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Mercedes-Benz USA isn’t the only part of the company that reported record sales for 2007. In the Australian auto market, Mercedes has easily surpassed other luxury vehicle sales.  Last year, the automaker enjoyed its most successful year ever with sales increasing by the double digits in this overseas market.

According to Horst von Sanden, the Managing Director of MB, the company experienced a sales growth of 14.4 percent in 2007. Its nearest competitor had an increase of just above seven percent. The figures are indicative of the fact that the customers are choosing a Mercedes-Benz over any other luxury vehicle in the market.

The new turbo-diesel engine was a major component fueling Benz sales in the Australian market. Similar to North American drivers, more and more consumers in the market “down under” are turning to eco-friendly options for their vehicles. In fact, more than 22 percent of the Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold in Australia last year had the new turbo engine.

But the company’s compact cars were also a big hit with consumers. THe automaker sold more than 2,800 A-Class and B-Class models in the Australian market, accounting for 32.2 percent of the total vehicles sold. That’s a 32-percent increase over the 2006 compact sales figures. Any sales analyst will tell you that those numbers are undoubtedly impressive.

And now, Australian consumers are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. In fact, the local dealers have had so many inquiries and pre-orders that officials have asked factories to increase their production levels to keep up with the impending demand.

It appears that Mercedes-Benz continues to have superior sales wherever its vehicles are sold. Stop in to see you local dealer and find something available for you!

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Who would have ever thought that a luxury automaker would be the leader in reducing costs and passing the savings on to the consumer? That’s exactly what Mercedes-Benz accomplished last year.

After a 12-percent decrease in cost during the 2006 sales season, Mercedes has continued its trend with another 10-percent decrease in 2007. According to Rainer Schmueckle, Mercedes Chief Operating Officer, the German-based automaker is striving to achieve another 10-to-15 percent cost-efficiency increase over the next three years combined. Following are some questions you might have about this topic and the answers to help keep you informed.

How does a car company measure the cost-efficiency of a vehicle?

Mercedes-Benz bases its findings on several factors that go into making one of its luxury vehicles, including the following:

• The number of production hours needed to create and complete each vehicle
• The costs of the raw materials the company needs to purchase to make the vehicles

How does Mercedes-Benz plan to achieve an even larger increase in its cost efficiency?

The company has several plans for continuing to reduce the cost needed for its production. Some of those plans include the following:
• Better purchasing practices over the next few years
• Increased use of modular systems, meaning that the company will use fewer separate parts for the engine, air conditioning and other elements of the vehicle
• Possibly opening an east European plant to increase production of the A-Class and B-Class lines of compact vehicles.

This is just one more way that Mercedes-Benz is looking out for its customers. Visit your local dealer and see what great deals are available for your dream car today!

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Alabama’s thriving economy owes a great deal of thanks to Mercedes-Benz and the production plant the company built more than a decade ago.

In 1994, Billy Joe Camp, director of the Alabama Development Office, helped bring the MB plant to Tuscaloosa County. At the time, he had no idea what the deal was going to bring to the area.

Since then, the auto industry has increased by leaps and bounds in Alabama. And Mercedes is at the forefront. On Valentine’s Day in 1997, the plant created the first vehicle ever produced in this southern state:  the Mercedes-Benz M-Class. Since that day, Alabama has been a center for auto production. There are three major auto factories in the state today, and last year they produced more than 738,000 vehicles. And that’s just for one year!

As a result of the Mercedes-Benz plant, the state has become a major entity in the worldwide auto industry. But this has also transformed the future of the state. Currently, Alabama has one of the strongest economies in the entire nation. In the four years between 2002 and 2006, the state’s per-capita income increased by more than 20 percent. That’s more than the national average and the highest among the southern states.

But wait–there are even more benefits for the state. The flourishing auto industry has created a desire for a number of other high-profile businesses moving into the state. As a result, Alabama is quickly shedding the image of being an impoverished and backwards state. People in northern states like Michigan, where the auto industry began, are quickly realizing that Alabama’s auto industry is a force to be reckoned with. In fact, thousands of auto workers in Michigan might soon be looking for jobs in Alabama as the northern state’s economy continues to fall while the southern state’s outlook only gets more positive.

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The North American International Auto Show is like the prom for auto companies. Many of them use the opportunity to garner more attention for the newest models they are introducing. But there’s a great deal of competition to get the eyes of the media and the visitors on a particular company with all of the dazzling displays and spectacular showcases that surround them. But Mercedes-Benz did a tremendous job in getting people to take notice this year.

Instead of just going with a big name in the hip-hop music industry like another major automaker did, Mercedes-Benz went with a classier, more debonair path.

The performance that the German automaker offered to those in attendance at the auto show was a fusion of a 1920s dance club in Berlin with a hint of a modern and hip edge. The vocalist, Max Raabe, crooned through a Weimar catalog for most of the performance. But the big band really got the attention of the crowd when it sprang into a spectacular rendition of Britney’s “Oops . . . I Did It Again.”

But that isn’t the only star power that Mercedes used to draw the rubbernecks out of the crowd. Kim Cattrall, the long-legged and blonde sex object from “Sex and the City,” made an appearance. The white-mustached Chairman of the Daimler Corporation, Dieter Zetsche, also stopped by and made some exciting announcements about the future of the company, especially since its recent departure from Chrysler. As Zetsche stated, Daimler is back to its “fighting shape,” referring to the company’s decision to drop the dead weight that may have been slowing down its success.

When you visit your local Mercedes-Benz dealer, you might not be greeted with the fanfare displayed at the auto show in Detroit. You can, however, feel confident that you will be received like an important guest. Stop in today and get the VIP treatment!

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While some domestic automakers are feeling the pinch of the struggling economy, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz is expecting a great year in 2008.

According to Dieter Zetshce, the CEO of Daimler AG, Benz sales will undoubtedly surpass the total sales figure from 2007. The company’s new models, he says, are largely to thank for the expected sales. The new SLK sports car, GLK SUV and A-Class compact cars are likely to attract many new customers in the market. He made the announcement in a short speech at the North American International Auto Show in Motor City more than a week ago.

If the predictions are true, the end of 2008 will mark the 15th consecutive year in which sales increased for the luxury automaker.

Although new models are the main reason for the continued increase in sales, Zetsche also noted that the company has been able to increase production in recent years. After eliminating over 9,000 factory jobs and making models with fewer parts, production is much quicker because it’s less complicated. With fewer stops to make along the assembly line, cars are moving from the factory to your local Mercedes-Benz dealer in a fraction of the time that they once did.

So what is Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz doing with the profits from increased sales?

In the coming years, the luxury automaker plans to spend about four percent of its revenue on creating safer and more efficient vehicles. Mercedes-Benz already has some of the safest and most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market. This just goes to show that the company continues to improve its already superior products to stay ahead of the competition.

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Did you see the Mercedes-Benz PGA Tournament? If not, you missed an exciting event. Although some of the biggest names in golf decided not to show up for this round, the players delighted and excited the crowds, both those present and those watching on TV.

With this tournament, there could be a new name emerging in the golf scene: Daniel Chopra. Although he played in more than 130 PGA events before he finally won one last fall, he could be on his way to being a household name by winning in the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

His win in Hawaii was great for his record, but he enjoyed even more benefits than that. The victory qualifies him to participate in the world-famous Masters PGA Tournament in April. But according to the Stockholm native, “Every win is special.” It’s refreshing to see a golfer work his way up through the ranks, excited by each and every win.

But his latest win didn’t come easily. The tournament ended in a Sudden Death playoff with fellow golfer Steve Stricker. Chopra won on the fourth hole of the playoff. The only thing that kept him from winning the tournament during normal play was his last putt, which  hung on the edge of the 18th hole without falling in. His opponent is no schmuck, either. Stricker won the Comeback Player of the Year for two years in a row, becoming the only PGA golfer in history to achieve such an accomplishment.

Chopra is excited to advance to the Masters in Augusta in a few months. According to an interview after the MB tournament, he said Augusta has always been a “lifelong dream.” We wish him luck and hope he continues to enjoy success throughout the rest of his golf career.

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At the Mercedes-Benz Golf Tournament in Hawaii a couple of weeks ago, one of the golf commentators made a passing comment about Tiger Woods. Since then, the network has suspended her and many have labeled her as a racist.

Kelly Tilghman, the PGA’s first professional female golf announcer, was engaging in conversational banter with her co-anchor, Nick Faldo. He remarked that some of the younger players on the golf circuit should “gang up” on Tiger Woods because that was the only way to beat him. Off the cuff, Tilghman responded to the joke by suggesting they “lynch him in a back alley.”

That one little word–lynch–has set off a national tirade by some who took offense at the remark. Some civil rights activists called for her firing despite her apology, and on January 9 officials suspended her from the Golf Channel for two weeks.

On the other side of the controversy, though, Tiger Woods’ agent stated that he didn’t think there was any “ill intent” on her part. Tiger himself even felt that the media were making too much out of the innocent verbal slip.

Still, some have placed a racial significance on the word, and the “thought police” are back on patrol. Yet in the argument against this alleged act of racism, one leading activist continually refers to Tilghman as “this woman,” a typically misogynistic term.

I, for one, think she said nothing that warrants any type of suspension or other type of negative impact on her career. The negative publicity has not only tainted Tilghman’s commentating position on the Golf Channel but also blemished the Mercedes-Benz PGA Championship in the minds of some. Does anybody else think that some in our society overreact to mindless slips of the tongue? Or should everybody in the public eye carefully consider what each and every person might think about any spoken words?

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If you’ve been keeping up with some of the new brands that automakers have released in recent years, you might have noticed something different.

Companies like Mercedes-Benz and other automakers have foregone coming up with clever names for their vehicles. Instead, more and more vehicles are simply receiving the designation of a string of letters to identify them. For Mercedes-Benz, some of these models include the GLK, CLK, CLS and the SL, just to name a few. But some models have even gotten simpler than that, receiving only one letter to distinguish their classes from the rest. The M-Class, C-Class and E-Class refer to distinct characteristics without giving away anything about the vehicles.

Did you think that the letters actually stood for something? I thought so, too. But that’s not the case.

The automakers have several reasons for switching to the use of a combination of letters to categorize new models, including:

• Combinations of letters are easier to trademark than names
• Alphanumeric names give the vehicles an increased sense of status
• Letter combinations increase the models’ acceptance in foreign markets
• Many of the best names have already been used by previous models
• Marketing departments can spend less time finding a name

In the last ten years, the number of vehicles distinguished by a string of letters has increased from 80 to 135 different models, according to Kelley Blue Book. Some analysts feel Mercedes-Benz is one of the companies responsible for the switch, with the popularity and success of models like the older S-Class and E-Class lines.

Don’t look for the car companies to wax nostalgic and bring back their classic naming systems anytime soon, either. Names like the Pinto and Gremlin are relegated to history. For the foreseeable future, your new car names will resemble a bowl of alphabet soup or an episode of Wheel of Fortune.

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If you haven’t heard about the plans for a new “hydrogen highway” in California, you haven’t missed out on too much yet. Governor Schwarzenegger has hit another snag in his plan to implement at least 100 stations that dispense hydrogen power for vehicles by 2010.

In recent years, three different agencies have received state funds to work on creating a hydrogen fueling station in California, only to suspend the project after it was underway.  Three existing stations have closed their doors, and one was even dismantled despite having been used to fuel county buses.

Now, California has only 23 hydrogen fueling stations. That number could be even smaller in the coming weeks and months, too. The dwindling number of stations is indicative of the feeling that these vehicles won’t likely be viable options for consumers any time soon. As such, the demand is low–very low.

What does this mean for the Mercedes-Benz lover?

The most recent agency to halt the building project affected Mercedes drivers in a big way. Pacific Gas and Electric, the agency in question, planned to build a station to serve as a hub for many MB vehicles that were to be leased in northern California in 2009. This would have been the first major effort to introduce hydrogen-fueled vehicles to the general public and tout their convenience to buyers.

Unfortunately, PG&E decided it was a “distant technology” and focused its major efforts on other vehicles, including plug-ins and hybrids.

If something doesn’t happen soon to encourage and facilitate the plan for 100 hydrogen stations, the governor’s vision for a “hydrogen highway” might just collapse for now. Fortunately, the state isn’t giving up. We’ll monitor the latest developments and keep readers apprised.  As California is a leader in nearly everything, its success in this venture could make or break the hydrogen fuel industry, at least for the short-term future.

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If you use your cell phone during your morning commute, you could be slowing down everybody else .

For years, people have argued about the dangers of using cell phones while driving. But a new study from the University of Utah suggests that it might also be the cause of many traffic jams and slower commutes in the morning.

A team of engineering and psychology specialists conducted the study, in which undergraduate students used hands-free mobile phones during a driving simulation test . The researchers found that the students drove slower and were more reluctant to make decisions, even when the driving conditions were perfectt. For example, they didn’t switch lanes even when it was to their advantage to do so.

Of course, one driver doesn’t slow down everybody on the highway. But multiply this by hundreds or even thousands of commuters on the road at the same time each morning. According to the lead researcher in the study, Dave Strayer, the findings suggest that the driving time for a local commute along Interstate 15 in Salt Lake City could decrease by five to ten percent if drivers simply stopped using their cell phones on the way to work.

Why does talking on a cell phone slow a driver down?

In every study that tests cell phone use in relation to  driving, findings suggest that drivers miss at least several cues that could possibly lead to accidents.  We can’t think as fast while talking because our brains are busy forming words instead of focusing on the road. With electrical monitoring tests, researchers found that speech formation affects the other functions of the brain.

According to Strayer, the brain “doesn’t process driving information when people are talking on the phone.” On the other hand, listening to music or listening to others who are talking has little to no effect on brain activity and does not impair driving skills.

If you’re driving a Mercedes-Benz, you definitely want to be sure that you’re taking all precautions to avoid an accident. Who wants to have a dinged-up Mercedes? I certainly wouldn’t want that. Postpone your phone calls until you get to work and make all of your phone calls before you leave for the day. It not only saves time but also might save your life.

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