What a Day for Mercedes!

Yesterday, April 6^th, was quite a significant date for Mercedes aficionados.  Emil Jellinek was born on April 6^th, 1853 in Leipzig, Germany. Initially, Emil was simply an entrepreneur who fell in love with Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybachs Phoenix Double-Phaeton, the hailed car of that time. As an entrepreneur, Emil saw potential in the automobile enterprise and began ordering fleets of DMGs cars to sell. He made large orders and became a popular salesman due to his prompt acquisitions of vehicles that people were looking for, and normally would have needed to wait extensively for.

Emil Jellinek driving his Pheonix Double-Phaeton

Emil entered his own Phoenix armada in the French Rivieras speed week, winning most of the competitions seamlessly, and yet he wasn’t satiated. He sent back critiques of each of DMGs vehicles and sent them design ideas for better cars. Daimler was displeased but his counterpart Maybach recognized the validity of Emils critiques and eventually teamed up with Emil to design a revolutionary car. Their car would be named Mercedes- after Emils 11 year old daughter. On December 22, 1900, DMG delivered the first car equipped with the new engine to Jellinek, a 35 horsepower racing car. This first Mercedes caused a sensation as the new century began. With its low center of gravity, pressed steel frame, lightweight yet powerful engine and honeycomb radiator it was unlike anything the century had ever seen and is now acknowledged as the first modern automobile. Emils appetite was assuredly satiated- considering the Mercedes was the fastest car of its time.

Thus was the birth of a legendary car name. Since then, Mercedes has continuously produced chart topping speed demons that are sensational and innovative. Mercedes reigning innovation, the iconic Beast of the Green Hell, is a 2016 AMG GT R named after the Nurburgring track it was born and raised on. Yesterday, on Emils birthday, the Beast of the Green Hell set a record lap of the Nurburgring- posting a lap time of seven minutes, 10.9 seconds.

The Beast

Happy Belated Birthday, Emil!

Mercedes-Benz Magnificent S-class

The 2017 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is simply incomparable to any other car on the market, within the entry level or luxury level. The S-Class now comes in sedan, coupe, and convertible body styles. You can also choose from five different powertrain options that range between 436 to 621 hp. The design of every Mercedes is always just as iconic as their everlastingly sophisticated image.

The S-Class interior can be upholstered in lavish nappa leather appointed with ventilation and six massage settings. One of the massage settings simulates a hot stone massage by craftily utilizing the seat heating elements! These amazing features are even available to the rear passengers, in addition to the available entertainment system, pop-out tables, and fridge. The standard seats are certainly sumptuous enough, but some things are just too good to pass up.

Mercedes offers more extensive and comprehensive standard features than you’ll find on most any car, let alone the base model. The S-Class comes standard with 19-inch wheels, an adaptive air suspension, adaptive LED headlights and running lights, a panoramic sunroof, a power trunklid, 12-way power-adjustable and heated front seats with four-way power lumbar adjustment and memory functions, leather upholstery, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a cabin air-purification and fragrance system, a power rear sunshade, two 12.3-inch display screens, a navigation system, two USB ports, HD and satellite radio, and a 13-speaker Burmester sound system.

The 2017 Mercedes S550 is powered by a turbocharged 4.7-liter V8 biturbo engine that produces 449 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. A nine-speed automatic transmission is standard on every S550. Standard equipment includes stability and traction control, crosswind assistance, front and rear side airbags, side curtain airbags, front side pelvic airbags and a driver knee airbag.

Standard electronic safety features include a drowsy driver warning system and a collision prevention system that will warn the driver of a potential collision and fully apply the brakes if necessary. Mercedes' Mbrace emergency telematics includes automatic collision notification, stolen-vehicle location assistance, alarm notification, an SOS emergency services button, geo-fencing for valets and teenage drivers and remote vehicle controls (via mobile app or computer) that can do things like unlock or lock the car.

The S-Class is leagues above others in its class in terms of engineering, technology, and luxury. Excellence certainly does come at a high price, but the S-Class is well worth your money. For more information, or to schedule your test drive, you can visit us here.

Mercedes Fire Hazard Recall

Mercedes-Benz has issued a recall on just over 300,000 vehicles in the US, and approximately 1 million vehicles total. There have been 51 fires reported worldwide due to a starter part malfunction. The fires are being caused by the current limiter in the starter overheating after repeated attempts to start an unresponsive vehicle.

The entire scale and reach of the recall is currently unknown. Owners can expect to be notified of the recall with all pertinent details this month, followed by a secondary notice informing owners when the remedy parts/services will be available. Once notified, owners of recalled vehicles will be able to have the proper maintenance implemented free of charge. Schedule a preemptive service appointment with us at our Mercedes store here, or receive updates/information from Mercedes' recall page.

Thanks for reading, dear drivers, and be safe!

2017 X-Class closer than expected?

       In October of 2016, Mercedes-Benz Van division presented their X-Class pickup concept to the world. We touched on the introduction in our November article: Picking up Luxury with the Mercedes X-Class explaining how the vehicle was “slated for release in late 2017, however, it is currently not going to be released in the States. The X-Class is going to start in the markets of Europe, Australia, South Africa and Latin America.”

Until Now.

       On Friday, Mercedes Vans boss Volker Mornhinweg indicated that his company is looking closely at US demand for mid-size trucks like the X-Class. Mornhinweg told reporters that the current X-Class production facility (in Argentina) won't have sufficient capacity to meet US demand. As a result, US trucks will need to be made domestically.

       X-class production stateside would mark Mercedes entry into what arguably the most competitive, territorial, and lucrative segment in the automotive market. In the US, the midsize pickup segment, where the X-Class would compete, is growing at more than 20% a year. "With the Mercedes-Benz pickup, we will close one of the last gaps in our portfolio," Dieter Zetsche, chairman and head of Mercedes-Benz, said in a statement. "Our target: We want to offer customers vehicles matching their specific needs. The X-Class will set new standards in a growing segment."

       While we wait for the X-Class to someday make its way to us here in the states, continue to enjoy the other fine Mercedes vehicles. You can check our Inventory here and contact us now to test drive and take home a Mercedes today.

Mercedes Pink Noise

Mercedes is making waves in the vehicle safety technology world. If you’ve ever been in a car accident, you know that they are tremendously loud. You may be surprised to learn that the airbag deployment is potentially the most harmful of the plethora of assaulting noises you’d hear. It’s estimated that 17% of people who are exposed to airbag deployment suffer from a degree of permanent hearing loss. Mercedes has developed a breakthrough technology - using pink noise - that makes the people inside a primary part of the safety system. This innovative system is the first to harness a natural reflex to condition the ear for the loud noise anticipated from a vehicle impact. 

 The stapedius muscle is the smallest in the body, located in the inner ear. When the stapedius muscle contracts, the connection between the ear drum and the inner ear is weakened. This means that some of the sound pressure is reflected in the ear drum rather than all of it being transmitted to the inner ear. Normally, you would need an emission of 100 decibels to contract this muscle, but you can achieve this protective muscle contraction at as low as 80 decibels by transmitting as many simultaneous frequencies as possible. This may sound intimidating, but the pink noise is inoffensive, comparable to the sound of a waterfall. If an impending collision is detected, the vehicle’s sound system plays pink noise- causing the stapedius muscle in the ears to contract- to protect your delicate inner ear.

Mercedes’ use of pink noise symbolizes a fundamental shift in the focus of safety engineering, geared more towards the people inside. One could certainly anticipate that this comprehensive system is likely the catalyst of a soon to be integral element of future vehicle safety systems.

Mercedes Recalls

Mercedes-Benz USA recently announced over 100,000 recalls related to the passenger front airbag inflator issue. The vehicles are equipped with airbag inflators assembled as part of the passenger front airbag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front airbags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

The recall includes model year 2012 C300 4Matic, C250, C350, , C63 AMG,  E350 E550 Cabrio, E550 Coupe, GLK350 and SLS AMG. Also included are 2009 C300 4Matic, C300, C350 and C63 AMG amd 2008 C300 4Matic, C300, and C350.

Additional recalls include:

-Nearly 48,000 SUVs in the U.S. to fix a sensor problem that could stop the front passenger air bag from inflating in a crash. The recall covers certain GL, GLE and GLS models from the 2016 and 2017 model years. Mercedes says in documents posted by U.S. safety regulators that a sensor in the front passenger seat may be calibrated incorrectly. It can classify passengers as child seats and deactivate the air bag.

-Nearly 1,000 2016-2017 S550 Coupe 4MATICs, S63 AMG Coupe 4MATICs, S65 AMG Coupes and S63 AMG Convertible 4Matics for faulty headlights. The low beam headlights on the affected vehicles may not be adjusted properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. If the low-beam headlights are out of adjustment, the driver's visibility may be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372 for more information. Contact us today to scheduleyour recall service work.

Best Premium Automaker is.....

                Mercedes-Benz has a goal, and they have been pushing towards that goal by focusing on making stylish high-tech cars loved by their consumers. That goal, to be the world’s largest premium carmaker, and they achieved that goal, four years earlier than they planned.

                The plan that Mercedes employed was a simple one. Give the people what they want. They introduced an elegant, sporty design and established itself as a pioneer in new technologies like autonomous driving.  These points have helped revive the Mercedes brand and take them to the front of the luxury car pack.   

                This feat is an achievement for the Mercedes parent group Daimler, especially after their messy split from Chrysler in 2007. And as close as 4 years ago Mercedes and Daimler faced restless shareholders, who were demanding answers as to why Mercedes had fallen behind other luxury brands like BMW and Audi.

"We had some deficits, cost and quality problems. Design was not top-notch. And with Chrysler we were no longer a pure premium carmaker.”

-Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche

                In 2016, Mercedes-Benz sold 2.08 million passenger cars, and BMW who has held the premium cars sales crown, has yet to release their numbers and they are next expected to overtake Mercedes. Mercedes set their goal of being  the best-selling luxury carmaker by 2020 at the company's 125th anniversary in 2011, a year when even Audi sales overtook those of Mercedes , pushing it into third place.

                 Daimler traditionalists were shocked by the volume target, fearing that selling too many vehicles may dilute the exclusivity of their cars and reduce the appeal of the Mercedes brand in the long run. But consumer electronics companies like Apple had already proven that the pull of their brand did not suffer with increased volume sales so long as they offered the best customer experience. Today, Mercedes -Benz follows its motto "the best or nothing" by thinking about whether customers would notice or benefit from a new technological innovation.

                Take at our inventory and contact us today to see why Mercedes is the best-selling premium automaker in the world now!