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At a time when some automakers are struggling to reach customers and sell cars, Mercedes-Benz continues to enjoy success.

Mercedes-Benz has had four consecutive months of “record-breaking success.” And from the way it looks, the German automaker isn’t slowing down any time soon. Despite rising gas prices and other economic factors, MB of Canada had another record-breaking month in May. In fact, May 2008 was the automaker’s best month ever!

Compared to May 2007, last month was spectacular. Sales of the new lineup of C-Class models increased by 350 percent and overall car sales for MB went up by nearly 50 percent.

Last month was also the first time in the history of Mercedes-Benz in Canada that the company sold more than 2,000 vehicles in a single month. Even the larger models that people are shying away from due to high gas prices sold well. The R-Class, M-Class and GL-Class SUVs sold about 450 units in May 2008, up about 14 percent from the same month last year.

Pre-owned vehicles were big sellers for the company, too. More than 700 certified pre-owned Mercedes-Benz units went to proud owners last month. That’s up about 22 percent from last year.

As you can see, it was a good month all around for MB in Canada. But wherever you are, you can see what all the fuss is about by visiting your local Mercedes-Benz dealer, too. Check one out today!

Are you a fan of Alanis Morissette? Are you a fan of Mercedes-Benz? If you said “yes” to both, you’re in for a treat.

The crooner that hit the top of the charts more than a decade ago with hits like Ironic, You Oughta Know and others recently released a new album. Her first video from that album – Underneath – features a glimpse of the Mercedes-Benz E320 BlueTEC. It seems like a match made in Heaven since Alanis has always been an environmental activist and Mercedes-Benz has an entire line of fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly vehicles.

Alanis Morissette believes that “making green choices on a local is important in creating global change.” She’s happy that the luxury automaker has improved its technology and introduced options that are beneficial to the environment. That’s why she wanted to make sure that she included it in her newest video so it would get even more exposure than it already had. What better venue to get exposure than in a video created by a seven-time Grammy winner?

You can catch the Underneath video on VH-1. However, since they don’t play too much music anymore, you’d have a better chance at catching it here or search for it on YouTube.com.

You can also visit your local Benz dealer and find one of these and many other fuel-efficient vehicles that are creating such a buzz. It’s the future of the auto industry. Don’t get left behind.

Have you heard of the Distronic Plus and Brake Assist Plus systems? These are two great safety features that will soon be added to several Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Here’s a little bit more about them.

These Distronic Plus system is designed to warn drivers when they are getting too close to the vehicle in front of them. In addition to that, the Brake Assist Plus system helps drivers stop safely in the event of an emergency. It’s almost like an anti-lock braking system, but it’s much better.

Studies show that these systems could reduce the number of rear-end collisions by at least 20 percent in Germany alone. Worldwide, the systems could reduce the number of rear-end accidents by nearly 40 percent! How impressive is that?

Engineers at Mercedes-Benz developed a way for testing new systems in real-world capacities. With these two systems, the engineers were able to run through about 800 tests and conditions representative of rear-end collisions. They take information and data from previous accidents, including speed, braking behavior and weather conditions to determine how to create a feature that increases safety in these types of instances.

With safety features like this, what’s stopping you from going to a nearby Mercedes-Benz dealer and getting a luxury vehicle with the latest improvements? You owe it to yourself and your family.

This is probably one of the worst times to be a commuter. If you driver more than 10 minutes to work each day, you’re probably spending a fortune at the gas pumps. Recently, IBM did a survey to find the worst cities for commuting. The researchers aimed to evaluate the patience of people on America’s highways.

The survey involved 4,000 motorists in ten major metropolitan cities. Here are some of the statistics they found:

• 46 percent said they’d find a different way to work if gas prices hit $4.50 per gallon.
• 25 percent of commuters said $4 gas is a major annoyance.
• 27 percent of drivers said there are times when they’ve considered simply turning around and going back home when stuck in traffic.
• 19 percent of drivers said their commute affects their mood and performance at work or school.

Here is the list of the worst commuter cities in order from worst to the least worst of the ten surveyed.
1. Los Angeles
2. Atlanta
3. Miami
4. Dallas/Fort Worth
5. Chicago and San Francisco tied for 5th place
6. New York
7. Washington, D.C.
8. Boston
9. Minneapolis/St. Paul

Of course, you can minimize the irritating traffic jams by getting a new or used vehicle from your local Mercedes-Benz dealer. With one of these luxurious vehicles, you’ll almost enjoy sitting in traffic and enjoying the surrounding comfort.

Yesterday, we listed three ways that you might be unknowingly wasting gas. Here are three more ways you might be wasting gas so you can change your habits accordingly.

4. Are you riding that guy’s bumper?
You’ve probably heard that tailgating is a good way to save gas because you can “draft,” or use the air pressure created by the vehicle in front of you to create less work for your engine. But if you’re riding somebody’s bumper, you have to tap the brakes every time that driver taps the breaks. You also have to accelerate more when they accelerate. Tailgating is both wasteful and unsafe.

5. Idling cars are the devil’s workshop.
Well, it might not be that drastic, but letting your car idle wastes gas unless your car is more than 20 years old. Modern fuel-injection engines use very little fuel to restart once the engine is already warm. For every minute you let your car idle, you burn about one-half mile’s worth of fuel. Is that worth it? Not at nearly $5 a gallon it’s not.

6. Short trips guzzle your gas.
Don’t take your car to the corner store for cigarettes or that gallon of milk. Instead, take a walk. If you simply can’t walk to the places, try to do all of your errands at one time instead of spreading them out over several days. Your car will thank you for it.

These might seem like insignificant ways to save gas. But those gallons add up! After a few months of putting these techniques to use, you might even be able to save a down payment for a new or used car at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer. It’s certainly worth a try, isn’t it?

In today’s age of $5 gallons of gas, who can afford to waste a single drop? But there’s a chance you could be wasting a few drops (or even more) of your fuel simply as a result of your driving habits. Yahoo! did a recent article discussing six ways you could be wasting your gas. Here are those six ways so you can alter your habits accordingly.

1. Taking off quickly from a stop.
You probably know that squealing your tires from a complete stop wreaks havoc on your gas mileage. But simply taking off swiftly can cost you more at the pump. Push on the pedal steady and don’t be in such a hurry.

2. Speeding up to red lights.
Why are you in such a hurry to get to a red light? If I see a red light ahead, I simply coast up to it. And that’s what you should do to save gas. You can increase your fuel economy by up to 35 percent if you do that.

3. Driving too fast.
Do you ever stick your hand out the car window when driving down the expressway? Do you ever see how hard it is to move that hand against the wind resistance? That’s exactly what your car goes through the faster you go. Going fast doesn’t come cheap, either. Slow it down when possible and you’ll save dollars every time you fill up.

Tomorrow, we’ll have three more ways you might be wasting gas. With these fuel-saving tips, you might even be able to save enough money to get a new or used car from your local Mercedes-Benz dealer. Why not give it a try?

This past weekend, Sex and the City made a huge splash at the box office. Millions of women dragged their husbands, boyfriends and significant others to the movie theater to watch this ultimate “chick flick.” But Sarah Jessica Parker and company weren’t the only stars of the movie.

The new 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK Class SUV made an impression on moviegoers during the flick. And the German automaker couldn’t be happier. The movie pulled in more than $55 million in one weekend alone, far exceeding the predictions by industry analysts and even its distributor, Warner Brothers.

The reason Mercedes took a gamble is because these types of movies aren’t typically big hits. Women don’t usually rush out to see a movie during its opening weekend. But SATC brought enough of them out to push the new Indiana Jones movie down to number two.

In addition to the GLK being on screen, Mercedes-Benz received even more exposure during the film. The film actually takes place at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, one of the most anticipated annual events for the automaker and stars alike. One of the boyfriends in the movie – Mr. Big – is also driven around in a shiny Mercedes-Benz S550 sedan.

Do you want to follow the latest trends and turn some heads like the ladies in SATC? Visit your local Mercedes-Benz dealer and see the new models they have in store for you. You certainly won’t be disappointed!

The race continues for the most fuel-efficient vehicles. Only a month a go, I was blogging about gas prices inching toward $4 per gallon. Tonight, I drove by a gas station in my town that was charging $4.65 a gallon. The way it looks now, I’ll be blogging about gas prices inching toward $5 per gallon in the next couple weeks. Is there any wonder why auto companies are trying to create the most fuel-efficient cars ever?

This post is about the Mercedes-Benz Actros, a 40-ton tractor used for pulling trailers and hauling goods across the roadways. During a seven-day test run that spanned nearly 8,000 miles in Southern Italy, the Actros was getting just a smidgeon more than 12 miles to the gallon. That might not seem like a lot, but in terms of tractor trucks, it’s a world record for fuel economy!

The test in Southern Italy was conducted under the most ideal conditions. But its purpose was to show what a car manufacturer can do when it comes to vehicle technology. But the test also compared the fuel consumption of a comparable truck when it has to contend with the various factors you’d expect to encounter on the road, including traffic jams, driving style and other issues. The test showed that the problem isn’t always inefficient trucks, but rather inefficient traffic infrastructure.

You might not find a huge Actros at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer, but there are many more fuel-efficient vehicles on their lot to satisfy your fuel consumption needs. With recent improvements and technologies, it’s not difficult at all to save money at the pump while squeezing the most miles out of a gallon of gas.

You might not think that this is going to be an automotive blog judging from the title, but keep reading. If you want to meet more girls, keep reading. And if you want to know another secret to meeting women, keep reading.

A new study conducted by an American automaker revealed what many women want in a guy – a fuel-efficient vehicle. The days of impressing that special lady by peeling away in your muscle car or racing another sports car are over. Today, hybrids and fuel-efficient vehicles that are friendly to the environment tend to catch a lady’s eye. In terms of numbers and statistics, here’s what the study found:

• Nearly 90 percent of the women in the survey said they’d rather talk to a guy driving a “green” car rather than someone driving an expensive sports car.

• About 80 percent of the people surveyed said they’d rather talk to a hybrid or fuel-efficient car owner at a party instead of someone who drives a premium sports car.

• 45 percent of those surveyed said owning a fuel-efficient vehicle is the “in” thing to do.

If this is true, think of how good you’d look in a fuel-efficient Benz! With that, you can combine the luxury that you enjoy with the element that the ladies enjoy. Visit a local Mercedes-Benz dealer today and be prepared to become a popular person on the roads.

I hope you didn’t answer “yes” to the question in the title of this blog. But many drivers around you are basically saying “yes.” Instead of filling up their tank when they get gas, motorists are buying less fuel. The bad thing is that they’re running out of gas on the side of the road as a result.

This story on Yahoo! explores this new trend. With gas prices exceeding $4 a gallon throughout the country (if you’re still paying below $4 a gallon, consider yourself lucky), drivers are willing to take the gamble on squeezing those extra miles out of their vehicle between visits to the pump.

In Philadelphia, AAA reported twice as many service calls for drivers who ran out of gas in the last year. In May 2007, that number was only 81. But in May 2008, that number exceeded more than 160.

One AAA mobile technician who has responded to many of these calls said that motorists are running out of gas more frequently because they simply can’t make their gas last as long as they need.

Stories like that are becoming more common everywhere. AAA Mid-Atlantic services many areas along the East Coast, including Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. A spokesperson for the company said the auto club is “seeing a lot of frustrated motorists who are trying to cut corners, and this is one way they’re doing it.”

Fortunately, you can avoid this problem. Simply visit a local Mercedes-Benz dealer and get one of the new fuel-efficient vehicles that they have available. You’ll still need to watch your gas gauge, but you’ll be able to squeeze more from your dollar with each visit to the pump.