BenzInsider.com – A Mercedes-Benz Fan Blog

People should learn how to take car surveys more seriously, especially if it was conceived by the most authoritative name in the automotive survey industry, JD Power. According to them, customers’ buying behaviors are still heavily governed by decades-old views of what car brands are reliable.

Mercedes-Benz, despite being one of the most well-known and highly respected European car makers, only managed to take 9th place. Still, it was a very big leap from its position last year which was 19th overall. Mercedes-Benz’ fellow German car marquee, Porsche, meanwhile took the survey’s top spot.

The biggest surprise this year is that Toyota, despite being bombarded by recalls and lawsuits regarding vehicle safety, came in 6th overall, ahead of fellow JDM manufacturer Honda, and Ford. The biggest loser in the list, Land Rover, registered a total of 255 kinds of problems out of the 100 vehicles surveyed, which is more than double of Porsche’s 110.

The survey measures the occurrence of problems, all 198 types of fiascos, owners would experience over the course of three years since their vehicle was purchased. They record the information for 100 vehicles per brand.

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On the occasion of its annual “Daimler Key Supplier Meeting” on March 18 in Stuttgart, Daimler AG recognized its best suppliers for their contributions with the “Daimler Supplier Award 2009”. During this year’s meeting, 13 companies received awards in various categories, complemented by a special award for innovation.

Winners of the “Daimler Supplier Award 2009” are:

Daimler Trucks and Buses
Exterior: Polyplex AG, Switzerland
Interior: TAKATA PETRI AG, Japan
Mechatronics: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Japan
Chassis: Kirchhoff Witte GmbH, Germany
Powertrain: ElringKlinger AG, Germany

Mercedes-Benz Cars and Vans
Exterior: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
Interior: C. Rob. Hammerstein GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
Electrics/Electronics: Kromberg & Schubert GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
Chassis: Willi Elbe Gelenkwellen GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
Powertrain: ThyssenKrupp Gerlach, Germany

International Procurement Services
Construction and Facility Management: Rudolf Fritz GmbH & Co. KG, Germany
IT, General Goods & Services: Computacenter AG & Co. OHG, Germany
Manufacturing Equipment & Services: Fuchs Petrolub AG, Germany

Special Award Innovation
Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany

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Volker Mornhinweg (50), currently managing director of Mercedes-AMG GmbH in Affalterbach will take over as head of the Mercedes-Benz Vans division effective April 1, 2010. He is succeeding Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, who was appointed as a Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG in February 2010. In his new position, Mornhinweg will report to Dr. Bernhard.

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McLaren head honcho, Martin Whitmarsh announced that their company bought back the majority of shares of Mercedes during the launch of their new supercar, MP4-12C. Daimler AG, which held 40 percent stake in McLaren, stated that they will be slowly parting ways with McLaren last November 2009, since they already had taken 75 percent of BrawnGP, together with Aabar Investments.

The buy back of McLaren was previously scheduled in March 2011. Now, it is confirmed by the McLaren boss that the deal is done. According to Whitmarsh, Mercedes still has about 11 percent of shares in the Woking based supercar manufacturer in his interview with Reuters.

Former McLaren team boss, Ron Dennis has 15 percent stake in McLaren as well as Saudi businessman, Mansour Ojjeh. The other 30 percent belong to Bahrain’s investment group, Mumtalakat.

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Just a few days ago we posted spy shots of new Mercedes-Benz C-Class being tested, and now courtesy of AutoBlog, we are seeing the C-Class Estate in light camo. Just like with the sedan, the estate will get new LED headlights, new hood, bumper, front lights and grille. The spy photographer also noticed some interior changes, so stay tuned until the next round of spy shots for more details.

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Still on stealth testing mode in the frigid Scandinavian weather, the next generation of Mercedes-Benz SL-Class will show an extended hood and a wider carriage. This wide look is mirrored in the tail lights, in its flattened form, stretched to appear broader, and in the lenses which now have nice rounded style elements rather than its usual level, horizontal design.

Although the new SL prototype is heavily masked, the updates seem to have erect grilles, projector headlights, and exterior mirrors that has been repositioned. There are indications, too, that the interiors will be sporting a wider, GPS screen resting higher up on the dashboard.

Benz watchers say this update is likely to be a major one, although there are no clues yet as to when it’s going to be released.

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Mercedes-Benz do Brasil has received an order for delivery of 550 trucks to Casas Bahia, Brazil’s leading retail company for home appliances, electrical and electronic devices. The lion’s share of the order covers 380 units of the Mercedes-Benz Accelo 915 C light truck. Mercedes-Benz do Brasil will also deliver 148 FPN 1718 semi-heavy cab-over-engine models and 13 units of the 710 short-hood truck, both of which are part of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil’s traditional product line – the Linha Tradicional. In addition, the order includes nine Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans. Plans call for all the vehicles to be delivered by June 2010.

The new order is the second largest placed with Mercedes-Benz do Brasil by Casas Bahia, Brazil’s leading retail supplier of home appliances, electrical and electronic devices, and furniture. Casas Bahia previously purchased 1,050 Mercedes-Benz trucks in 2008.

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Mercedes-Benz, founding sponsor of The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, celebrates 15 years of supporting one of the nation’s most innovative vintage car shows featuring over 250 rare classics from seldom-seen private collections nationwide. The Concours takes place on the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island from March 12-14, 2010.

Marking the 15th anniversary of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, Mercedes-Benz will feature a collection of iconic as well as all-new vehicles including the legendary Le Mans-winning 1952 300 SL and 1956 300 SL “Gullwing” Coupe, along with the 2011 SLS AMG.

View the entire galley

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