2008 Mercedes Benz C63: First Shots!

2008 Mercedes Benz C63: First Shots!

New AMG Benz gets more than 450 hp.
Mercedes has taken the wraps of the ultimate version of its all-new C-Class sedan - the C63 AMG with 457 hp and 443 pound-feet of torque.

Under the hood is the same 6.3-litre V-8 that's in AMG versions of the M-Class and CL. In the C-Class it gives a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.


Mated to the engine is AMG's Speedshift Plus 7G-TRONIC transmission. Steering wheel shift paddles and three driving modes - Sport, Comfort and Manual - are standard. The newcomer will be the first AMG car to feature an automatic throttle-blipping function during downshifts. Mercedes say this enhances the driver's emotional experience, but also gives almost completely jolt-free downshifting.


It's also the first AMG to feature a three-stage stability control system, which allows the driver to pre-set the vehicle's dynamic thresholds. Put simply, this means he can predetermine at which point during an extreme maneuver he or she wants the stability control to activate.


A sports suspension and 18-inch AMG alloys (or optional 19-inch rims) will offer an outstanding driving experience, according to the German firm.


This is the fifth generation of the AMG C-Class, the heritage of which dates back to the C36 AMG (1993). It was the very first vehicle developed as a joint venture between Daimler-Benz and AMG.


The new model will go on sale across Europe during next year.

source : www.thecarconnection.com

BMW, DaimlerChrysler in talks to cooperate on compact car - report

FRANKFURT (Thomson Financial) - Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes division are in talks to cooperate on making a compact car based on BMW's Mini model, Auto Bild magazine reported, without saying where it got the information.

A decision is expected at the end of this month, it said.

A spokesman for DaimlerChrysler (nyse: DCX - news - people ) declined to comment on the matter, but added that the company does not rule out cooperation with peers.

DaimlerChrysler yesterday denied a report saying the company plans to expand its existing hybrid engine cooperation with BMW.

source : www.forbes.com

Chinese car makers face tough U.S. scrutiny

Chinese car makers face tough U.S. scrutiny
Expert feels most Chinese companies not ready, but one has a plan to bring cars here next year.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Recent recalls of toothpaste, toys, tires and other products have created a marketing nightmare for any company trying to sell Chinese products in the United States. And now they want to sell cars here.

But a J.D. Power and Associates analyst, who spent two years in China studying the automotive industry there, is worried that some of them may be rushing things.
Chrysler is expected to announce late Tuesday a long-term deal with a Chinese car maker to build a small car in China for sale in the U.S. market several years from now.

And several other companies plan to introduce Chinese-made automobiles in the United States with one saying it will begin selling cars here next year.
"None of the Chinese are ready at this point in time," John Humphrey, J.D. Power and Associates' general manager manager for the Asia/Pacific region said.

Chinese car companies are "still 5 to 10 years away from approaching even somewhat competitive levels of quality," he said.

Of all the Chinese auto makers, Chery, whom Chrysler has been courting to build a small car, is probably closest to being ready to face highly competitive Western markets, Humphrey said.

With Chrysler's support, he believes, Chery could be ready sooner than others. But "you're not talking one or two years," he said, "You're sill talking about at least a product generation away."

In the auto industry, a product generation is four or five years.

The chairman and chief executive of a New Jersey-based company that's planning to sell Chinese-made cars here beginning in 2008 says his company will be ready by then with a vehicle that will be competitive with the best U.S. and Asian products now on the market.

The company is already set to begin exporting vehicles from China to Mexico later this year.

William Pollack, chairman and chief executive of Chamco Auto said he and his partners spent nine months in China two years ago choosing a manufacturing partner.

"Our number one priority was quality," he said.
source : money.cnn.com

Auto dealer sets fire to his car; charged more than year later

A Lakeland auto detailer is being charged with arson and burning to defraud after he set his Isuzu Rodeo on fire near Garret Pit Road, according to an arrest report from the State Fire Marshal.

Bryan Allan Cromer, 26, was arrested June 27, over a year and a half after his SUV burned in November 2005.

The fire caused approximately $10,000 in damage, according to the report.

Investigators took three samples from the interior of the vehicle, all of which were found to contain gasoline.

Locksmiths were also able to determine that neither the door locks nor the ignition was forced — and that the owner’s factory key “was used to both open the vehicle and start the vehicle to drive it to the location where it was burned and later recovered.”

Cromer’s court date is set for Aug. 7. The arson charge he faces is a felony.

source : www.nwfdailynews.com

Auto sales slip 3% in June

Auto sales slip 3% in June
Domestic firms decline, Asian rivals increase

Detroit automakers, which continue to battle consumer concerns over gas prices and a sluggish housing market, saw their new car and truck sales fall in varying degrees in June.

Industrywide U.S. sales in June fell 3% to 1.4 million from 1.5 million in June 2006, according to Autodata Corp. of Woodcliff Lake, N.J.
Sales were down the most, 21.3%, at General Motors Corp. Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group posted declines of 8.2% and 1.4%.

Including German luxury brand Mercedes-Benz, DaimlerChrysler AG sales fell 1.8%.

For the first half of the year, industrywide sales are down 1.5%, with all of Detroit's automakers taking a hit.

Overall, passenger cars are down 1.8%, while light trucks are down 1.2%.

The economic headwinds didn't prove too strong for top Asian automakers, however. Fuel-efficient, car-heavy lineups -- and rising incentives -- boosted sales for the top four Asian rivals by more than 10% each.

Sales were up 10.2% at Toyota Motor Corp., 11.5% at Honda Motor Co., 22.7% at Nissan Motor Co. and 10.9% at Hyundai Motor Co.

While incentives declined for GM, Ford and Chrysler, they soared 56.5% at Toyota and 17.4% at Honda, Autodata estimates.

Incentives at Nissan, which also ran an ad campaign promoting its fuel economy, declined 4% in June.

GM said it was hurt by the economic conditions as well as the discounting by competitors, especially in the pickup market by Toyota. The Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra both posted declines of more than 20% in June, compared with the same month a year ago.

"It was a tough quarter and a first half that was weaker than we expected," Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of global market and industry analysis, said during a conference call with journalists.

Last June was also a disappointing month for GM, with sales off 12.3% despite a 72-hour-sale at the end of the month. Ballew said GM is reevaluating its marketing plan.

"If we have to make some changes in our incentive play, we will, because we are not going to cede ground in a category that we feel we're best in class in," he said.

Chrysler, meanwhile, credited its better performance in the soft market to its "Maximize Your Miles" program, which gave car sales, especially the new Sebring and Crossfire, a 55% boost over the previous year.

"This allowed us to gain considerable momentum with consumers regarding our key vehicle offerings that achieve around 30 miles per gallon," said Michael Keegan, Chrysler vice president of volume planning and sales operations.

In Dearborn, Ford boasted that its popular new crossovers, the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, drove retail sales to their strongest level at the company since October 2006. Retail sales exclude discounted, bulk fleet sales to rental car companies and other institutions.

"People are starting to get their chin up again," Ford's top sales analyst, George Pipas, said during a conference call with journalists.

Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor Sales executive vice president, acknowledged the company has been using bigger incentives on some models. The new Toyota Tundra pickup posted a 146% increase over last year, but the gain was helped by offers of $3,500 cash back or 0% financing for 60 months.

"This is not an indication of a change in strategy for us on incentives," Lentz said. "We still will use incentives only tactically when necessary."

source : www.freep.com