01 June 2008, 08:58 AM
Daimler-Benz patented what was to become a key element of passive car safety in 1958 – the wedge-pin door lock. It was introduced into a Mercedes-Benz production vehicle the following year. The innovative lock, featuring two safety detents, prevented vehicle doors from bursting open or jamming shut in the event of an accident. In vehicles with older locks fitted, doors were known to spring open even as a result of relatively harmless collisions, often resulting in occupants being thrown out of t
30 May 2008, 04:24 PM
Formula 1™ stars Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen are to drive the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Formula 1™ car at this year’s Brooklands Motoring Festival: The Double Twelve over 28/29 June.
The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team drivers will make a number of appearances in the car during the weekend as they take to the handling circuits at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey and thrill the crowds.
Lewis commented: “The Festival will be
30 May 2008, 03:58 PM
After testing the new Audi A4 for passive crash safety, the Euro NCAP consortium awarded the vehicle five stars, the highest rating possible. The results achieved by the new Audi A4 for adult protection in frontal and side crashes as well as child and pedestrian protection make it one of the safest vehicles in its clas
30 May 2008, 03:54 PM
For the 450 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers in Canada, things are looking pretty good: 21 straight months of sales growth to be solidly the 2nd best selling lineup in the country, the best sales month ever for Dodge Ram, and the best April results in over five years and 2007’s top market share and sales volume gain. It’s good to be in Canada. I should know, I worked there for four years.
This week, I accompanied Chrysler Canada President and CEO Reid Bigland (below right) to the grand openin
30 May 2008, 03:42 PM
On May 26 in Brussels, an international jury presented the National Energy Globe Award 2007 to BMW Group designer Stephan Augustin for his invention of the so called Watercone, a device for generating clean drinking water. Guests at the awards ceremony included Mikhail Gorbachev, José Manuel Barroso, and Kofi Annan.
The Watercone is a solar-powered cone-shaped desalinator that generates fresh drinking water from salt or brackish water. With it
30 May 2008, 03:31 PM
Mercedes-Benz is moving its Southern Californian advanced design studio from Irvine to a newly-acquired, spacious facility near Carlsbad, in order to strengthen its creative base in the U.S. At the new Carlsbad facility, the styling masterminds pondering the car of the future have almost three times more space in which to realize their creative ideas. Thus, Mercedes-Benz is underscoring the continually growing influence of the advanced design stu
30 May 2008, 01:25 PM
In April Skoda achieved its highest fleet market share on record at 2.2 per cent, having registered 2,015 new fleet vehicles in the UK.
So far this year, the Czech manufacturer has registered 6,692 fleet vehicles, representing a market share of 1.6 per cent for the year, compared to the 1.4 per cent year-to-date market share registered in April last year.
April has proven a good month for the entire brand, with a total of 4,137 new vehicle registrations in the UK and a 2.4 per cent market
30 May 2008, 01:22 PM
Citroen will be displaying two very special vehicles at this year’s Festival of Speed at Goodwood, exhibiting both the rich racing pedigree and forward thinking, environmentally considerate design of the marque.
A replica of the Citroen Xsara WRC, as driven by Colin McRae in the 2003 World Rally Championship will be showcased at the event’s Forest Rally Stage paddock, alongside ten other significant vehicles from the late rally champion’s care
30 May 2008, 01:17 PM
Exactly 60 years ago, the cornerstone was laid for a family-operated company, whose rise from modest beginnings into one of the most important sports car marques in the world no one at the time could ever have foreseen.
On June 8, 1948 a new chapter in automobile history began. For on this day, the first Porsche prototype with the vehicle identification number 356-001 received its official approval and homologation for road service. “It all started when I began looking around and just could not find my dream car
30 May 2008, 12:59 PM
Gentex Corporation, the leading supplier of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors to the worldwide automotive industry, has announced that its SmartBeam® High-Beam Headlamp Assist system - called "Fernlichtassistent" (FLA) by Audi - will be offered this spring on the Audi A4, A5 and Q7. The FLA feature will be available on Audi models in the UK and continental Europe as an option in conjunction with Bi-Xenon headlamps.
SmartBeam uses a miniature camera-on-a-chip combined with algorithmic decision making to automat
30 May 2008, 12:52 PM
It has been the definitive cross-country vehicle since 1979. It has won the Paris-Dakar Rally, is deemed a worthy means of transport for the Pope, ranks as an automotive design icon, is a serial winner of readers' polls and constitutes the gene pool for a Mercedes-Benz SUV family that now numbers four model series in all. It is, of course – the G-Class. It has been in production for 29 years now, making the G-Class by far the longest-serving pass
30 May 2008, 11:26 AM
Almost two thirds of UK motorists say fuel economy is the number one priority when buying a new car according to a new survey by Motorpoint.
The poll by the UK’s leading car supermarket group found 64% of people regarded fuel economy as the key consideration when changing their vehicle – a clear indication that the escalating cost of petrol is having a direct effect of people’s buying behaviour.
This comes as new sales figures from Motorpoin
