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Stuttgart - With the delivery of the 500,000th vehicle since its market launch in 1996, Mercedes-Benz has now reached another milestone with the successful SLK compact roadster. All in all, about 310,000 customers opted for a model from the first generation of this dynamic two-seater, and its successor has now sold 190,000 units since its market launch in March 2004.

"With the launch of the SLK in 1996, Mercedes-Benz successfully established the premium segment for compact roadsters. Thanks to innovative technology such as the vario-roof and the neck-level heating system AIRSCARF, the SLK has long been recognized as a cult car of modern times,” expains Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Mercedes-Benz Cars, responsible for Sales and Marketing. “The new-generation SLK models, which we are delivering to customers since April 2008, are sportier than ever. I’m confident that the dynamic looks and performance of the new SLK will again set pulses racing among sports cars enthusiasts around the world."

In Western Europe, by far the most important sales market for the SLK, the two-seater was once again the market leader for its segment in 2007. The compact roadster enjoys the greatest popularity in Germany, with over one-third of all SLK drivers coming from the home market of the brand with the star. The rest of Western Europe accounts for a further one-third of sales. Moreover, one in every five SLK customers comes from the U.S. The most popular model among customers is the SLK 200, which is selected by half of all SLK owners worldwide and by more than two-thirds in Germany. Also in strong demand is the SLK 280, which is driven by over one-quarter of all SLK owners.

The new-generation SLK, which celebrated its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January, inspires imagination especially with its sportier looks and the promise of an even more emotional driving experience. The most important changes in the vehicle’s appearance include redesigned front and back views, as well as a carefully modified interior, featuring a new combination instrument panel and a three-spoke steering wheel. Three enhanced engines underscore the two-seater’s dynamic character. Engineers have devoted particular attention to the V6 sports engine. Despite a considerable increase in power in some instances, all the engines use significantly less fuel. For example, the SLK 350 with manual transmission consumes 1.1 liters per 100 kilometers less than its predecessor, despite an added 33 horsepower, for a new total of 305 horsepower.

If desired, the SLK is also available with the newly developed direct-steer system and new-generation audio and telematics features. Like its predecessor, the latest SLK is manufactured in the Mercedes-Benz Bremen plant, the brand’s center of excellence for its open-top vehicles.

AMG Mercedes has a special forum for owners at the AMG Private Lounge. For example, on March 26 a team of AMG specialists will answer questions during a live forum event. You can register for the site using your VIN. Once registered, you can participate in the discussions and/or read the posts if you missed the event.

Here is the info for those interested: 

AMG ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS
With a team of MBUSA AMG Specialist on hand, bring on your questions! On Wednesday, March 26th from 9:00 PM EST to 10:00 PM EST AMG Product Management will join us for this unique opportunity to have your questions answered in our third chat session of 2008. The session will be located in the "Chat Section of the Private Lounge.

AMG AT THE NY AUTO SHOW
With an opportunity to host more than 100 Private Lounge members and guests at the AMG NY Auto Show Preview Night, the event was a full success. We are also happy to report that a Private Lounge member’s guest was also the winner of the IWC watch given away at the event. Details and images of the event can be found on the Private Lounge.

In other news, a date has been added to the AMG Challenge Graduate Program: 

FOR THE AMG PRIVATE LOUNGE
DATE ADDED - 2008 AMG CHALLENGE PRIVATE LOUNGE GRADUATE PROGRAM, APRIL 25, 2008 AND OCTOBER 5, 2008
We still have a small number of spots open for the Las Vegas date in April and we are now registering for the Miami date in October. The AMG Private Lounge is pleased to offer a 2008 AMG Graduate Challenge program to our members on Friday, April 25th in Las Vegas and Sunday, October 5th in Miami. These Private Lounge Graduate Challenge events will follow the same format as our standard Graduate Program with the addition of a few AMG surprises. Registration is first-come first-serve and is limited to 45 participants. Registration will fill up quickly so sign up now if you are interested. Visit the Private Lounge and look for the discussion boards.

Mercedes-Benz USA is looking for a 1963 190D for an event that will be held in New York City during March 2008. If you own, or know of one that is available, please contact the MBCA Northern New Jersey Section Vice President, Andreas Molde - Phone: 973-328-4836. They need to locate one as  soon as possible. Thanks!

The 2009 SLK Mercedes-Benz models will make their U.S. showroom debut in April 2008.

MBUSA Press Release/Montvale, NJ: The latest generation of the SLK blazes a trail of new sporty highlights, and bestows yet greater appeal on this two-seater sports car with its trendsetting vario-roof, that transforms it from roadster to weatherproof coupe in a matter of seconds.

The designers have honed the looks of the two-seater for added sportiness. Especially eye-catching is the restyled front bumper, featuring modified segmentation of the air intakes and a more pronounced V-shape, while the area around the Mercedes star is further emphasized. The designers have also redesigned the vehicle's rear section, with the diffuser-look styling giving the roadster an even more powerful appearance from behind.

Many of the interior's details have also been revised, and the interior has been refined as a whole by meticulous material selection. Particular care was taken to optimize the interior to make it that much more driver-focused. The focal point in this respect is formed by a new three-spoke sports steering wheel with multifunction controls, as well as a new instrument cluster with redesigned bezels.

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

 
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.

MBUSA has a few press releases out for the C-Class. Visit the following "For Wheels" site 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 news releases on a regular basis. Here's a quick 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 >>

AMG Market Note: If you know of a company that would like to promote their products and services on our AMG Mercedes-Benz websites, blogs and newsletter, please let us know or have them contact us. Given the popularity of our AMG blogs are now consistently in the top Google search results for AMG Mercedes-Benz, we are adding a limited number of new sponsors.

Mercedes-Benz announced that their marketing promo "Mixed Tape" - free MP3 files anyone can download - is coming to an end in its current format. The current and last release, Mixed Tape 18, is a compilation of all-time favorites from previous releases.

If you're an avid Mixed Tape fan, you likely have all of the MP3 songs on this final release. Here's the promo I rec'd yesterday:

The cream of the crop: Mixed Tape 18 with 10 all-time favourites from the popular compilation series

All good things come to an end – Mixed Tape 18 will be the last compilation in its current guise. To sweeten the blow, we have compiled a very special best-of edition featuring 10 highlights from our well-stocked archives – available free of charge at www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape.

A delectable distillate of our most promising talents, Mixed Tape 18 throws a spotlight on Norway (R&B singer Kristin Hild), New Zealand (dub producer Tubbs remixed by legendary compatriots Fat Freddy’s Drop), Germany (pop wonders Wagner Love) and the UK (singer/songwriter Bev Lee Harling) to celebrate the wealth of young artists around the world who pursue their own visions. And while this trip to the past marks the end of a popular format, it paves the way for future innovations. Join us in the forum to discuss the next generation of Mixed Tape, scheduled for an autumn relaunch.

Enjoy the mix!

Your Mercedes-Benz Team
www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape

During the course of this Mercedes-Benz marketing promo hundreds of free MP3 songs were released. Unfortunately, you can't download previous releases but search on the web and you might find someone providing access to all of the MP3 files. Enjoy!

AMGmarket.com | News - Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) released Mixed Tapes 16 today. You can download an hour’s worth of free music plus the bonus track, "Make My Day." The bonus track is featured in a recent C-class TV commercial.

In all, 16 new MP3 files are available for anyone to download.

You can listen to the songs online and download the free MP3s at: Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape. You must allow "popups" on your browser to access the files and listen to the music. 

If you subscribe to their newsletter you will receive a notice for each mixed tape release. Don’t bother downloading the files on the day you get their announcement - download speeds come to a crawl due to site traffic. MP3’s are large files. Download songs one at a time if you don’t have a high-speed Internet connection.

Here's the announcement from Mercedes-Benz rec'd this morning: 

Bonus track for free download: "Make My Day" from Waldeck
 
To start off the new C-class, you will find a special highlight on Mixed Tape: The music from the C-class TV commercial as a free download.

The track, “Make My Day” from Klaus Waldeck is made distinguishable by the charismatic voice of Joy Melcolm and the nonchalant nu jazz sounds. This song is featured in the most recent C-class TV commercial, starring Fernando Alonso.

Along with this bonus track, you will also find Mixed Tape 16 available for download: 15 tracks, from hip hop to indie rock! For free, as always:
http://www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape

EDITOR'S NOTE: You can't access the earlier releases so download the music before the next release, which usually occurs every 3-4 months. To date, over 200 free MP3 files have been released by Mercedes-Benz. 

The Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC was named the “2007 World Green Car” today at a breakfast awards ceremony during the 2007 New York International Auto Show. Mercedes-Benz BLUETEC, distinguished as the world’s cleanest diesel technology, is able to meet the world’s most stringent emissions regulations. The BLUETEC concept utilizes state-of-the-art diesel technology featuring common-rail direct injection. Fuel consumption in these diesel vehicles is 20 to 40 percent lower than in cars equipped with a comparable gasoline engine, and torque, the key indicator of engine power, is 30 to 50 percent higher.

New York, NY – Mercedes-Benz presents a unique exhibition of rare pieces by Andy Warhol at Drive-In Studios’ Lott Gallery, located at 443 West 18th Street from April 6th – May 4th, 2007 (Monday - Friday, 10 am – 5 pm).

The show's centerpiece is a series of 17 vivid, original pieces by Warhol commissioned by and of Mercedes-Benz, and subjects include classics such as:

• The 1886 three wheeler, widely recognized as the first automobile;
• The 1955 W196 streamliner race car, the celebrated 1954 300 SL Gullwing, and
• The 1969 C111 concept car. 

In celebration of the marque’s 100th anniversary, Warhol was originally commissioned to complete 80 canvasses representing multiple periods of Mercedes-Benz history, though his passing in 1987 left just a fraction of the works completed.

The Warhols, featuring some of Mercedes-Benz’s most celebrated vehicles as subjects. Many of the iconic cars represented in his work have been embedded in America’s pop-culture consciousness. The Mercedes-Benz sponsored event is an exceptional opportunity to view how Andy Warhol immortalized these classics in his own work.

UPDATE: A few days after we posted this story, the NY Times Blog "Wheels" picked up our post from a feed and added more info on the Warhol display. For a little more info on the display, visit their blog post here.

The painting, “Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I),” is being sold at a Christie’s auction according to the NY Times' post, Fasten Seat Belts for Warhol at Auction. It is a rare Warhol that is expected to topple previous sales records according to Carol Vogel of the NY Times.