2009 Dealer Walk Around Contest

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The last couple of years Mercedes-Benz has had a walk around competition that starts at the dealership level and then goes to state and on to region.  We have not participated in the last couple of years because we are a new dealership.  This year is different.  We are down to the final four (yes, I am one of the finalists).  Today we have our final judging at the dealership level to see who moves on the the “Market” level.  From their the winner goes to region in Jaxsonville, FL and the National Competition is in Colorado.  Wish me luck!

The different themes represented are safety, technology, performance, comfort and convenience.  This is great opportunity to see the way other sales people demonstrate the vehicle and maybe pickup on something I may have missed in training. 

This year it is focused on the new E Sedan and Coupe.  While studying up for my presentation, I still find my self in awe of everything Mercedes-Benz brings to the industry. 

Here are a few examples on the E Class alone:

  • The E Class since it’s inception in 1947 has sold over 10 million vehicles.  We have been building this vehicle longer than some manufacturers have been in business. 
  • It is rated as the most successful selling luxury sedan in the world.
  • The new E Class was crash tested 150 times, in addition to over 17,000 virtual crash tests via computer.  That combined with the previous 8 generations adds up to a total of over 50,000 vehicles crashed to help improve vehicle safety. 
  • Did you know the 2010 E Class contains over 889 safety patents?
  • The sedan and coupe offer the lowest coefficient drag of any vehicle in their segment.  That means better performance and fuel economy.
  • As an industry first, the E Class now offers Attention Assist as standard equipment.  It is designed to help detect driver drowsiness on long trips.  It looks at over 70 inputs/variables from the driver and car to help determine if a “rest” is needed. 

As the competition continues to improve, Mercedes-Benz leads the way.  A little saying we use is “Always imitated never duplicated.”  From the original patent on the automobile, crash testing, crumple zones, airbags, ABS, ESP,  and now Attention Assist. 

 What’s next you may ask?                                                                                 

                                            Hybrid technology?

 

mybenzguy.com


Cash For Clunkers

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The new government stimulus program has been quite a hit boosting auto sales all over the country.  So popular they had to suspend the program last week in fear of running out of money.  We have had a number of clients asking about the CARS program at our dealership and yes we are participating.  This program was not necessarily made for Luxury or Premium Luxury vehicles.  Most of the vehicles at this level in the auto industry don’t meet the base MSRP of under $45,000.  With that said we are still very aggressive with our pricing as we continue to grow our book of business.   Please let me know if you have any questions or how I can be of assistance. 

Cash for Clunkers  website www.cars.gov


Adam

mybenzguy.com

Mercedes Benz Heritage July

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3-5 July 2009 – Goodwood Festival of Speed:
This years Goodwood Festival of Speed will be a celebration of 75 years of the Silver Arrows. Mercedes-Benz will presesnt six original works race cars.
 
Other notable events:
16–22 July 1894 – 115 years ago: Theodor von Liebieg embarked on the first long-distance journey in the history of motoring with his Benz Victoria. He drove from Reichenberg in Bohemia via Mannheim and Gondorf an der Mosel to Reims and back.
22 July 1894 – 115 years ago: The world’s first automobile race – a reliability trial – was staged from Paris to Rouen in France.
4 July 1914 – 95 years ago: Christian Lautenschlager won the French Grand Prix in Lyons driving a 4.5-litre Grand Prix Mercedes. Louis Wagner and Otto Salzer took second and third place respectively driving the same model.
4 July 1954 – 55 years ago: Mercedes-Benz returned to Formula 1 racing with the W 196 R racing car. Juan Manuel Fangio and Karl Kling pulled off a spectacular double victory in Reims, France.
July 1969 – 40 years ago: Daimler-Benz and MAN (Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG) established the MTU Group, combining the product fields of high-performance diesel engines and turbojet aero engines.
July 1974 – 35 years ago: The world’s first passenger car with a five-cylinder diesel engine, the Mercedes-Benz 240 D 3.0 (W 115), made its debut. It was also the most powerful diesel passenger car.

Mercedes Benz E Class

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With the launch of the 2010 E Class around the corner, I thought I would give a brief history of what it has brought to the auto industry. 

Technical highlights of the E-Class and its predecessors
136 and 191 series (1946 to 1955)
  • Saloon with all-steel body from 170 S model (1949)
  • Four-cylinder diesel engine in the 170 D model (1949)
  • Short arm/long arm front suspension in the 170 S (1949)
120 and 121 series (1953 to 1962)
  • Three-box body design cuts air resistance and fuel consumption
  • First Mercedes-Benz passenger car to feature self-supporting body design
  • Rear single-joint swing axle (1955)
110 series (1961 to 1968)
  • Safety passenger cell with front and rear crumple zones
  • Dual-circuit brake system with brake booster and disc brakes from 1963
115 and 114 series (1968 to 1976)
  • Diagonal swing axle: rear axle with semi-trailing arm, auxiliary rubber springs and torsion bar stabiliser as standard
  • From 1973 on ribbed tail lights to reduce dirt accumulation
  • The 240 D 3.0 model becomes the first production car worldwide to feature a five-cylinder diesel engine
123 series (1975 to 1985)
  • Double-wishbone front suspension with zero scrub radius
  • Safety steering column with corrugated tube based on design by Béla Barényi
  • Station wagon with automatic hydropneumatic level control
  • The 300 TD Turbodiesel model (1980) is the first car on the German market to feature turbocharged diesel engine
  • Experiments with alternative drive systems: hydrogen, electric motor, liquefied gas
124 series (1984 to 1996)
  • Considerable improvement of cd value compared with 123 series and therefore a significant reduction in fuel consumption
  • First use of V8 engines in the E-Class (1991)
  • First large-scale use of four-valve technology with petrol and diesel engines
  • Shock absorber strut independent front suspension with anti-dive control; multi-link independent rear suspension
  • Automatically engaging 4MATIC four-wheel drive
210 series (1995 to 2003)
  • Electronic Traction System (ETS)
  • Direct-injection diesel engine, turbocharger and intercooler in the E 290 Turbodiesel model
  • 1997: new-generation 4MATIC as permanent all-wheel drive with ETS
  • 1998: diesel injection engines featuring common rail technology in the E-Class
211 series (since 2002)
  • Four-link front suspension; multi-link independent rear suspension mostly made of aluminium
  • Electrohydraulically controlled Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC™) system
  • Adaptive front airbags and two-stage belt force limiter featuring automatic front passenger weight classification
  • Four-cylinder engine with two balancer shafts in the E 220 CDI model
  • TWINPULSE system for mechanical supercharging in the E 200 KOMPRESSOR model

Mercedes Benz Heritage June

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24 June 1909 – 100 years ago:
Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft filed a registered design application for its trademark three-pointed star, adding the four-pointed star to its application four days later.
6 June 1919 – 90 years ago:
First issue of the Daimler-Werkzeitung newspaper. Edited by cultural philosopher Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, it was aimed in particular at the workers and provided a perspective on the revised commercial thinking that took shape during the political and social upheavals following the First World War.
3 June 1934 – 75 years ago:
Start of the Silver Arrow era with the W 25 Grand Prix racing car. At its debut event, the International Eifel Race on the Nürburgring, Manfred von Brauchitsch won in record time – the first in a long succession of victories for the Silver Arrows.
29 June 1989 – 20 years ago:
Mercedes-Benz AG was founded as part of the new corporate structure. Werner Niefer was appointed Chairman of the Board of Management.

Other notable events:

17 June 1904 – 105 years ago: Three Mercedes 90 hp racing cars proved very successful at the fifth Gordon Bennett Race in the Taunus, finishing second, third and fifth.
4 June 1974 – 35 years ago: Daimler-Benz presented its newest experimental safety vehicle, the ESF 24, at the International ESV Conference in London.
12 June 1989 – 20 years ago: Two Sauber-Mercedes C9 cars scored a one-two win at the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in France – 37 years after the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé took victory in the same race.