Mercedes Benz

Mercedes-Benz plans debut of electric sedan at Paris auto show

Blog author Jim Motavalli said the electric Mercedes will be available early in 2011. According to a manufacturer spokesman, the E-Cell will have a range of 124 miles and produce 214 pound-feet of torque. To read the complete article, visit: New York Times/Mercedes James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online

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Daimler AG, manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, fined $185 million for bribery

U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon ordered Daimler to pay $93.6 million in criminal fines and $91.4 million in civil penalties. According to court documents, Daimler AG and its subsidiaries in Germany, Russia, and China agreed to the filing of a single count of conspiracy to violate U.S. anti-bribery laws. The Justice Department said Daimler, whose stocks trade on multiple exchanges in the U.S., “engaged in a long-standing practice of paying bribes to foreign government officials.” Countries whose officials were bribed, according to the court documents: China, Croatia, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Latvia, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and several others. The Justice Department said the bribes were made “to assist in

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Porsche, Mercedes-Benz most expensive sports cars to insure

1. Porsche 911 Carrera GT2 $2,943.78 2. Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG $2,863.03 3. Dodge Viper SRT-10 $2,851.89 4. Porsche Panamera Turbo AWD $2,837.39 5. Dodge Viper SRT-10 Convertible $2,815.90 6. Mercedes-Benz CL600 $2,754.80 7.  Audi R8 $2,751.55 8. Porsche Panamera S $2,744.78 9. Mercedes-Benz SL600 $2,715.86 10. Porsche 911 Carrera Turbo $2,706.04 James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author

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Mercedes Benz GLK 350, 2010: Roman Mica's Rambling Review (Video)

Mica liked the Benz, the 2010 GLK 350. He calls it the Chuck Norris of the small luxury crossover segment. ” It just has that don’t mess with me snarling face,” says Mica is his video review. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast

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Maybach mistake: Sean P. Diddy Combs buys son $360,000 car, Haiti charity gets $10,000

It’s hard to understand what motivates a father to buy his son a $360,000 Maybach for his 16th birthday. But rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has few equals when it comes to extravagance and bad taste Combs gave his son Justin Dior a new Maybach during a lavish celebration last weekend. The occasion was filmed by MTV for the reality series My Super Sweet 16. The show is about teenagers’ over-the-top birthday celebrations. The birthday party also featured performances by the rapper’s friends Fabolous, Lil Kim and Juelz Santana. In addition to the Maybach, Combs gave his son a check for $10,000 which the boy gave to singer Wyclef Jean’s foundation, Yele Haiti. Combs bought the car for his son because

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Mercedes-Benz E550, 2010: The Weekly Driver Car Review

It isn’t often (OK, maybe never) the price of a luxury car gets reduced by several thousand dollars. But that’s what Mercedes-Benz did with 2010 models, including the E550. But Mercedes-Benz not only lowered it prices, it did so with a re-designed vehicle, not the staid offerings of yesteryear. The E550 five-passenger sedan is the prime example of how the German manufacturer is attempting to retrieve former Mercedes owners who may have opted for more trendy and less expensive luxury sedans in recent years. The Weekly Driver Test Drive In a perfect world, my weekly test drive would have been, let’s say, to drive across Germany on the Autoban. But a week of everyday driving was just fine, too. There’s

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Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance preparing for 60th anniversary in 2010

With its 60th anniversary celebration set for next August, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, founded in 1950 as a celebration of the automobile, has evolved into one of the world’s foremost classic car events. Additionally, as exemplified by the more than 20 new and concept vehicles showcased at the 2009 Concours, the annual event now offers a glimpse into the automotive future. Several vehicles made world debuts at the 2009 Concours last August, including the Bentley Mulsanne grand tourer, Bugatti Sang Bleu, Devon Motor Works GTX, Iconic Motors Heritage Roadster Concept Chassis, 2011 Infiniti M and Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder. North American debuts included the Aston Martin One-77, Hyundai Equus, Infiniti Essence concept, 2010 Jaguar XJ, Morgan Aero SuperSports and

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Mercedes Benz Will Unveil New Hyrbrid In 2009

Based on the S350, the S400 BlueHYBRID uses a 3.5-litre engine, an additional magneto-electric motor, and a seven-speed automatic transmission configured for the hybrid module. The system is a mild hybrid, with the electric motor boosting the gasoline engine during acceleration, along with an auto-stop function that switches off the engine when stopped, such as at traffic lights. Mercedes-Benz said its high-voltage lithium-ion battery is the first worldwide to be introduced in a series-production vehicle. When compared to a conventional nickel/metal hydride battery, the new battery has a higher energy density, better electrical efficiency, more compact dimensions and lower weight. It is positioned in the engine compartment, where it replaces the conventional starter battery, with no changes to the interior

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Mercedes Benz GL320 BlueTec, 2009: Weidel on Wheels

Diesel-fueled automobiles have been fixtures in Europe for years, but the trend has never been embraced in the United States. The U.S. government has always been cautious with regard to diesel fuel and its reputation for high particle emissions. So it was surprising I was driving around in the new 2009 Mercedes-Benz GL320 BlueTec, a turbo-diesel sport utility vehicle. This Mercedes and Dodge’s heavy-duty trucks are the first diesel-powered vehicles to pass the rigid the country-wide EPA emission requirements. No sense boring anyone with too much BlueTec jargon, but here’s a sampling: Mercedes describes it as “a modular concept that utilizes coordinated technical measures to minimize emissions within the engine and also provide more effective exhaust-gas treatment downstream.” Mercedes has been

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Volvo P1800 Begins Daily Telegraph's List Of "The 100 Most Beautiful Cars" (Nos. 100-81)

The newspaper commented: “According to one reader, ‘It looks even better when you remove its front and rear bumpers.’ “ Here’s the start of the list, which the newspaper is publishing in 20-choice increments: 100. Volvo P1800 99. Triumph TR6 98. Triumph TR 4/5 97. Triumph Stag 96. Triumph Spitfire 95. Toyota 2000 GT 94. Peugeot 504 Coupe 93. Peugeot 406 92. Nissan 300 ZX 91. Mini 90. Mercedes-Benz Pagoda (W113) 89. Mercedes-Benz 500K/540K 88. Maserati 350 GT 87. Maserati 250F 86. Lotus Europa 85. Land Rover Defender 84. Lancia Aurelia B20 83. Lamborghini Espada 82. Lagonda Rapide 81. Jaguar XK James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review

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Mercedes Benz E350 2006: The Weekly Driver Car Review

I was 18 at the time, and when my father let me take the car to the market or when we took the car on father-son journeys, life couldn’t have been better. Mercedes had more luxurious cars then, just as the manufacturer does today. But more than 30 years after driving father’s Benz, I owned a 1979 Mercedes Benz, a 280CE, for several years. It wasn’t the same, of course. It was more than 25 years old and had its issues. But it was  Mercedes, I could afford it, and had the same interior and exterior color as my dad’s car, and that made it all good. That’s also plenty of fodder to explain my fondness or Mercedes Benz automobiles,

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