India is a big success for Mercedes

A report released earlier this month stated that Mercedes-Benz India reported a 112% growth in the automotive market.  This year alone they have sold almost 4,000 cars compared to a number just shy of 2,000 in 2009.  The jump in sales is due to new model designs such as the new E-Class and C-Class, which many people in India have liked.  The MB CEO in India stated that the combination of the new product designs and new approaches getting customers into dealerships have been a proven success in India, and that they will continue to watch them grow in the market.  Another key product that Mercedes is implementing in dealerships is an SLS AMG Simulator.  It allows customers to get a virtual experience that enables them to get a true feeling of what a driving experience would be like if they were to drive the SLS.  As India is becoming a big market for other big companies, will Mercedes be able to hold up, and remain one of Indias strongest automakers?

The History of Mercedes Benz

Carl Benz created the first three wheeled automobile, and it was named Benz Patent Motor Car.  It was the beginning of a brand that would evolve to be one of the premiere auto manufactures in the world today.  Benz found his partner 60 miles away from where he first created the automobile, and joined forces with Gottlieb Daimler and Daimlers engineer, Wilhiem Maybach to create the first four wheeled Mercedes-Benz in 1901, however it was not until 1926 when they officially branded the company with the notorious three-pointed star, and the Mercedes-Benz name.  Prior to 1926, the company was known as Daimler-Benz.  However prior 1901, Daimler passed away, and was named in honor of his daughter, Mercedes.  From the beginning, Mercedes Benz always set the bar high, and never steered away from the best automotive technology.  One of their first models, 170, introduced a four-wheel independent suspension, a technology way ahead of its time.  That was not the first advancement in technology to be offered on a Mercedes Benz.  In the 1950's, Mercedes-Benz patented the "crumple zone" which helped transfer energy away from the passengers, in the event of an accident, increasing passenger safety.  That point going forward, Mercedes never sacrificed safety in any of their vehicles.  In the 1960's, the German automaker produced a V8 engine, which cranked out 300 horsepower, and propelled 0 to 60 in under 7 seconds, making it the fastest car on the road.  While the Germans were not only pioneering new safety techniques, they were also working on performance.  In the 1970's and 1980's, Mercedes Benz introduced anti-lock brakes and front airbags.  Today Mercedes has a high-performance division, commonly known as AMG which is offered as another model in almost every car class.  The persuit for perfection doesn't stop with AMG; today Mercedes Benz is pioneering alternative fuel options such as Bluetech Clean Diesel, and the worlds first lithiom-ion battery powered automobile.  One thing that has never changed about Mercedes Benz, is the culture that it was always founded on, luxury, performance, and safety.  "The best or nothing.  That's what drives us."       

F-Cell

They aren't the first, but they are the first luxury automaker to produce and sell the F-Cell concept, which is based on Europe's B-Class.  These cars will be only sold in California due to the abundance of hydrogen stations in the state.  Honda is the only other automaker that is selling F-Cell cars.  The MB is powered by a 136 horsepower electric motor, while it will still retain the same capabilities of a normal car.  It will use a Fuel-Cell Stack to generate energy for the lithium ion battery pack, which will not effect any of the interior dimensions.  The B-Class will go on sale in California later this year, but Mercedes Benz officials believe that growing popularity for the car will increase between 2013-2015, when they also plan to produce more of these vehicles.  The technology is simple; when hydrogen and oxogen are combined in the fuel cell it produces energy, and emits only water!  This is another great example of Mercedes Benz BlueEfficiency.

Distronic Plus with Brake Assist

Mercedes Benz has been known for their innovations in numerous technologies such as the airbag, and anti-lock breaks.  Mercedes models (E-Class, S-Class, SL-Class, CL-Class) have a safety technology called Distronic Plus with Brake Assist.  Mercedes engineers, again, wanted to help reduce the amount of motor vehicle accidents on roadways, and their solution was Distronic Plus with Brake Assist.  This is a system that uses multiple on-board radars, which are strategically placed throughout the vehicle, and it alerts the driver if they are not maintaining a safe distance between the car in-front of them.  In the event that the driver does not respond to the warning, the vehicle will take immediate action and reduce the speed of the Mercedes to the same speed as the car driving in-front.  In the event that the car stops short, the Mercedes will hit the breaks way before a driver could hit the breaks, preventing a rear-end collision.  In the United States 30% of all accidents are rear end collisions, and if this system was on all cars, it would help to reduce the amount of rear end collisions by nearly 20%!  With all of the new computer controlled safety features such as Distronic Plus w/ Brake Assist becoming more popular, it will be interesting to see if these features will not be options, but rather standard equipment within the coming years.  A few years back we saw the introduction of the "backup camera", and that is now starting to take off, and some vehicles even offer it standard.  You no longer need to buy the GPS Navigation with it, rather you see the camera generated image in your rearview mirror!  As that technology starts to take off, maybe will Distronic Plus with Brake Assist follow...after all since its deployment, it has reduced rear-end collisions by nearly 20%... only time will tell.

Tough Times, Big Sales

All you need to do is read the headline of the Wall Street Journal to discover that the US and Global economy is going through one of the worst recessions...ever.  During this time, many consumers hold back from spending, however interestingly enough many European automakers, especially Mercedes Benz, are still selling more and more cars.  They are not selling C-Class sedans, rather more of their flagship S-Class sedans which are priced around $98,000 in the US.  Compared to 2009 sales records, Mercedes managed to increase sales in 2010 by 15%, a shocking number for such an unstable economy.  Ironically, MB's Smart brand had a 17% drop in sales compared to 2009!  In the US alone, Mercedes sales increased 22%, partly due to the re-designed 2010 E-Class sedan and coupe.  Many European automakers including Mercedes Benz have been seeing many emerging markets such as China aiding the increase in sales.  In China the average market for a S-Class Hybrid, which costs well over $100,000 in the US market, is a 26 year old, compared to the average 55 year old.  This year alone in China, Benz has secured almost 61,000 sales.  Many Benz representatives believe that more and more young people want to buy into the Mercedes Benz lifestyle.  While many of the American auto manufacturers such as GM, Ford, and Mercedes sister brand Chrysler are struggling in this market- European success is definitely not helping their recovery.

A Coupe That Created it All...

Mercedes Benz USA recently headlined that it will be releasing the new CLS sport coupe...with four doors.  Mercedes Benz created the segment, and many brands have followed such as Volkswagen, and Audi just released their four door coupe as well.  However with many automotive innovations coming from Mercedes Benz, the CLS- the worlds first four door coupe to be put into production, and today they have made many enhancements to make the vehicle more aggressive.  Engine options for 2012 will be remaining the same; 5.5 liter V8, and a 6.3 liter bi-turbo V8 AMG edition will be sold in the US.  Not much has been leaked about the new car, however from photos we can see that Mercedes has gone for a much more aggressive design style.  A source from Automobile magazine has insight that Mercedes might roll out a new line of engines which would be much more fuel efficient, however that has not been confirmed by Mercedes Benz.  The interior now gets a more substantial upgrade over the previous generation, which includes high end leather seats, and hand crafted wood trim.  The biggest feature that many are talking about is the LED Lighting package.  It will be the first car Mercedes Benz produces that will feature ONLY LED lights.  (Headlights, taillights, and daytime running lights)  The vehicle uses 71 LED's overall which goes into the new design philosophy of MB.  Once more information becomes available I will be sure to pass it on!

R-Class: A Mercedes Minivan?

Recently, Mercedes Benz has redesigned their R-Class.  When it was first introduced in 2005, they branded it as a "grand sports tourer".  The R was anything but, and other SUV's the the company's fleet were winning sales.  The most popular SUV, the M-Class, was selling out the R-Class 9 to 1.  For every R-Class Mercedes was selling, they would be selling 9 M-Class SUV's.  Mercedes thought that the R had the potential to go somewhere, so when they sat down to redo it for the first time in 6 years (2nd generation) they decided that the problem with the car was in the design.  Customers thought that it looked too much like a Minivan then an SUV or- a tourer.  Imagine Mercedes selling a minivan... I cant!  They gave the 2011 a more aggressive style, by raising the hood and giving it a bigger nose.  With a virtually unchanged interior and same architecture, can Mercedes really pull off a success story with a new nose?  In America, people are not looking for a German minivan... thats what America is for.  Espically with MB's newest SUV which was launched in 2007, the GL, which is bigger and can accommodate the same number of bodies, Mercedes is sucking sales away from themselves by offering vehicles such as the R, M, and GL.  Many of them even have the same engine choices!  Therefore, it will be interesting to see what people say about the new R, and if it will still retain its name as the Mercedes minivan.  

AttentionAssist

Mercedes Benz is a company that is known for high quality products, and most importantly a safe product. The safety engineers at MB have created a new safety innovation, known as AttentionAssist.  The underlying principle of why Mercedes developed the system is to help reduce deaths related to driver drowsiness.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that over 100,000 accidents per year are related to driver drowsiness, and it estimates at 1,500 deaths result.  AttentionAssist is a brave new step for Mercedes Benz, as it tries to battle the numbers.  Many automotive engineers have tried to use camera mounted in the dash to measure eyelid movement, and other eye functions.  There are a lot of problems with that, because if a driver is wearing sunglasses or glasses, the camera might produce an incorrect image of the eye.

MB took a different approach, and based it around a person's steering.  It uses 70 sensors to measure how you are steering.  It specifically looks for slow swerving and multiple jerky maneuvers with the steering wheel.  It also factors how long the car has been driving.  A person that has been driving for 15 minutes and makes an abrupt change is steering, will not set the sensor off.  Rather, it is the person that has been driving for multiple hours and has made multiple jerky maneuvers of the steering column.  Throughout the trip it also measures driver behavior, and adapts to the way that you drive, but if your driving habits change in course, AttentionAssist will still activate.  In the event that the system decides that it is time for a nap, an audible warning and a display on the vehicle's VDO that reads: "Attention Assist!  Time for a break?"  A virtual cup of coffee is also shown.

It was introduced on the 2010 E-Class Sedan/Coupe/Convertible/Wagon, as well as the 2010 S-Class Sedan (all models), as a standard feature.  By 2013 Mercedes Benz will have AttentionAssist as a standard option in all vehicles.  It will be interesting to see over time how the numbers published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will change, and if Mercedes Benz's investment into the technology was really worth the cost for R&D.

  

mbrace

Have you ever dreamed about the day, that your mobile phone can lock, unlock, and even send a signal to open your trunk?  Well, the application developers at Mercedes Benz USA have launched a brand new app which is available for select smart-phones.  This is "mbrace".  Anyone familiar with the expired "TeleAid", will have inside knowledge of the technology.

TeleAid was exclusive to all Mercedes Benz models with a 2001 or later model year, and it provided basic roadside assistance functions.

One of the new features of "mbrace" is the new Mercedes Benz mobile application.  The application has been designed for iPhones and Blackberry devices only, and are available in both the App Store and Blackberry App World.  Two of the most notable features of the application is the vehicle finder and remote door unlock/lock feature.  In order to use these two functions, customers have to launch the app on the mobile phone, enter their account number and a PIN, and then can have access of their key.  Customers can now control basic key functions from their smartphone.  By pressing any of the buttons (a simulated photo of the SmartKey appears on the screen) and then they can connect to a server, which will send a signal to the vehicle which designates which function to preform.  The same is true for the Vehicle finder; the car sends a signal to a server once a command is issued on the smart-phone to remember the location of the vehicle, and then is stored in the smartphone and can be referenced later.  

While this technology could virtually eliminate a key, there are many dangers and new technologies to come from this mbrace.  What are the security features for this?  Can someone (other then an owner) obtain a Mercedes ID, and unlock the car?  What does this mean for the future of automotive technology?  Will we no longer have keys/push button starts, and just via a mobile phone be required to turn a car on?  

Only time will tell.  It will be interesting to follow this possible, revolutionary technology.