Since the debut of the Gullwing, the absolute pinnacle of automotive engineering, Mercedes has sold more than one million roadsters.

Since its inception in 1954, Mercedes' largest seller has been their trademark SL-Class.  More than fifty years later, the SL-Class is now in its fifth generation, and to date over 600,000 have been sold.  The current incarnation alone commands a 40 percent market share with over 100,000 being sold since 2001...

Keep Reading "Mercedes Sells Over 1 Million Roadsters"

The lucky bastards in Europe are at it again.  They have better food, they have the Autobahn, and now they have a 2 year warranty with no mileage limit on any new Mercedes passenger car or van.

The warranty applies to any car or van purchased from September 1 and on, so all you European speed-demons can drive 'til your heart's content (at least for the first two years).

Oh if I could drive the McLaren SLR on the Autobahn just one time...

Keep Reading "Mercedes Introduces Two Year Warranty In Europe"

According to a German tabloid, the McLaren Mercedes Racing Team is currently in talks with Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone.  Speculators think the switch from their current tire manufacturer Michelin to Bridgestone is due to the team's belief that a control tire would be good for the sport.

Michelin on the other hand has argued against control tires, and has stated they're not interested in the sport if there's no rival tire manufacturers.  The McLaren Mercedes Racing Team is now the fourth team linked with Bridgestone, including Red Bull, Williams and Toyota...

Keep Reading "McLaren In Talks With Bridgestone"

If you haven't already heard, Apple announced yesterday it's newest addition to the iPod line, the iPod nano.  What does this have to with Mercedes you ask?  Simple.  Although not a widely publicized fact, most new 2005 Mercedes models have iPod integration available as an option.  Simply plug your iPod into a connector in your glove compartment and you can control your iPod through your car's stereo with the steering wheel buttons.  There's even a multifunction display in the instrument panel so you can see what's playing.

If you haven't heard of iPod integration in your Mercedes, check out the official Mercedes-Benz iPod information page, or you can visit Apple's iPod your Car page to see a list of models that support iPod integration.

If you're already rockin' out with an iPod in your Mercedes, make sure you check out the new iPod nano at Apple's website.  The black one is pretty slick; I definitely have to get one to match my baby...

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Rumor has it McLaren may be contemplating a "B" team.  If the rumors are true, the McLaren Mercedes Racing Team could have a second F1 team as early as 2007.

New regulations allow teams to sell previously exclusive cars and parts to other teams. According to Max Mosley, the FIA president, "Entry level people will simply be able to buy a car from a big team.  That will help new teams come in."

I think I'm going to have to finally break open my piggy bank on this one.  The eMercedesBenz F1 Racing Team has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Keep Reading "McLaren Planning Second F1 Team?"

In the ongoing development of fuel-cell technology, Daimler Chrysler has delivered two F-Cell passenger cars to the Sacramento Municipality Utility District. The 88 hp vehicles, which can reach speeds of 85 mp/h and have a range of about 100 miles, will provide Daimler Chrysler with data and operational experience to help improve the next generation of fuel cell vehicles.

According to Mark Chernoby, Chrysler Group's Vice President of Advanced Vehicle Engineering, "Daimler Chrysler has invested over $1 billion in hydrogen fuel-cell technology." Currently there are over 100 Daimler Chrysler fuel cell vehicles operating throughout the world, 17 of which are in this country. BP, Daimler Chrysler's energy partner, has already opened hydrogen refueling stations in Southfield Michigan and the Los Angeles International Airport.

Keep Reading "Daimler Chrysler Delivers Fuel Cell Vehicles"...

In a recent article, Forbes compared the ostentatiously feminine Lexus SC 430 to the racy new Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class.  The reason for the comparison is that last year, the Lexus dominated Mercedes, outselling the SLK in the first eight months by 141%.  But that was last year, the year of the old and decrepit SLK that's been haunting us since 1997.  This year my friends, it's an entirely different story.  Mercedes, finally realizing that SLK fans deserve more, completely redesigned the SLK class, giving them a McLaren-inspired vehicle worthy of their affection.

Keep Reading "Mercedes SLK And Lexus SC 430 Comparison"...

By popular demand, eMercedesBenz is proud to announce we've added RSS feeds for your viewing pleasure.  If you'd prefer to read eMercedesBenz without photos and advertisements, subscribe to our free RSS feed and enjoy eMercedesBenz in its purest form.

If you've never used and RSS feed before, don't worry, it's a piece of cake.  To get you started, we've added links to our favorite RSS aggregators, My Yahoo and Newsgator.  Click the links (located below our "Resources" section), sign up for a free account, and you're all set.   If you'd prefer to add our RSS feed to another aggregator, we've also included an XML link as well.

To all the readers that requested RSS feeds, thanks for your input.  We appreciate your comments and suggestions, and as always, thanks for reading.

A little while back, we brought you a story about Daimler Chrysler and GM working jointly to develop hybrid technology.  Today, BMW has announced they will be joining the alliance.

The objective is to develop a two-mode hybrid system that reduces fuel consumption without compromising performance.  To do this, the automakers will incorporate both electric and combustion engines into their hybrid systems.  The driver can then alternate between the two forms of power, or use both simultaneously, depending on the driving conditions.  Although the base hybrid system used by all three auto manufacturers will be the same, each company will integrate them differently into their vehicles, based on their own individual specifications.

BMW, who signed a "memorandum of understanding" with Daimler Chrysler and GM, is expected to finalize the agreement later this year.

Keep Reading "BMW Joins Hybrid Alliance"...

I have to admit, when I saw this car, I absolutely fell in love.  And I'm not talking the "I want to be your friend" kind of love, I'm talking the "I want to marry you and make babies with you" kind of love.

The car is a collaboration between Mercedes and the International Watch Company.  Basically they took a standard CLS 55 and designed various elements of it to match the IWC Ingenieur watch.  The result?  The newest object of my affection.

The limited CLS 55 features Mercedes' 5.5-Liter V8 and sports a dark titanium paint job.  Various decorative elements of the car, including window bezels, handle inserts and rear trim were painted to match.  As you can see from the picture, it also is equipped with Mercedes' 19 inch AMG five-spoke wheels.

Keep Reading "New CLS 55 AMG IWC Ingenieur"...

Last month, the Mercedes Car Group made enough money to feed all the starving children in Africa. Well not really, but they did manage to boost worldwide sales by 12%. Last month, August sales rose to 86,600 vehicles, up from 77,300 in 2004. This brings the Mercedes Car Group's total 2005 sales to 760,800 vehicles, 500 more than last year at this time.

The Mercedes Car Group performed well throughout the world, including the U.S. As previously reported, Mercedes-Benz USA recorded its highest ever August sales figures last month with a total of 19,267 vehicles being sold. Germany and the Asia/Pacific regions also marked substantial gains for the month of August, with increases of 13.8% and 15.5%, respectively.

Keep Reading "Mercedes-Benz Increases Worldwide Sales By 12 Percent"...

If you're a classic car fan, one of the years major classic car events is currently taking place - the Mercedes-Benz Classic Days 2005.  The event, which takes place September 4-11 in Salzburg, Austria, is being held by the Mercedes-Benz Classic Car Club International.  For the event, 220 classic Mercedes teams have registered, as well as 23 cars from other manufacturers, including BMW, Bugatti, Porsche, and Bentley.

Mercedes-Benz Classic Days 2005 will consist of two parts: a sporting competition and a tourist group.  For the sporting competition, drivers will compete on the Salzburging and Gaisburg mountains in the second annual "hill-climb duel."  The winner of the duel will receive the coveted Paul Daimler Trophy.  The tourist group will take a more leisurely approach, venturing on a relaxing 155 mile trip along with the sporting cars.

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I received an email from a Jaguar fan today.  Normally I wouldn't respond to emails of this nature, but today I'm a little bored.  To summarize his email, he basically stated the new Jaguar offering is better than anything Mercedes has to offer, blah blah blah.  Then I deleted his email.

The car he's referring to is Jaguar's new XJ Super V8 Portfolio.  Yeah, you heard me right.  The Portfolio.  If anyone has heard of a worse name for a car, I'm dying to hear it.  Maybe they'll follow it up with the Jaguar XJ Super-Duper V8 Suitcase, or maybe the new Jaguar XJ  Fantastically-Awesome V8 Resumé.

Keep Reading "Who's Afraid Of The Big Black Cat"...

If you're a mom, and you want a minivan so fast it will put the fear of God into your disobedient children in the backseat, you won't have to wait much longer.  Mercedes is set to debut the new Vision R 63 AMG in Frankfurt this month.  The souped up kiddie-hauler is powered by the all new AMG 6.3-Liter V8, pumping out a child-terryfing 510 horsepower.  According to Mercedes, the R63 accelerates 0-62 mp/h in approximately five seconds, and reaches a top speed of 155 mp/h, electronically limited of course.  Just think, with a minivan that fast, you'll be able to spend an extra five minutes baking cookies before you have to pick your kids up from school.

Keep Reading "Vision R 63 AMG To Debut In Europe"...

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, it's time for some F1 racing news.

Juan Pablo Montoya of the McLaren-Mercedes team won the Italian Grand Prix this morning, making it the sixth win of his career and second win this season.  During the race, Montoya utterly dominated the race by leading every lap. Unfortunately his teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, didn't fare so well.  Although having the fastest qualifying time, Raikkonen was demoted to 11th position after being penalized for making engine repairs.  In the end, Raikkonen finished in fourth place, just shy of the podium.  Remember kids, it's not the score that counts, it's how hard you play the game.

For full coverage of the race news, click below.  Now if you'll excuse me, I have some pre-season NFL games to get back to.

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