golden Steering Wheel” awards over any other car brand in history. Mercedes-Benz has won the “Golden Steering Wheel” 21 times including last year’s “Golden Steering Wheel” win for the Mercedes-Benz CLS. On hand to accept the awards were Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, and Professor Dr Thomas Weber, Daimler AG Board of Management member responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

More than 260,000 readers of the German publications “Bild am Sonntag”, “Auto Bild” and their European sister publications in 22 countries registered their votes in this year’s “Golden Steering Wheel” awards. The winner of the SUV class was determined in a direct vote, so making the Mercedes-Benz M-Class the winner of the “Golden Steering Wheel” in this group. The SLK won its category after being shortlisted along with four of its competitors. In the unimpeachable judgement of a panel of experts, and after undergoing real-life testing, it too was awarded the “Golden Steering Wheel” in its category.

Readers from across Europe valued not only the M-Class’s characteristic and distinctive design and its variable interior, with that all-important sense of wellbeing, but also the excellent energy efficiency and thus environmental acceptability of this premium SUV. The permanent all-wheel drive system of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class also proved a determining factor thanks to its well-balanced ride comfort along with excellent driving dynamics, both on and off road, along with the car’s outstanding range and high level of safety.

What ultimately swayed the result in favour of the SLK Roadster in the “Golden Steering Wheel” competition was, above all, the way it manages to combine light-footed sportiness with stylish comfort, striking sports car design with absolute everyday practicality, and superb performance with exemplary ecological credentials. With the excellent performance it derives from its economical and yet powerful engines, along with technical innovations such as the unique panoramic vario-roof with MAGIC SKY CONTROL, which can be switched from light to dark at the touch of a button, the SLK takes driving pleasure and open air enjoyment to a whole new level.

This year’s double win in the “Golden Steering Wheel” awards marks the continuation of a fine tradition: with a total of 21 victories to date, the brand with the three-pointed star now leads the field of the most successful car brands to win the competition for the “Golden Steering Wheel”, a prize that has been awarded since 1976.

2012 Mercedes-Benz Model Year Updates

C-Class Sedan

With over 2,000 new parts, the MY12 facelifted C-Class Sedan marks the most extensive facelift in the  history of Mercedes-Benz. Along with the completely redesigned interior, highlights for the new model year include the following:

  • C250 – New 1.8L I4 (201hp), turbocharged, direct injection engine
  • C350 – New, direct-injection 3.5L V6 (302hp)

Standard equipment upgrades including automatic transmission, rain sensing wipers, auto dimming mirrors, garage door opener, compass, HD Radio, Bluetooth audio streaming,  ATTENTION ASSIST, and adaptive brake with HOLD function.

  •  New paints/wheels/upholstery options
  •  New Lane Tracking Package
  • PARKTRONIC available as stand alone option
  • LED Daytime Running Lamps standard for both sport and luxury
  • Color Instrument Cluster
  • Media Interface relocated to center console
  • All non-AMG C-Class models receive the updated version of our familiar 7-speed automatic transmission which provides better fuel economy and smoother shift quality.

C-Class Coupe

The introduction of the all new MY12 C-Class Coupe will allow Mercedes-Benz to compete for the first  time in the entry level luxury coupe segment. The coupe will share many of the same styling cues found on the sedan such as a completely redesigned interior, new generation of telematics, high resolution color instrument display and increased levels of standard equipment. The coupe will also be differentiated by such standard features as:

  • Panorama sunroof
  • Steering wheel shift paddles
  • 10 way power driver seat with 3 position memory, 4 way power lumbar and power steering column
  • Split folding rear seats
  • Unique C250 wheel

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2012 SLK350 Pricing Announcement

Mercedes-Benz has released the pricing and residual values for the brand new 2012 SLK350.
Base MSRP is $54800
Residual is 53% based on 36 months/15k miles per year.

The new SLK-Class roadster takes driving pleasure and open-air enjoyment to the next level by blending nimble handling with stylish comfort, striking sports-car design, top performance and exemplary efficiency.  It is a beautiful vehicle.

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

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