A few days ago, I brought you a story about Mercedes production in Iran being delayed.  If you haven't read it yet, go here to check it out.  In the story, I alluded to the fact that because of Iran's low per capita income (which is $8,000, not $2,000, as originally reported), most Iranians wouldn't be able to afford a new E-Class.  Despite this fact, Mercedes estimates it will ship 2,500 E-Class models to Iran by next March.  Using simple deductive reasoning, I then inferred that if the people of Iran aren't buying the cars, the only ones left to buy them were government officials.  Why?  Because they control Iran's oil supply, and last time I checked, oil was a fairly profitable business.

This weekend, I received an email from an Iranian named Ali.  According to Ali, on several recent trips to Iran, he did in fact see both S-Class and E-Class being driven.  And they all had government plates.

See... I told you.

[Thanks for the tip Ali.]

Last month, Mercedes-Benz USA reported sales of 19,267 new vehicles, the highest ever for the month of August.  This marks a 7.1 percent increase over last August, and brings the total number of vehicles sold to 138,692.  Models that made significant gains were the M-Class, which rose 51 percent from last August, and the SLK-Class, which rose 107.5 percent.  Despite the increase in sales, Mercedes still trails 2004's year to date sales by 1,422 vehicles.  I have a feeling with the release of the new S-Class and R-Class models this fall, the numbers will go up soon enough.  For the full report, check out the link below...

Keep Reading "Mercedes Reports Record Sales In August"

I never thought I'd say this, but the Smart Car from Daimler Chrysler actually looks appealing.  Heck, with gas prices at $3.29 a gallon, I'm considering buying a donkey for my morning commute.  Soon, if everything goes as planned, the Smart Car will be available in the U.S., but not from who you'd expect.  Although Daimler Chrysler will sell the Smart Car in Canada this September, they believe the U.S. market won't take kindly to the mini-vehicle.  Instead, they're developing a Smart SUV for Americans that is scheduled to be released in 2006.

You're probably thinking, how are Smart Cars coming to the U.S. if Daimler Chrysler's not selling them?  Simple.  Thomas Heidemann, a German entrepreneur, felt Daimler Chrysler made a mistake, so he invested $5 million to import the Smart Car to America.  It's taken two years, but with the help of G&K Automotive Conversion, a company based out of California, Heidemann finally has received approval from the National Highway Transportation System.  All that's necessary now is approval from the Environmental Protection Agency...

Keep reading "Smart Cars Coming To America"

Today, Daimler Chrysler and Ford announced they will be taking over the fuel cell business Ballard Power Systems AG, a subsidiary of Ballard Power Systems Inc.  The new joint venture, named NuCellSys GmbH, will give Daimler Chrysler and Ford equal shares in the company, and be headquartered in Nabern, Germany.  Daimler Chrysler says the focus will be, in addition to reorganizing the business, to find the best ways to integrate fuel cell drives into vehicles.

I for one am very excited to see auto-manufacturers focus more on fuel cells and less on hybrids.  So many people today are in love with their Toyota Prius that they fail to see a better technology exists (if you're new to fuel cells, Ballard's website has more information).  In my opinion, hybrids are just a temporary solution, a band-aid on a gaping wound.  Fuel-cells will change the future; mark my words.  It's just a matter of how long it will take...

Keep Reading "Daimler Chrysler And Ford Acquire Fuel Cell Business"