AMG Market - The AMG Mercedes-Benz August 13 Weekly Update
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It has been a quite week for AMG but there are still a few stories to ponder:
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.
