Everything about Mercedes Benz totally explained
» For other uses of the name Mercedes, see Mercedes.:
For the Janis Joplin song, see Mercedes Benz (song).
Mercedes-Benz is a
German manufacturer of
luxury automobiles,
buses,
coaches, and
trucks. Mercedes-Benz has, over the years, introduced many technological and safety features that have become common in modern vehicles. (
see Innovations section).
Purchasing
Mercedes-Benz automobiles are available at dealerships in over 130 countries and their work fleet (trucks and commercial vehicles) are available from a group of dealers worldwide as well as the factory-direct. As with several European brand automobiles, Mercedes has offered a
European delivery option for purchasing of a Mercedes-Benz automobile for American customers.
Mercedes-Benz range today
Today Mercedes-Benz has a full range of passenger, light commercial and heavy commercial vehicles. Production is on a Global basis. The
Smart brand of
city cars has also been part of the Mercedes-Benz Group since 1994.
Quality
Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz had a reputation for quality and durability. Objective measures looking at Passenger vehicles such as J.D. Power surveys demonstrated a downturn in reputation in this area in the late 1990s and early 2000s. By 2005, Mercedes temporarily returned to the industry average for initial quality, according to
J.D. Power. In J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study for the first quarter of 2007, Mercedes showed dramatic improvement by climbing to 4th place, surpassing quality leader
Toyota and earning several awards for its models.
Motorsport
» Main Article Mercedes-Benz in motorsport.
The two companies which were merged to form the
Mercedes-Benz brand in 1926 had both already enjoyed success in the new sport of motor racing throughout their separate histories- both had entries in the very first automobile race
Paris to Rouen 1894. This has continued, and throughout its long history, the company has been involved in a range of motorsport activities, including
sportscar racing and
rallying. On several occasions Mercedes-Benz has withdrawn completely from motorsport for a significant period, notably in the late 1930s and after the
1955 Le Mans disaster, where a
Mercedes-Benz 300SLR collided with another car and killed more than eighty spectators. Although there was some activity in the inteverning years, it wasn't until the late 1980s that Mercedes-Benz returned to front line competition, returning to LeMans and sportscar racing with
Sauber.
The 1990s saw Mercedes-Benz purchase engine builder
Ilmor, and campaign cars at the famed
Indy 500 race under the USAC/CART rules, eventually winning that race with
Al Unser, Jr. at the wheel. The 90's also saw the return of Mercedes-Benz to GT racing, and the
Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR, which took the company to new heights (both figuratively) by dominating the FIA's GT1 class and (literally) by notably taking flight at the end of a long straight at La Sarthe.
Mercedes-Benz is currently active in three forms of motorsport,
Formula Three,
DTM and
Formula One. In Formula One, the company part owns
Team McLaren and has supplied the team with engines since 1995. This partnership has brought success, including back to back Drivers Championships for
Mika Häkkinen in 1998 and 1999 and a Constructors championship in 1998. The collaboration with McLaren has been extended into the production of roadgoing cars such as the
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
Business alliances
Studebaker-Packard Corporation
In 1958 Mercedes-Benz entered into a distribution agreement with the
Studebaker-Packard Corporation of
South Bend, Indiana (USA), makers of
Studebaker and
Packard brand automobiles. Under the deal, Studebaker would allow Mercedes-Benz access to their
U.S. dealer network, handle shipments of vehicles to those dealers, and in return receive compensation for each car sold. Studebaker also was permitted to use the German automaker’s name in its advertisements, which stressed Studebaker's quality over quantity.
When Studebaker entered into informal discussions with Franco-American automaker
Facel Vega about offering their
Facel Vega Excellence model in the United States, Mercedes-Benz objected to the proposal. Studebaker, which needed Mercedes-Benz distribution payments to help stem heavy losses, dropped further action on the plan.
Mercedes-Benz maintained an office within the Studebaker works in South Bend from 1958 to 1963 when Studebaker's U.S. operations ceased. Many U.S Studebaker dealers converted to Mercedes-Benz dealerships at that time. When Studebaker closed its Canadian operation and left the automobile business in 1966, remaining Studebaker dealers had the option to convert their dealerships to Mercedes-Benz dealership agreements.
Production
Besides its native Germany, Mercedes-Benz are also manufactured or assembled in:
Models
Passenger cars
The following passenger vehicles were in production in 2007:
Significant car models produced
McLaren cars
Mercedes-Benz has also produced a
supercar with
McLaren Cars, an extension of the collaboration by which Mercedes engines are used by the
Team McLaren-Mercedes Formula One racing team, which is part owned by Mercedes. The 2003
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren has a
carbon-fiber/fibre body with a 5.5l V8 supercharged engine. This is the same block as featured in SL55 AMG and the CLS55 AMG, though modified to give and of torque. The SLR has a maximum speed of and costs approximately US$500,000.
The most recent new joint-venture model, expected to reach production, is the mid-engine
P8 supercar. Based around a unique
carbon fiber/fibre monocoque, manufactured by McLaren, the P8 was originally predicted to receive the new naturally aspirated 6.3L V8 from
Mercedes-AMG, but insiders[citationrequired] now say that the engine will be modified for the car and will probably be
twin- turbocharged to produce in excess of . The car is still in development, but likely to reach production to go on sale in early 2008, and have a price tag less than that of the
SLR. [allconjecture - citations to magazine articles required]
Car nomenclature
In 1994 (starting with the 1994 models), the traditional nomenclature of Mercedes-Benz vehicles changed. Since the early days of the company the name would be in the form of
500E where the engine displacement made up the first three numbers and the last letter(s) represented the type of engine and/or chassis; for example: "E" for fuel injection ("Einspritzung" in German), "D" for Diesel, "L" for long wheelbase etc.
In 1994, this was altered so that the prefix reflected the model ("class", German "Klasse", in Mercedes-Benz terminology) and a number the displacement. The suffix was retained in some cases, for example "L" for long wheelbase, and "CDI" for Diesel (CDI = Common rail Direct Injection). Thus, the 500E in the example above became the E500 ("E-Klasse", 5 liters displacement). It should also be noted that while in the past the model number generally accurately reflected the actual engine displacement, this is currently not always the case - for example the E200 CDI and E220 CDI actually both have a 2.2 liter/litre displacement, and the C240 actually has a 2.6 liter/litre engine.
Concept Models
Mercedes-Benz C111-III
- sports car with tail fin
Mercedes-Benz Auto 2000 - 4 door sedan
Mercedes-Benz NAFA - microcar
Mercedes-Benz C112 - sportcar and mule
Mercedes-Benz F 100 - Car introducted in 1991
Mercedes-Benz F 200 Imagination - 2 door coupe introduced in 1996 Paris Motor Show
Mercedes-Benz F 300 Life Jet - 3-wheel Car/Motorcycle unveiled in 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show
Vario Research Car - One car, four vehicles Photo of Four in One car
1999 Mercedes-Benz Vision SLR - Prototype of Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, unveiled in 1999 North American International Auto Show
Mercedes-Benz Vision SLA - convertible version of Vision SLR, unveiled in 2000 North American International Auto Show
Mercedes-Benz F 400 Carving - A 2-seat roadster unveiled in 2002 Tokyo Motor Show
Mercedes Benz F 500 Mind - 4-door fastback sedan unveiled in 2003 Tokyo Motor Show
Mercedes-Benz F 600 HYGENIUS - compact fuel cell car, unveiled in 2005 Tokyo Motor Show
Mercedes-Benz Bionic - Car unveiled in 2005 DaimlerChrysler Innovation Symposium in Washington, modelled after boxfish
Mercedes-Benz Ocean Drive - a 4-door convertible based on the S600
Mercedes-Benz F 700 - Large luxury saloon featuring the small capacity / high output DiesOtto engine, unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Buses
Mercedes-Benz also produces buses, mainly for Europe and Asia.
The first factory to be built outside Germany after WWII was in Argentina. It originally built trucks, many of which where modified independently to buses, popularly named Colectivo. Today it builds buses, trucks and the Sprinter Van.
Vans
Mercedes-Benz produces a range of vans.
The current range consists of
Mercedes-Benz Vito — Light Van based on the Viano MPV with loaded weight of approx 1 tonne
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter — Mid-sized van with loaded weights of 2 to 6 tonne (produced as a Dodge in USA and Canada with the name Freightliner Sprinter. A joint venture.)
- Sprinter 414 416CDI ambulance
- Sprinter 316CDI light ambulance
Mercedes-Benz Vario — Heavy van with similar load to a light truck (7.5 tonne)
Previous models include
Mercedes-Benz TN or T1 - Mid Sized van predecessor to the sprinter
Mercedes-Benz T2 - Heavy Van
All other previous models on the German wikipedia
Trucks
Mercedes-Benz is the world's largest manufacturer of trucks.
The current range consists of
Mercedes-Benz Atego — Light truck from 7 to 16t
Mercedes-Benz Axor — Mid-sized truck from 18 to 26t in rigid and articulated
Mercedes-Benz Actros — Heavy duty rigid and premium articulated — 18 to 50t
Mercedes-Benz Econic — Low floor version of the Axor for refuse and specialist applications
Mercedes-Benz Unimog — For special purpose applications and transport across extreme terrain
1828L (F581) Mobile Casualty Treatment Centre
1517L Mobile Casualty Treatment Centre
Hybrid vehicles
At the 2007 Frankfurt motor show, Mercedes-Benz showed seven hybrid models, including the F700 concept car which combined hybrid drive with the innovative DiesOtto engine.
Tuners
Mercedes-Benz automobiles are very popular among performance-oriented buyers, and several companies have become tuners/modifiers of these cars, adding even more performance and luxury to the brand.
AMG is Mercedes-Benz's performance-tuning division, specializing in high-performance versions of most Mercedes-Benz cars. AMG engines are hand-built and the completed engine receives a tag with the signature of the engineer who built it. AMG has been fully-owned by Mercedes-Benz since 1999. There are numerous independent tuners:
Other Tuners
Brabus
Lorinser
Carlsson
Kleemann
Renntech
Kicherer
Robot Cars
In the 1980s Mercedes built the world's first robot car, together with the team of Professor Ernst Dickmanns at Bundeswehr Universität München. Partially encouraged by Dickmanns' success, in 1987 the European Union's EUREKA programme initiated the Prometheus project on autonomous vehicles, funded to the tune of nearly 800 million Euros. A culmination point was achieved in 1995, when Dickmanns´ re-engineered autonomous S-Class Mercedes took a long trip from Munich in Bavaria to Copenhagen in Denmark and back. On highways the robot achieved speeds exceeding 175 kilometres per hour (roughly 110 miles per hour; permissible in some areas of the German Autobahn). The car's abilities has heavily influenced robot car research and funding decisions world-wide [citationrequired].
Bicycles
Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH introduced 3 new bicycles in 2005, named Automatic Bike, Fitness Bike, Mountain Bike.(External Link) The bikes are sold in Australia(External Link), Germany, Russia.(External Link)
List of bicycles:
Mercedes-Benz Automatic Bike
Mercedes-Benz Carbon Bike
Mercedes-Benz Fitness Bike
Mercedes-Benz Hybrid Bike
Mercedes-Benz Mountain Bike
Mercedes-Benz Street Bike
Noted Employees (selection)
Béla Barényi - Car safety pioneer and original designer of the Volkswagen Beetle concept
Nicholas Dreystadt - Cadillac manager
Wilhelm Maybach - Automotive pioneer
Ferdinand Piëch - Volkswagen and Porsche manager
Ferdinand Porsche - Founder of Porsche
Rudolf Uhlenhaut - Designer of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Innovations
The "Safety cage" or "Safety cell" construction with front and rear crumple zones was first developed by Mercedes-Benz in 1951.(External Link).
Anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control and airbags in the European market, were Mercedes-Benz innovations. These technologies were introduced in 1978, 1986 and 1980 respectively.
In September 2003, Mercedes-Benz introduced the world's first 7-speed automatic transmission called '7G-Tronic'.
Mercedes-Benz was the first to introduce pre-tensioners to seat belts on the 1981 S-Class. In the event of a crash, a pre-tensioner will tighten the belt instantaneously, preventing the passenger from jerking forward in a crash.
Stability control, brake assist (Press Release), and many other types of safety equipment were all developed, tested, and implemented into passenger cars—first—by Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz hasn't made a large fuss about its innovations and has even licensed them for use by competitors—in the name of improving automobile and passenger safety.
The most powerful naturally aspirated eight cylinder engine in the world is the Mercedes-AMG, 6208 cc M156 V8 engine. The V8 engine is badged '63 AMG' and replaced the '55 AMG' M113 engine in most models. The M156 engine produces up to, and although some models using this engine do have this output (such as the S63 and CL63 AMGs) specific output varies slightly across other models in the range.(External Link)
The (W211) E320 CDI which has a (VTG) turbocharged, 3.0L V6 common rail diesel engine, set three world endurance records. It covered in a record time with an average speed of 224.823 km/h (140 mph). Three identical cars did the endurance run (one set above record) and the other two cars set world records for time taken to cover 100,000 km and respectively. After all three cars had completed the run their combined distance was (all records were FIA approved).
Mercedes-Benz's pioneered a system called Pre-Safe which uses radar to detect an imminent crash and prepares the car's safety systems to respond optimally. It also calculates the optimal breaking force required to avoid an accident in emergency situations and makes it immediately available for when the driver depresses the brake pedal. Occupants are also prepared by tightening the seatbelt, closing the sunroof and windows, and moving the seats into the optimal position.
Mercedes Benz is developing a fatigue-detection system that warns the driver when they're displaying signs of micro-sleep (when the eyes stay closed for slightly longer than a natural blinking action). The system will use a variety of data including the individual driving style, the duration of the journey, the time of day and the current traffic situation. Fatigue mostly sets in gradually.
The fastest (production) automatic road car in the world is the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren at 334 km/h (208 mph). The car was co-developed by DaimlerChrysler and McLaren Cars. The fastest street-legal saloon car in the world is the Mercedes-Benz Brabus (tuned) W211 'E V12' - based on the E-Class saloon.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mercedes Benz'.
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