Mercedes-Benz releases F800 Style information! Next-Gen CLS?

Mercedes-Benz just released some official news and pictures on their F800 concept that will debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. As you’ll see in the photos below, and in the CLS spy shots posted here a few weeks ago, the two vehicles resemble each other quite a lot. This of course means the next-gen CLS will borrow heavily from this concept, and maybe even the new S-Class.

Another unique feature of the concept is an all-new multi drive platform, which accommodates electric drives with fuel cells (enabling ranges of almost 375 miles) as well as the use of Plug-in Hybrids that can drive for up to 18 miles solely on electricity. This also might confirm the rumor that a Hybird CLS is in the works.

We’ll have more on the F800 concept, but for now, enjoy the pictures.

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Source: BenzInsider.com - The Official Mercedes-Benz Fan Blog

smart to offer new iphone app - is extremely overpriced

smart is the first car brand to develop its own drive app for the iPhone. The smart drive app for the iPhone has all the important features needed whilst driving: phone calls via hands-free system, your own extensive music collection, internet radio and a clever navigation system with a special smart touch. There are also smart extras – for example the Car Finder that will guide you back to wherever you parked your car. The new smart drive app for the iPhone boasts an outstanding design and is simple to operate thanks to extra large buttons..

The smart cradle for the iPhone will be available this summer from smart dealers for €240, which includes tax and installation cost. The app will also be available App Store at a one-off price of €9.99 for the basic version. The navigation upgrade with up-to-date maps costs €49.99 per year - a little pricey if you ask me.

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Press Release:

Trendsetters keep coming up with new and surprising ideas. smart prepared the way for modern city cars with lots of innovative ideas and redefined urban mobility. And Apple brought new ideas to mobile phones with the iPhone. The new smart drive kit for the iPhone is now bringing the lifestyle phone to the smart fortwo as a multi-talented companion. Marc Langenbrinck, Managing Director of the smart brand and Head of Sales & Marketing at smart says “The smart fortwo and the iPhone are both lifestyle icons. This is why the smart drive kit is ideal for our smart community.”

Two new elements developed by smart make the two-seater car and the

iPhone a perfect team:

* The smart cradle for the iPhone with control unit and microphone serves as a stylish and functional holder. It charges the iPhone and also functions as a hands-free system using the loudspeakers of the smart radio for sound output and automatically muting it when phone calls are made.
* The smart drive app for the iPhone is the world’s first drive app on the market to be developed by a car brand. It combines all the features needed on the road in a single app. All the functions are extremely easy to use thanks to extra-large buttons and extra-large letters.

Really smart – the clever app from smart

Listen to music, make phone calls and find your destination straight away – the smart drive app for the iPhone masters all this and makes city driving even easier and more pleasurable.

Media: Enjoy your entire private music collection with the app. Thanks to an integrated web radio function you can also listen to your favourite foreign radio stations and podcasts whenever you want. The song ID function of the app enables you to obtain information online about titles and singers of songs that are being played on the radio or on web radio.

Phone: The hands-free system and all important functions needed to make phone calls are automatically available as soon as the iPhone is put in the smart cradle. Keypad, contacts, favourites, call lists and other telephony functions are clearly arranged for simple in-car use.

Maps: The basic version of the app shows the vehicle’s position on a map of the area (”Follow-me maps”) and enables points of interest to be found by using the on-board database or off-board via Microsoft Bing. The navigation upgrade is a highlight and turns the iPhone into a full navigation system with maps for Europe or the USA – enabling navigation without being online. A smart guides you to your destination on the display of your iPhone. Street names are not only shown but also read aloud. In addition, traffic information can be called up in realtime so that you know where traffic jams are.

Assist: With the Car Finder your iPhone will automatically remember where you parked your car when it is removed from the cradle and it will find the way back for you after a day’s shopping in town. The app from smart also uses the GPS function of the iPhone for a further service. Should roadside assistance ever be needed, the driver can give his or her precise position via a direct line to the smart hotline.

smart drive kit camera – even more safety in future

The researchers at Daimler AG are currently working on developing inno-vative driver assistance systems for users of the smart drive kit for the iPhone – features that are only available in Mercedes-Benz E- and S-Class cars to date. A camera fitted on the windscreen is needed as an additional element to transmit pictures of the area in front of the car to the smart drive kit for the iPhone via WLAN. This will enable the future application to identify traffic signs with speed limits, for example, and to warn the driver if he or she is driving too fast. In future smart drive will be both an infotainment and a driver assistance system.

Available from the summer

smart driving with the smart drive kit for the iPhone will be possible from the second quarter of 2010. The smart cradle for the iPhone will be available from smart dealers at a price of €240 (German list price with VAT plus fitting costs). The smart drive app for the iPhone can be downloaded from the App Store at a one-off price of €9.99 for the basic version. The navigation upgrade with up-to-date maps costs €49.99 per year.
Daimler researchers are currently putting the final touches to the smart drive kit camera functions.

Source: BenzInsider.com - The Official Mercedes-Benz Fan Blog

Daimler reports negative Group EBIT for 2009

After a difficult first half of the year, Daimler succeeded in continuously improving its EBIT in the third and fourth quarters. EBIT from ongoing business increased again to plus €0.6 billion ($817 million) in the fourth quarter of 2009, resulting in full-year EBIT of minus €1,513 million / $2 million (2008: plus €2,730 million or $3.7 million).

The Group’s net loss was significant at €2,644 million / $3.6 million (2008: plus €1,414 million or $1.92 million). Earnings per share amounted to minus €2.63 or $3.58.

Due to the net loss, the Board of Management recommends to the Supervisory Board that no dividend should be distributed for 2009. This decision is solely a reflection of the course of business in 2009 and is not related to the Group’s expected business development this year.

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Source: BenzInsider.com - The Official Mercedes-Benz Fan Blog

Mercedes-Benz E-Class international awards

As you might have noticed, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class has recently been winning most automobile awards that it was nominated in, so we’ll see if they’ll be able to win the “2010 World Car of the Year.” In the meantime, check out the below awards that the E-Class has won so far.

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Source: BenzInsider.com - The Official Mercedes-Benz Fan Blog

Daimler Supervisory Board extends Zetsche’s contract

Love him or hate him, the man with the famous mustache or also known as Dr.Z, is here to stay. The Supervisory Board of Daimler AG extended the contract of Dr. Dieter Zetsche, currently the Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, until December 31, 2013. While some may disagree, Dr.Z has been leading the company into the right direction. The quality of the cars has improved, even in these harsh economic times where cost cutting is the norm. The vehicles selection has dramatically changed from just a decade ago, and except the R-Class, all the models were a hit. Give this man some credit, for putting the brand and it’s quality ahead of revenue and profit.

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Source: BenzInsider.com - The Official Mercedes-Benz Fan Blog