Benz has already developed a two-pack system available as a special order on its AMG performance cars.

The companies believe that going matt could accelerate development of cars that need less washing and body maintenance, as well as using fewer toxic chemicals when they are being painted. A low-gloss surface is also less likely to show minor dents and blemishes.

The BMW system is some way from production, though it was displayed last year at the press preview of the Z4 M coupe in Spain. But Mercedes will sell a matt-finish AMG car to anyone with the desire and the cash. "It is something that we offer. But we don't promote it, so we have not done many cars,” AMG-Mercedes marketing chief Mario Spitzner says. "Paint and colour is the perfect opportunity to make some differentiation for our cars. It is something exclusive.”

The AMG-Mercedes system is called Alu-beam and it was announced earlier this year for the CL65 AMG coupe. More at Cars Guide here.

A quick glance with an untrained-eye at the new 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL63 and you might think it was a CL550. A closer look shows that this is no regular CL. The CL63 is a road-hungry Autobahn killer destined to greatness by its AMG builder. More from the Sun Times here.

Miscellaneous News 

Mercedes-Benz Brings Diesel to California
October 15, 2007 – On the runway at this week’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) unveiled a version of its E320 BLUETEC, a diesel sedan that will immediately be available in limited numbers to California customers through a special two-year/24,000-mile lease.

Fast Moving Minivans Aren't Moving Off the Showroom Floors
According to MBUSA, the Mercedes-Benz R500 and the AMG R63 are on the endangered species list – only the strong survive. Mercedes-Benz is dropping both V-8 versions for model year 2008 as indicated on our home page, scroll down to "What's new for 2008." 

Introduced last year with a price tag of $88,000, the 500 HP AMG R63 isn't moving well off of the showroom floors – wonder why? You guessed it. A minivan on steroids is a hard sell at that price. Competitors offer alternatives priced in the $50,000 and lower range. Expect to see V-6 versions of the R-class selling below $50,000 in 2008. Brief story here at Automotive News (requires subscription).

Show Car, an R500 you won't see the average soccer Mom driving anytime soon: Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. demonstrated their "RLS" show car at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The car, which started life as a Mercedes Benz R500, was transformed into a show-stopping, elegant, rolling IMPRINT sound system demonstration. See pics at AllCarNews.com here.

The Most Dangerous Deal in America
If you like Wall Street reading, Daniel Roth's well written article in the Sept. 2007 issue of Conde Nast, Portfolio.com, provides a look inside the secretive world of Cerberus Capital­­­—and why its plan to save Chrysler spooks Wall Street. Read about Cerberus Capital and their CEO, Stephen Feinberg. Here's an excerpt:

Stephen Feinberg currently sits on top of a collection of companies that employs roughly 250,000 people and generates annual revenue of more than $120 bil­lion. If you added them all up, they would form the ninth-largest business in the U.S., with sales greater than those of Pfizer, Microsoft, and United Airlines combined. Feinberg runs multiple private equity and hedge funds under the Cerberus umbrella, and these have produced outsize returns, consistently beating the performance of rival funds.

Mercedes-Benz BLUETEC Initiative in Europe
E 300 BLUETEC Clean Diesel Technology
Stuttgart, Aug 10, 2007 (DaimlerChrysler news) – The inventor of BLUETEC technology is entering a new era with the new E 300 BLUETEC. On the back of positive experiences gained in the American market since the autumn of 2006, the environment-compatible BLUETEC diesel system is now also available in a passenger car model in the European market. Mercedes-Benz has achieved a massive reduction in emissions and compliance with the EU 5 standard whilst retaining the same favorable consumption figures.

The C Drive is Coming, A Mercedes-Benz Exclusive
MBUSA has launched a national initiative to promote the 2008 C-class. Invitations have been sent out for eleven events, which are being held nationwide during August, Sept. and October 2007. You can be among the first to experience the 2008 C-Class at "The C Drive" event, possibly in your area.

Guests of The C Drive are being invited to a unique, modern venue to take both variants of the 2008 C-Class — the C-Sport Sedan and the C-Luxury Sedan — for a spin on a street drive as well as a closed-course performance drive. During the event MBUSA will also provide a multimedia presentation demonstrating "all the ways the 2008 C-Class takes the Mercedes-Benz commitment to high style, performance, and technology to all-new levels." Plus, on-air talent from SIRIUS Satellite Radio will be on hand to provide the event soundtrack. More C Drive info here.

Events

August 19 – Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance
First conducted in 1950, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is often said to be the world’s premier celebration of the automobile. Beautiful and rare automobiles appear on the famed eighteenth fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links each year, and connoisseurs of art and technology congregate to see them. The event draws tens of thousands of the world’s automotive aficionados and connoisseurs of culture. Famed designers, racing greats, captains of industry and a multitude of media representatives covering automotive and lifestyle trends are all a part of the mix.

In addition to the classic cars that are displayed, concept cars, prototypes and the latest models are unveiled on the upper lawn of The Lodge at Pebble Beach. There are auctions and sales, special exhibitions of art and automobilia, dinners and parties, and even fashion shows.

AMG Market | Mercedes-Benz Enthusiasts 

AMG Market | Weekly Update for AMG Mercedes-Benz Enthusiasts 

1978 Mercedes 350 SLC AMG LeMans Car: Is this car for real and currently for sale? According to the folks at "Bring a Trailer" it is! AMG only built two of these cars and one is owned by Mercedes-AMG.

 
1978 Mercedes 350 SLC AMG LeMans Car
August 4, 2007: Bringatrailer.com claims they were contacted by the seller in Germany who has informed them that this car is still available. The owner will have the car at the Oldtimer Grand Prix at the Nuerburgring and the car will be available immediately after the event.

Visit "For Wheels" for a nice post on the C-Class Estate (C63 AMG Estate):

Mercedes-Benz W204 C-Class Wagon

Looking much like a scaled down version of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, these are some images of the upcoming C-Class Estate, set to debut at the Frankfurt International Motorshow 2007.

MBUSA and DaimlerChrysler Global Media both provide several press releases. Here's a summary of the current news:

DaimlerChrysler Closes Transaction on Transfer of Majority Interest in Chrysler to Cerberus
Stuttgart, Aug 3, 2007 – DaimlerChrysler completed the closing for the transfer of a majority interest in the Chrysler Group and for the related financial services business in NAFTA to a subsidiary of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., a private-equity company based in New York.
[AMG Market note: Extraordinary shareholders' meeting to decide on change of name on October 4, 2007.]

Mercedes-Benz Reports 18,586 New Vehicle Sales for July
MONTVALE, N.J. – Aug 1, 2007 – Mercedes-Benz USA reported sales of 18,586 new vehicles for July, bringing the company’s year-to-date total to 136,826 units, a 0.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year and marking the best year-to-date sales volume in its history.

With significant boosts in sales for both the S-Class and CL-Class (12.9 percent and 561.5 percent increases respectively), highlights for July sales include a 12 percent increase in sales of Mercedes-Benz high-end vehicles (S-, SL-, and CL-Classes) as a group.  SUVs also showed growth, with the company’s highly acclaimed M-Class model line’s 23 percent increase (3,015 vs. 2,446 units) for the month. 

Drew Slaven Appointed General Manager, Marketing Services for MBUSA
MONTVALE, N.J. – July 26, 2007 – Mercedes-Benz USA announced the appointment of Drew Slaven to the new position of general manager, marketing services for MBUSA, effective immediately. << MORE >>

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