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.

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“The SLS AMG and Gullwing displays at the 15th anniversary of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance are top examples of Mercedes-Benz historical significance and major contributions with the automobile industry,” said Stephen Cannon, VP of Marketing, MBUSA. “The iconic 1954 Gullwing represents the leading innovation Mercedes-Benz is known for throughout history and the SLS AMG sets a new standard for supercars of the future just like the 300 SL did over 50 years ago.”

Unveiled in 1954 at the “International Motor Sports Show” in New York, the 300 SL “Gullwing” Coupe, a road version of the 300 SL competition car was the first true post-war sports car developed by Daimler-Benz. Production started late in 1954 and over the course of three years only 1400 examples were built. The 300 SL continues to be sought after by collectors for its iconic design and technical innovation.

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL competition car, internally known as the W 194, was built in approximately nine months and marked the debut of the “SL” designation denoting both Sport and Light. The tubular space frame was an epoch-making design. Consisting of an extremely light design, the frame was raised at the side to achieve optimum strength – a design that necessitated the use of the now legendary gullwing doors. A race team consisting of Hermann Lang and Fritz Reiss drove the 300 SL to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June of 1952, the first time a German car achieved this result. The W 194 on display is courtesy of Fastwelve LLC in Portland, Oregon.

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is the first vehicle entirely designed by AMG. The limited production vehicle features gullwing doors; an AMG 6.3-liter, front-mid V8 engine with a maximum power of 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. It is not just the doors that draw inspiration from the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, but also the wide grille complete with a large Mercedes star and the wing-like crossbar. The sculptured front with its low, v-shaped front skirt and lateral indentations gives the SLS a powerful stance on the road. The SLS AMG will serve as the safety car for the 2010 Formula One season.

On display at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island is Mercedes-Benz newest addition to the successful 9th generation of the E-Class family. The E-Class Cabriolet is a two-door, four-seat, drop-top version of the stylish E-Class Coupe introduced in mid-2009. Arriving at dealerships in May 2010, the vehicle features the world’s-first AIRCAP®, a feature that reduces cabin turbulence and wind draft for all seat occupants with the push of a button. This innovation combined with the AIRSCARF® neck-level heating system allows for top-down driving during all four seasons.

According to unidentified sources, the potential alliance aims to build a relationship that goes beyond the already proceeding talks about cooperation in the small cars business. Individually, both the corporations are stock market giants with Daimler worth € 37 billion ($50.6 billion) and Renault pegged at € 9.7 billion. However, both the companies will limit the stakes in each other to below 10 percent.

FT further mentioned that these discussions have been long-running and are still proceeding. We reported this news a month ago, when Renault confirmed having discussions with many manufacturers including Daimler about a strategic relationship to lower costs in specific areas such as transmission platforms, engines and research.

Founded in 1999 by its patrons, Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler and luxury goods company Richemont, Laureus awards top men and women athletes from all around the world who have exceeded expectations and won top rank in their respective sports.

Mercedes-Benz proudly supports Laureus as its global partner. The event not only awards athletes but is primarily aimed at raising money for children in poverty. Through sports, less fortunate youngsters will be able to build a better future for themselves. That’s the driving philosophy behind the Laureus organization.

This year’s star-studded ceremonies were held in Abu Dhabi, with the 2010 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards being given to athletics champ Usain Bolt of Jamaica and tennis wonder Serena Williams from the USA.

The pinnacle of motorsports, Formula One, was greatly highlighted this year with the Brawn Formula One Team earning the Team of the Year award, while their former driver, 2009 F1 champ Jenson Button of Great Britain won the Breakthrough of the Year award.

A county spokesperson said the fire started at 2:30 p.m. and lasted until 4:00 in the afternoon. Firefighters were hampered by the fact that the fire happened in the midst of the marsh on the rail trestle headed towards the shipping terminal in Colonel Island. Fire officials had to connect the hoses of the pumper trucks from a long way away for the water to get to the fire site.

Additionally, the tracks were so warped from the intense heat that railroad officials and firefighters were unable to disconnect and move the other train cars away from danger. The source of the fire is still unknown as of press time.

Ports authority said the Mercedes-Benz cars were scheduled for export.

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The Aicha des Gazelles Rally

The “Aicha des Gazelles Rally 2010″ is organised by women for women, and its patron is the king of Morocco. A total of 30 mainly African nations are taking part. The route covers a distance of almost 2500 kilometres, and there are seven stages. In contrast to other competitions of this kind, the key requirement of the Rallye des Gazelles is navigation using only maps, coordinates and a compass – without the aid of GPS. It is not the fastest team that wins, but rather the team that finds the shortest route between the checkpoints in the given time. There are penalty points if a detour is taken, technical assistance is requested or any checkpoints are missed out. Overnight stops during the two marathon stages of the rally are spent in the desert. Helping each other is very much in the spirit of this rally, which has a humanitarian purpose. All the takings go to a charity which subsidises mobile clinics, orphanages and the construction of wells in Morocco. The “Gazelles” also bring many tons of donated items to Morocco with them each year, and these are distributed during the rally.

Benz chief Dr. Dieter Zetsche explains that “Daimler’s know-how in electric vehicle architecture and BYD’s excellence in battery technology and e-drive systems are a perfect match”. BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu feels “excited about this opportunity to work together with Daimler, the inventor of the automobile.”

A technology center in mainland China is in the works for their upcoming brand, but no completion date has yet been released. The announcement already saw a five percent increase in BYD stocks.

“We’re very happy about the big order from Sardinia,” says Hartmut Schick, Head of Daimler Buses. “The order confirms that our customers want our high-quality and environmentally friendly buses even in economically tough times. Capacity utilization at our European bus production locations will continue to be high as a result.”

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Daimler Buses manufactures the buses in a flexible production network. The Mercedes-Benz Citaro and Citaro K city buses are produced at the plants in Mannheim and Neu-Ulm, while the Sprinter City 65 minibus is made in Dortmund. Mercedes-Benz Citaro city buses are 12 meters long, while the short version of the vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz Citaro K, measures 10.5 meters in length. The Sprinter City 65 minibus is seven meters long. The buses will be used for city transit services in the provinces of Cagliari, Nuoro, Olbia and Sassari.

The fuel-efficient, low-emission buses are equipped with the environmentally friendly Mercedes-Benz BlueTec SCR diesel technology and meet the Euro 5 and EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle) emissions standards.

Daimler is today in an excellent position to capitalize on the growth potential of the Indian passenger and commercial vehicle markets and continues to intensify its own activities there. An equity participation of Daimler in Tata is therefore no longer necessary. This has been done in full consultation with Tata. Relations between the two companies are excellent and will not be adversely affected by this sale.

A key contributor to the February performance was the sporty C-Class – leading the pack with sales of 4,245, up 6.4% over February 2009. The new 9th generation E-Class continued its strong momentum with sales of 4,043 – up 92.2% over February 2009. MBUSA’s versatile, compact SUV – the GLK – followed in volume with sales of 2,126, up 10.8% compared to February 2009.
On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 30,543 new vehicles, up 24% when compared to the same time last year.

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Separately, through the Mercedes-Benz Certified Pre-Owned (MBCPO) program, MBUSA sold 6,153 vehicles in February; a 6.2% month-to-date increase, when compared to February 2009 (sales of 5,795 vehicles). On a year-to-date basis, MBCPO sold 12,382 vehicles, a decrease of 1.3% over the comparable period (with sales of 12,548).

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With the massive investment in the production facility in São Bernardo do Campo, the Brazilian Mercedes-Benz plant is gearing up to meet the growing demand for commercial vehicles in Brazil.

Over the last few months, Mercedes-Benz do Brasil has hired around 1,400 new employees to ensure that it is also prepared from a personnel standpoint to meet the growing demands of the commercial vehicle market. “Brazil is a market with tremendous growth opportunities. We intend to fully exploit this potential,which is why the expansion of our production capacity is the right step at the right time. We are especially pleased with the new job positions that have been created in the country,” says Hubertus Troska, Head of Mercedes-Benz Europe and Latin America at Daimler Trucks.

Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, an established name in Brazil since 1956 and the largest Mercedes-Benz truck plant outside of Germany, is turning to BNDES for the funding so it can make the new investments within a narrow time frame. The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) is a federal public company closely linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade. Its goal is to provide long-term financing for projects aimed at enhancing Brazil’s development and therefore improving the competitiveness of the Brazilian economy and the standard of living of the Brazilian population.

Jürgen Ziegler, President of Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, also sees the investment as being directly related to the economic upswing and the good prospects in Brazil. “We will invest the funds in our production activities in São Bernardo do Campo, but we will be doing more than just expanding a certain production capacity. Another goal is to modernize our production, logistics, and service units,” stresses Ziegler.

Funds will go toward the development of new components and technologies at the Mercedes-Benz Technology Center, which is the largest and most advanced research and development center for trucks and buses in Brazil and is based in São Bernardo do Campo.

By so doing, the company hopes to further expand and improve its future product range. One of the aims is to ensure compliance with the Euro 5 environmental standard, which in Brazil is called “Conama P7.”

Some of the money will also be spent on addressing social concerns. For example, the Employee Development and Training Center at the site will be expanded so that more skilled staff can be trained to an even higher level of technical proficiency in the future