Mercedes Benz

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Ferrari has nine of top-10 most expensive auctioned cars

With Monterey Auto Week and its collection of high-end car auctions on the horizon in mid-August, it’s always interesting to see how much car enthusiasts will pay for rare automobiles. They’re often Ferrari models. What’s surprising is that some vintage cars attract little attention and sell for reasonable amounts. And, of course, there are cars that attract international investors willing to pay whatever amount it takes. The current highest amount paid at auction is for a 1962-63 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta. It sold for $38.1 million in August 2014 to an investment group at Bonham’s Quail Lodge Auction in Carmel, California. As described in an article on thestreet.com, the 250 GTO has a unique history. Henri Oreiller, a retired Olympic

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2014 LA Auto Show: Tech madness; Youthful colors rock

As the first major international automotive industry gathering of the year, the LA Auto Show annually attracts a full spectrum of carmakers and automotive enthusiasts. The 2014 LA Auto Show, which recently ended at the Los Angeles Convention Center, offered the usual collection of entry level cars from Ford, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi and the like. And there were high-end automobiles from Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Porsche and Bentley. There were several themes in this year’s show, most notably connectivity and a retro approach to bright paint colors. Dozens of cars had global or North American debuts. And what’s an auto show without ambassadors — the attractive manufacturers’ representatives? The connectivity component of the show was a full day, the day prior to the

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2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 4MATIC: Big deal compact

Mercedes-Benz is out to make a bigger splash in the compact car market with its 2015 C300 4MATIC sedan. While its styling is sleeker, the new C300 4MATIC (all-wheel drive) is not a sports sedan, although it’s athletic with quick variable-ratio steering, sure handling and confidence-inspiring brakes. Rather, it’s for those who want a responsive in-town car and a solid, luxurious interstate cruiser. My test car had the optional ($1,190) air suspension, which provided an impressively smooth ride. The standard steel suspension setup is all-wheel independent and most likely provides a good ride. After all, this car is luxury oriented. Mercedes sedans once had rather stark interiors, but the super-quiet interior of the C300 4MATIC has undergone a major upgrade

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Mercedes-Benz, Kia drop Clippers, Donald Sterling

At least six companies involved in the automotive industry, including Mercedes-Benz and Kia Motors, have removed advertising budgets from the Los Angeles Clippers and their now banned and fined owner, Donald Sterling. The exodus occurred prior to the announcement of the NBA’s decision to reprimand Sterling after the 80-year-old billionaire’s racially insensitive remarks. (Editor’s Note: The WeeklyDriver.com has decided not to print the remarks attributed to Sterling.) In addition to Kia and Mercedes-Benz, CarMax, State Farm Insurance, Red Bull and Yokohama have ended their relationships with the team. Several other major sponsors have also ended their relationships with the Clippers and its owner. Teams’ finances aren’t made public, so it is not known how much money the loss of sponsorships

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NEW CAR PREVIEW: 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric

Mercedes-Benz has waited a long time to enter the electric car business, but it will early next year with 2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class. It’s all-electric hatchback with a 24-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack offering a driving range of up to 124 miles on a single charge. Mercedes reports the car will have an electric motor supplying 134-horsepower and 228 pound-feet of torque. The new car can reach a top speed of 93 miles per hour and accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 10 seconds. Mercedes-Benz unveiled B-Class electric vehicle at the 2013 New York Auto Show in March. The new B-Class will feature active parking assist and a radar-based collision prevention system. The B-Class Electric Drive will be the smallest

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Andy Warhol famed Mercedes Benz silkscreen for $16 million?

A famous silkscreen of a Mercedes Benz, made by And Warhol in 1986, is expected to sell for as much as $16 million when it’s auctioned Nov. 12 by Christie’s in New York. “Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Grand Prix Car (Streamlined Version, 1954)” is being offered by the Daimler art collection. The collection was established 30 years ago by Daimler-Benz, the German luxury manufacturer. The 14-foot-high work shows the automobile repeated 12 times on the canvas. It was created for the centennial of the modern automobile. Warhol did numerous Mercedes Benz renditions. The model was the Mercedes Benz Formula One entry in the 1954 and 1955 Formula One seasons. The auction house says the sale proceeds will be used to

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Mercedes-Benz dubious honor: most stolen luxury car

The Mercedes-Benz brand has an enduring appeal among high-end car buyers. But the German automaker’s status also now has a dubious component. It’s the most stolen luxury car in the United States. According to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), Mercedes-Benz had three of the top 10 most-stolen luxury models. The C-Class is the most-often stolen with 485 thefts from Jan. 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2012. The NICB divided the luxury-vehicle segment into three subclasses — compact, midsize and premium. There were 4,384 thefts total in the three segments. By state, California has the most thefts (1,063), while South Dakota and Wyoming had the fewest with one each. According to the NICB report, luxury vehicles “.

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Mercedes-Benz 2013 GLK 350: Classic ride, style for newly designed SUV

Now in its third year, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK350, the German automaker’s smallest sport utility vehicle, received a makeover. Improvements include more horsepower, better acceleration, revamped power steering, a more elegant interior design and a handful of new standard and optional features. The exterior improvements include new headlights and front bumper, as well as LED taillights and running lamps. The rear has also been redesigned with shades of bottom-heavy family sedans of yesteryear. All improvements were warranted because the segment has plenty of competition, including luxury people mover stalwarts like the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Lexus RX350. The Weekly Driver Test Drive With its new a 305-horsepower direct-injection V-6, 34 horsepower from 2012, the improved Mercedes has a lot

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2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK350: Elegant luxury with power to spare

Mercedes-Benz gained ground in the prestige market in the United States against Cadillac in the 1970s, although its seats and ride were too stiff for many Americans accustomed to cushy U.S. luxury cars. But that seems like an eternity ago, and Mercedes vehicles such as its new compact GLK350 crossover fit nicely into the growing luxury crossover market here. The new GLK350 has a list price of $37,090 with rear-wheel drive and $39,090 with Mercedes’ advanced “4Matic” all-wheel drive. Those are reasonable prices for such a Mercedes with lots of comfort and convenience items, such as dual-zone automatic climate control and power everything. However, this model’s option packages aren’t cheap. My 2013 test GLK350 4-Matic had a $3,450 package with

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2014 Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series: Lightweight, powerful, no price — yet

The 2014 Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series, the fifth edition of the race car-inspired lightweight speedster with a top speed of 196 mph, will go on sale in the summer of 2013. Engineered in line with the AMG Lightweight Performance strategy, the Black Series weighs 3,417 pounds, achieves a power/weight ratio of 5.49 lb/hp and negotiates the 0-60 mph standard acceleration test in 3.5 seconds via its seven-speed sports transmission.“The new SLS AMG Black Series is a perfect study in the one hundred percent transfer of technology and engineering from motorsport to road,” said Ola Kallenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. “We have drawn inspiration from the worldwide success of the SLS AMG GT3 customer sport racing car on both a

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Academy Awards: Mercedes-Benz joins Hyundai, debuts new hybrid commercial

Mercedes-Benz will join Hyundai during the 82nd annual Academy Awards as carmakers debuting commercials for new 2012 models. In the instance of Mercedes-Benz, the debut will be showcased in a 30-second spot call "Tree of Innovation" and it will be for the S400 HYBRID. The commercial also showcases the company's expanding repertoire of environmentally oriented vehicles. The ad is the first to feature the new "voice" for Mercedes-Benz advertising, Jon Hamm, the Golden Globe winning star of the TV series Mad Men. Hyundai is debuting two 30-second spots for the 2012 Azera. Jeff Bridges, the Academy Award winning actor, is the voice of Hyundai. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the

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Mercedes-Benz Citan, minivan targeted for urban use

Limited oil supplies are a reality and turmoil in the mid-east reminds the western world of our precarious dependency on low fuel costs. The trend now is toward smaller vehicles with smaller more fuel efficient engines whenever possible. Ford’s success with the Transit Connect and Nissan’s entry with the E-NV200 quickly come to mind. Mercedes-Benz will also soon offer a small van designed for urban use. Called the Mercedes-Benz Citan – an amalgamation of City and Titan, the new “urban delivery van” will slot in a new segment under the Vito, Sprinter and Vario models, and will be available as a standard panel van, crew bus, and other configurations in various lengths and weights. Once a “niche” market in the

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Rare Mercedes-Benz Gullwing fetches nearly $5 million in auction

Hagerty Insurance, the company that among other specialties, track sales at vintage car auctions, compiled a list of vehicles sold last week at the Arizona auctions houses known for their unique collection of old, unique cars. Barrett-Jackson announced it sold more than $92 million of vehicles in its annual year-opening auction describes as "rare, high-end collectible vehicles, exotics, customs, classics, hot rods and resto-mods." But rival Gooding took auction house honors in individual sales honors. Its 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing sold for $4,620,000. Here's the rest of the list of top sellers: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder sold for $3,905,000 (Gooding) 1948 Tucker Torpedo sold for $2,915,000 (Barrett-Jackson) 1947 Bentley Mark VI Franay DHC sold for $2,750,000

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Volvo, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz dominate 2012 safest cars list

With its auto content, Forbes.com likes lists. Its current offering, like much of its other car content, is subjective — the safest 2012 cars. Infiniti, Mercedes-Benez and Volvo, with three selections, dominate the list. The subjectiveness of the list is not a criticism. It's subjective via the criteria used to make its choices, which, seem like the right criteria. One of the strongest considerations is the designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). For 2012, a total of 69 cars, 38 SUVs and three pickups made the non-profit's Top Safety Picks list, including 18 new recipients. To qualify as an IIHS Top Safety Pick, a car must garner top scores for performance in front, side, rollover and rear-end

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Mercedes-Benz set to debut two hybrid sedans at Detroit Auto Show

Mercedes-Benz will debut two hybrid E-Class sedans at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), the E 400 Hybrid and the E 300 Bluetec Hybrid, according to several automotive sites, most notably Autoweek.com. The E 400, which is expected to be available in the United States later in 2012 as a 2013 model, will feature a single electric motor between a 302-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine and a modified version of the company's standard seven-speed automatic transmission. The company's first diesel-electric vehicle, the E 300 Bluetec Hybrid, was previewed as long ago as the Geneva Motor Show in March 2010. It features a 201-hp, 2.1-liter turbodiesel engine that produces 369 pound-feet of torque and is fitted to the same 20-kw electric

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Mercedes-Benz SLK350, 2012: Aggressive new design rekindles staid brand

The redesigned 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK350 isn't inexpensive, but finally seems worth the money. The new-generation SLK remains small, with just a 95.7-inch wheelbase. But it has more aggressive styling for a sexier, more masculine look and continues with its fast-acting retractable hardtop. Even the exhaust outlets are artfully shaped. The 3,397-pound SLK350 has a solid feel — top up or down. But Mercedes stuck its plastic three-pointed star emblem right up front in the center of the grille, where it can be easily damaged. The first Mercedes-Benz SLK, which I drove in Italy at a media preview in the late 1980s, was a bore. It had terribly plain styling and modest performance. It was at least some fun with a

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