You are currently viewing eMercedesBenz' past articles published in March, 2006.  Our latest stories can be found here.

Earlier this week, news began circulating about the attempted plans to form a union at the Mercedes plant in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama.

The efforts, which are being led by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, are aimed at organizing the work force at Mercedes' Vance plant.  In a quote published by the Washington Times, Bobby Ray Thomas, a 49-year-old inspector who has worked at the Mercedes-Benz plant since production began in 1997, had this to say about the situation: "We want a union, and one of us has got to go first to give the rest of these boys an opportunity. Somebody's got to get these dominoes falling..."

Keep Reading "Mercedes Tuscaloosa Plant:  Union Or No Union?"

As many of my British readers may remember, in May of last year former boxing world champion Naseem Hamed (or Prince Naseem as he prefers to be called) was involved in a collision while driving his Mercedes SLR McLaren.  Allegedly Naseem, in an attempt to overtake the car in front of him, crashed head-on into a Volkswagen Golf driven by 38-year-old Anthony Burgin.  As a result of the accident, Burgin suffered a broken leg, broken arms, and fractures to every major bone in his body.

Today Naseem finally had his day in the spotlight, appearing before the Sheffield Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to the act of dangerous driving...

Keep Reading "Former Boxing Champion Naseem Faces Jail Time Over SLR Crash"

Have you ever driven down a street lined with car dealers, only to notice the abundance of gimmicks to get you to stop in and look at their vehicles?  Lights, banners, balloons... a guy down the road from me even uses giant stuffed monkeys placed on the hoods of his cars, apparently in an effort to make customers feel like they're on an African safari.

In Australia however, the conniving marketing department at smart had a better idea, erecting a monstrosity they're calling the Super Stacker.  Weighing in at a mere 30 tons and rising 53 feet skywards, the Super Stacker is capable of displaying up to 8 smart cars (4 smart forfours and 4 smart fortwos)...

Keep Reading "Smart 'Super Stacker' Lures Customers"

If you remember back about a month or so we told you about the new Tag Heuer SLR Chronograph, a watch designed to coincide with the aesthetic beauty of the Mercedes-Benz SLR.

That watch is today celebrating its premiere at the Baselworld trade fair, and to celebrate the occasion, Mercedes has published a press release highlighting the watch's extensive list of features...

Keep Reading "The Tag Heuer SLR For Mercedes-Benz Chronograph"

I'm sure you all know Kimi Raikkonen as the insanely talented McLaren Mercedes F1 driver - the man who started the first F1 race of the season in last place on the grid, only to come back and capture the third spot on the podium... but have you ever wondered what the Finnish superstar does in his off-time?

Well recently, the answer to that question was piloting a DaimlerChrysler zero emissions fuel cell bus...

Keep Reading "Kimi Trades His F1 Car For A Fuel Cell Bus"

A few days ago we told about DaimlerChrysler's plans to revitalize the smart brand by dropping the troubled smart forfour model.

Today in a brief statement, DaimlerChrysler has announced their company's governing bodies have approved the smart restructuring plan, and that the company has signed a non-binding Terms Sheet with the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation with the goal of entering into a binding agreement regarding the cancellation of the smart forfour.

Keep Reading "DaimlerChrysler's Board Approves Smart Restructuring"

In keeping with our previous story's conjecture theme, the boys over at the German auto publication Auto Motor und Sport have posted a little gossip of their own.  In a recent article, the magazine takes a look at what they believe we can all come to expect in the latest incarnation of the Mercedes C-Class and the MLK-Class.

2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Expected to make its world debut at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show, the 2008 Mercedes C-Class takes much of its styling cues from the recently-introduced 2007 S-Class. Broader wheel arches, re-designed headlights and a higher front end all give the new C-Class a much more S-Class-like appearance...

Keep Reading "A Look At The 2008 Mercedes C-Class And MLK-Class"

A while back we told you about the Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG Ultimate Experience Asia, a custom race-inspired variant of the SLK F1 Safety Car produced specifically for a wealthy Asian investor.

At the time of the story, the press release noted that a small number of cars based on this SLK "Ultimate Experience Asia" would be produced and made available to consumers, but at the time no additional details were given.  Recently however, a few additional rumors began circulating that shed some new light on the topic...

Keep Reading "SLK 55 AMG "Ultimate Experience Asia" Coming This July?"

Just in time for Easter, Mercedes has released details of their newest DriversLine Collection, a plethora of MB accessories perfect for the Mercedes commercial vehicle driver in your life.

Of the items released in the latest collection, none is sure to garner more attention than the "Black Edition" Märklin miniature train.  Limited in number to only 400, the train consists of an E locomotive based on the 185 model series as well as two low-platform wagons, each transporting two “Black Edition” model Mercedes-Benz Actros trucks. Each 1:87 model Actros truck is meticulously handcrafted from over 20 separate parts, and they're only available as a part of the truck transport train set.  If you're interested, pricing (in Deutschland) will be EUR 449...

Keep Reading "Mercedes Announces New Additions To The DriversLine Collection"

The man, the myth, the legend - Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Incredible Hulk as well as the individual responsible for turning Marvel into one of the world's leading comic book powerhouses, has placed up for auction his personal vehicle, a 1987 Mercedes 420 SEL.

Purchased by Lee in 1991 with 48,500 miles on the odometer, the car has been driven on average about 3,600 miles per year, with the odometer now showing 98,380 miles.  Included with the sale are the pictured chrome wheels, hands free mobile phone, sheepskin seat covers, maintenance and service records, and of course, an autograph by the legend himself...

Keep Reading "Spider-Man Co-Creator Stan Lee's Mercedes 420 SEL For Sale On eBay"

A couple weeks ago we told you about a story Inside Line had run - an article offering readers the first glimpse of the Mercedes-Benz S550 4MATIC.

Apparently the experience was a memorable one for the staff over at Inside Line, because today they have published yet another article detailing their jaunt with the S-Class in the Swiss Alps...

Keep Reading "Inside Line Test the Mercedes S550 4MATIC... Again"

As if its list of accolades wasn't already impressive enough, readers of the Austrian motoring magazine Firmenwagen have bestowed the 2007 Mercedes S-Class with yet another prize, awarding it the "Fleet Car of the Year 2006" crown in the luxury car category.

Although the criteria for the award isn't mentioned in the press release, Mercedes attributes its victory to its extensive list of innovative safety features, outstanding ride comfort and environmental friendliness...

Keep Reading "Firmenwagen Names S-Class Fleet Car Of The Year 2006"

This weekend heralded the launch of the 2006 DTM pre-season in Düsseldorf, Germany. To kick off the opening festivites, over 40 DTM teams entered the city on Saturday, where they were greeted by close to 140,000 spectators.  Fans of the DTM series were able to meet their favorite drivers, get autographs and take pictures with the teams.

On Sunday the festivities continued, with the DTM drivers completing a few demonstration laps, some starting demos and a pit-stop competition on a specially-installed 800 meter track along the Königsallee...

Keep Reading "Mercedes DTM Presentation At Düsseldorf's Shopping Mile"

In the world of journalism, there are many conflicting opinions.  While one writer may favor something and share with the world his fondness for that particular item, another writer oftentimes comes along and debases the very same thing, criticizing it and condemning it down to its very core.

Such is the case of the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class.

Why it was only last week that Dan Neil of the LA Times went off on a tirade, professing SUV drivers to be nothing more than "selfish rotters" and chastising Mercedes for even considering producing a large SUV. This weekend, a mere two days later, we have another opinion, courtesy of Royal Ford of The Boston Globe...

Keep Reading "The Boston Globe Reviews The Mercedes GL"

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, I hope you all had a magnificent weekend.

While many of us were out playing, enjoying the lovely spring weather (at least me anyways), DaimlerChrysler was hard at work, publishing the latest details of how they intend to make the troubled smart brand profitable once again.

According to the press release, the main objective for the smart brand will be to concentrate on the smart fortwo.  To do so, DaimlerChrysler will cancel production of the ailing smart forfour, a car produced by the Mitsubishi Motor Corporation and hated by DC investors around the world...

Keep Reading "DaimlerChrysler's Smart Plans For The Future"