Fast Forward to Tomorrow campaign kicks off

Mercedes-Benz launches yet another company, this time focusing on the company’s achievements in its bid for zero emissions. Running under the slogan “Fast forward to tomorrow”, the company seeks to show through all media channels—TV, online specials and ads—how far they’ve come in achieving their goals.

BlueEFFICIENCY, which later developed into various versions such as BlueTEC for diesel engines and BlueDIRECT for petrol engines, is just one of the company’s groundbreaking innovations. These were soon followed by the E-CELL electric drive and F-Cell fuel cell technologies, both of which have reached full production status. Mercedes-Benz is working hard to further develop these technologies to better meet the stricter emissions demands of the future, having its reputation as the inventor of the automobile at stake. True to that statement, the company is set to roll out the next generation A-Class E-CELL for production.

The company targets to have at least 85 new BlueEFFICIENCY models available by the end of this year, incorporating the latest technical and aerodynamic breakthroughs to cut down fuel consumption by as much as 30 percent. As the company’s technological profile now stands, their vehicles are already compliant with every known environmental and emissions standard. They are investing even more of their resources to ensure they stay ahead in the zero-emissions race, as highlighted by their latest campaign.

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

Award-winning Harman AKG partners with Mercedes-Benz

How often do world renown brands enter partnerships to deliver state of the art goodies? Well, not very often, unless you’re talking about Mercedes-Benz. Whatever model rolls out of their production lines, you are ensured of top-notch equipment from their affiliates. The company’s latest offering on its select number of new models is a cutting edge infotainment system courtesy of Harman AKG. Come to think of it, Harman’s system is a perfect complement to Mercedes-Benz’s COMAND infotainment system, which is due to be upgraded in the near future.

News of the partnership has been confirmed, albeit there’s still no detail as to which model(s) will be featuring the Harman system. One thing is for sure though—the system will make any sound system worth listening to. In case you aren’t aware, Harman AKG is famous for its premium headphones and microphones. Musical artists touring around the world have been known to carry around the Harman brand in their equipment on famous performing venues around the world. The brand’s latest gig is with renowned produced Quincy Jones, launching a premium line of headphones to the public.

Harman was also bestowed the prestigious Technical GRAMMY Award for the second time this year, and is the genius behind Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid’s Halosonic sound technology that makes a car audible from all points as featured in the 2010 Geneva Auto Show.

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

Mercedes-Benz S400, Official Automobile of the 2010 US Open

Participants to the one of the largest tennis events of the year, the 2010 US Open Tournament, will have a chance to test first hand a line of Mercedes-Benz automobiles, lead by the Mercedes-Benz S400 HYBRID sedans and Mercedes-Benz F-CELL.

Mercedes-Benz, a regular partner of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), will be supplying a total of 75 – S400 Hybrid automobiles to be utilized as transport vehicles for players and VIP alike, exhibiting 60% of the overall fleet of cars to be used for the event.

Using eco-friendly vehicles to participate in the open is part of the USTA’s environmental drive that was introduced in 2007. Other than using hybrid automobiles to accommodate participants, the association will also put into effect recycling, energy management, composting and using paper products made of at least 30 percent post-consumer waste.

The main feature of the open, aside from the tennis games themselves, will be the latest green PSA campaign to be hosted by Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin. For Mercedes, this is yet another chance to enact what it says to be a succession of measures aimed to promote eco-mobility.

According to Stephen Cannon, vice president of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA, they are very much excited to join in the USTA’s environmental strategy and positively effect the US Open green initiatives via the Mercedes-Benz transportation fleet.

Also, by tapping their portfolio of eco-vehicles, they can aid athletes, staff and officials with green transportation without sacrificing luxury or safety.

Additionally, in the next four years, Mercedes-Benz is devoted to trying out new ways through innovative mobility to assist the USTA in maximizing their environmental initiatives.

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

Mercedes-Benz Vito Details and Picture

The latest Vito presents its guarantee of being both eco-friendly and more useful. The van is powered with the latest range of Euro 5-compliant engines, consisting of both diesel and petrol lineup.

The powerplants of the Vito have been modified with the inclusion of revised units, all offering BlueEFFICIENCY technology as an option. The latest engines are 110 CDI (95 hp), 113 CDI (136 hp), 116 CDI (163 PS), 122 CDI (224 hp) and the Vito 126 (258 hp).

All the engines actuate an adjusted chassis, which boasts of the same simple construction like the past models. The modifications to the chassis comes with cover suspension springs and spring retainers, supporting bearings and suspension strut towers, transverse links with bearings and anti-roll bar and bearings.

The vans have a maximum load capacity of 2.80 tons (the past generation only had 2.77 tons), but all the units of the latest generation can be bought at a 3.05 ton alternative.

Internally, the unit brings various improvements as well, which includes new fabrics and color. The largest novelty however is the inclusion of the Vito CREW and SHUTTLE variants. The former comes with rear bench seats, air conditioning and additional heat exchanger, while the latter includes a Tempmatik controlled air conditioning system, comfort driver seat, comfort bench seats, cockpit with Softouch surfacing and carpeting in the passenger compartment.

The price tag for the latest models has not yet been released.

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

Daimler Introduces Latest FleetBoard Products

At the latest IAA Commercial Vehicles fair that was held in Hanover, Daimler FleetBoard introduced its newest products, manufactured for industry-specific transport processes and enhanced fleet productivity.

The fresh FleetBoard Mapping facility allows journeys to be traced in detail, which include its operations in border and urban traffic.

Its DispoPilot.guide is a latest addition to FleetBoard’s line of cab terminals. The navigation system fuses the newest truck attributes and extra functions like the Lane Assistant. As alternate system for use outside of the automobile, DispoPilot.mobile added an integrated barcode scanner and a digital signature facility.

According to Markus Lipinsky, head of Daimler FleetBoard, the terminal with a huge 7-inch display acts as an appealingly priced entry-level model to introduce operators to the world of professional transport management solutions, while giving aid in the areas of job management and navigation.

Additionally, the FleetBoard telematics services will be accessible ex-factory for Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. Through this services, the automobile’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions can be lessened by up to 20%.

Based on Ralf Schumann, assistant to the management of Transportservice Winkler, they have been utilizing FleetBoard in their Sprinters for more than one year. Through their work in the area of operational analaysis, they have managed to lessen the fuel consumption per vehicle by 1.5 l per 100 km. As some of the vans cover at least 500 km a day, these savings makes a substantial difference in a matter of months.

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