Pebble 2010: Mercedes-Benz 500K

While Mercedes-Benz made a show of its own with a massive gathering of its 2010 SLS AMG sportscar, it also found a place of honor on the lawn at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance with this near-perfect 1930s roadster.

Shown for the first time at the 1934 Berlin Motor Show, this Mercedes-Benz 500K has all the hallmarks of a Pebble Beach champion, from elegant and perfect chromework, to a classic pedigree among the very finest. Though it didn't win the competition, the 500K drew constant crowds with its extravantly tapered shape and yards of linear chromework.

The 500K--meaning a 5.0-liter engine with compression--has an independent suspension that's credited with giving it good handling in its day. The body was crafted in Sindelfingen, where Mercedes still houses much of its engineering work, in addition to an assembly plant where it builds the C-Class.

This 500K is part of the National Automobile Museum's Harrah Collection, in Reno, Nevada.

Rusnak Arcadia Mercedes-Benz Wins Exclusive Nationwide Honor

PASADENA, CA -- 03/17/10 -- The Rusnak Auto Group is pleased to report that Rusnak Arcadia Mercedes-Benz was presented with the 2009 "Best of the Best" Dealer Recognition Award. The honor is reserved for the top 15 percent of Mercedes-Benz dealerships in the country. The award recognizes superior performance in customer satisfaction, new vehicle sales, certified pre-owned sales, leadership and management, parts operations, and market penetration. This marks the eighth time in nine years the Arcadia dealership has won the prestigious award.

"We are excited about winning this award again, especially in the face of what was a challenging year for so many in our business," said General Manager, Brian Beatt. "It's a testament to the associates of this dealership and their dedication to creating the best vehicle purchase and ownership experience available."

"These dealers represent the essence of the Mercedes-Benz brand: an enduring commitment to excellence combined with an entrepreneurial spirit and absolute dedication to customer satisfaction," said Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. "These dealers who believe, as we do, that the ultimate measure of success is not only business acumen but also meeting the expectations of each and every customer every time -- no exceptions."

While other retailers cut back in the face of a difficult economy, the Rusnak organization put more emphasis on customer service across each of their nine manufacturer brands including Audi, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, Rolls Royce and Volvo. Across the entire organization, nearly every group made gains over the competition relative to market share.

Rusnak enjoys a 44 year history as one of the strongest Auto Retail groups in Los Angeles with dealerships in the cities of Westlake, Pasadena and Arcadia. They can be visited online at www.rusnakonline.com.

Read more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/rusnak-arcadia-mercedes-benz-wins-exclusive-nationwide-honor,1209852.shtml#ixzz0iaJ1x34C

Reader survey: "The best cars of 2010": Double victory for Mercedes-Benz with the E-Class and SLS

Stuttgart - The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the best car in the upper executive segment, while the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is the best sports car. These are the results of a reader survey conducted by one of Germany’s well-known specialist car magazines, "auto motor und sport". The E-Class and SLS have therefore both walked away with the title "Best car of 2010".

The editorial team of "auto motor und sport" asked readers to vote on some 326 vehicles across ten categories, and no fewer than 96,784 respondents answered the call to cast their votes in the traditional reader survey to find the best cars of the year. This is the thirty-fourth time that the respected specialist publication has conducted the survey.

In the upper executive segment, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class emerged victorious against the competition to claim its crown as "The best car of 2010". In awarding this honour, the readers acknowledged the special position enjoyed by the E-Class as the most successful business saloon. Among its many features, it benefits from a dynamic design, innovative technology, exemplary comfort, and also a high degree of economic efficiency. It also comes with a unique combination of driver assistance systems, including for example ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection, Adaptive Highbeam Assist, and DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control together with PRE-SAFE Brake, which automatically applies emergency braking if there is an acute risk of an accident.

In the case of the sports car, the readers of "auto motor und sport" placed the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in pole position, thereby honouring the new gullwing model as the best car of 2010 in its category, and as such paying tribute to both its uniquely exciting design as well its advanced technology. The super sports car excels with its uncompromising lightweight construction, superior driving dynamics and exemplary safety. These attributes are ensured by a unique technology package consisting of a lightweight aluminium spaceframe body, AMG 6.3-litre V8 front-mid-engine with dry sump lubrication producing 420 kW (571 hp), seven-speed double-declutch transmission in a transaxle arrangement and a sports suspension with aluminium double wishbones. This combination guarantees dynamic performance at the very highest level. The gullwing model accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, and has a top speed of 317 km/h.

Jan 0 1948 Mercedes-benz A320 Cabriolet Sold for $350,000 at the 2007 Melbourne Auction

In the news: Last March 12 at the Melbourne International Motor Show auction conducted by the Shannons, a unique 1948 Mercedes-Benz A320 two-door cabriolet that has never made production was sold for $350,000 in front of huge crowd consisting of around 1,500 people at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

Despite the limited lots available as compared to previous years, the Melbourne International Motor Auction was able to sell more than $2.7 million and obtain an outstanding clearance rate of over 90 percent of all lots. Out of the $2.7 million, around $600,000 was spent on vehicle number plates of which five VicRoads’ new signature plates have been sold for a total of $154,000 ahead of their public launch which was scheduled yesterday, March 13.

The sale of the rare Mercedes-Benz was the highlight of the auction. The striking two-tone blue fully restored vehicle was discovered in an isolated state in Indonesia in the year 1980 and was then brought to Australia where it was restored. Quality Mercedes parts such as the Mercedes brake caliper was used in restoration of the 1948 A320. A Mercedes-Benz brake caliper is an important component of any vehicle since it induces a speed-stopping amount of friction that slows down or stops a Benz vehicle and the 1948 A320 Cabriolet is not an exemption. The 1948 A320 two-door Cabriolet embodies the luxury image of Mercedes-Benz before the devastation of its German factories in World War II. Unfortunately for the A320 instead of making production was overtaken by the more technically advanced 300 series models.

Aside from the A320 Cabriolet, the 1930 Invicta S-Type Low Chassis which was previously owned by the Shannons’ founder Robert Shannon became an additional attraction at the auction. The bidding for the Invicta has also turned out to be an emotional event for both Shannons National Auction Manager Christophe Boribon and veteran auctioneer Bill Wellwood. The Invicta was sold in for $950,000.

Also for auction at the Shannons was the totally-restored 1971 Chrysler Charger R/T E38 coupe sold for a record price of $140,000 surpassing the record of a previously sold Charger R/T E38 at $128,000 which was auctioned last year at Shannons’ Sydney Motor Show auction.

Other cars sold at the auction includes a 1969 Holden Monaro HK GTS 327 coupe in superb condition was auctioned for $120,000, a 1968 Monaro HK GTS 307 coupe was also bought at $50,000 while a 1972 Ford Falcon XA GT sedan was sold for $34,500.

Here are some of the auction results:

• A fully-restored 1956 Holden FJ Utility sold at $61,000

• An un-restored one-owner 1957 Ford Mainline Utility sold for $33,000

• A well preserved one-owner Ford Fairlane ZC 351 V8 sedan sold for $21,000

• A magnificent vintage 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Saloon auctioned for $100,000

• Three-digit Victorian vitreous enamel plate ‘765’ was sold for $75,000 followed by the big-block plate ‘429’ which was sold for $70,000 while the ‘353’ was sold for $63,000

• Four and five-digit plates: the ‘2123’ was able to make $34,000, the ‘8168’ with $32,000, the ‘9.444’ gained $31,000 while the ’30.000’ and ’66.111’ which are considered the best of the five digit plates were sold for $27,000 each.

• The new VicRoads ‘Signature series’ personalized number plates did remarkably well with the GT selling nearly three times its estimate at $53,000 while the ‘RR’ and ‘SS’ were each sold for $36,000. The GTO was sold for $17,000 and the ‘RT’ was taken for $12,000.

2011 Audi Q5 Hybrid Confirmed

AUDI HAS CONFIRMED that it will bring a hybrid Q5 model to market in 2011, the first mass-market hybrid vehicle for the German brand.

Specific details on the Q5 Hybrid are still under wraps, but, like the Mercedes-Benz ML450 hybrid, it will likely be destined for the US market.

No commitment has been given to manufacturing the Q5 Hybrid in right-hand drive, meaning we may never see Audi’s eco-friendly softroader on Australian roads.


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Opinion is split on whether Audi will use nickel metal hydride or lithium ion batteries in the Q5 Hybrid. However odds are high that the powertrain will be similar to the 3.0 litre V6 petrol engine and 300Nm electric assistance motor used by the upcoming 2011 Porsche Cayenne hybrid, 2010 Porsche Panamera hybrid and 2010 VW Touareg hybrid.

Up until now, Audi has resolutely stuck to clean diesel technology as its answer to emissions reduction.

It remains to be seen whether the automaker will follow up the Q5 Hybrid with more petrol-electric models. Some commentators postulate that the petrol-electric Audi is less about reducing CO2 and more about profiting in the hybrid-friendly US market.


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Audi, like its compatriot Mercedes-Benz, favours all-electric powertrains as its long-term answer to reducing environmental impact. The company has revealed that it intends to launch a battery-electric version of its R8 supercar by late 2012, with the technology to eventually work its way down the Audi range.

For now though, the company is keen to demonstrate what it can do with petrol-electric technology. The Audi Q5 Hybrid is due to be officially unveiled in late 2010, most likely at the Los Angeles Auto Show.