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November 04 News |
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Star
tour
In an event titled 'Follow your own star', Mercedes-Benz celebrated
the conclusion of a Europe-wide tour in Milan¹s impressive Castello
Sforzesco. Drivers in about 400 new A-Class vehicles performed the
tour. The 400 drivers and their passengers chosen for the event
drove along spectacular routes through some of the most beautiful
regions in Europe, completing the tour in four day-long stages.
Among the highlights of the evening were appearances by the designer
Giorgio Armani, who presented an exclusive fashion show, and by
the four-time Grammy winner Christina Aguilera. In her live performance,
Aguilera also gave the first-ever presentation of her song ŒHello¹,
which was composed especially for the introduction of the new A-Class. |
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Luxury
limo wows show visitors
One of the world's most luxurious production cars was the star of
the St Mary's Motor Show held in Bishop's Stortford. Event sponsors,
Mercedes-Benz of Bishop¹s Stortford, displayed the mighty Maybach
62, which retails at more than £290,000. Measuring six metres in
length and weighing three-and-half tonnes, the Maybach was an impressive
sight for visitors and a rare one at that! Only 25 models are currently
on the road around Britain. "The Maybach redefines the concept of
first-class travel and exclusivity and certainly drew a lot of people
onto our stand," said Lee Taylor, Mercedes-Benz of Bishop's Stortford
Sales Manager. |
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Thieves
target car keys...
Homes are being burgled for owners' car keys in a new crime wave.
Police have identified Mercedes as one of the top three cars being
targeted in a new kind of crime where thieves break into houses
or businesses simply to steal the keys to cars and then drive off.
Mercedes owners are being urged to make sure their keys are safe
at all times. A police spokesman said: "Thieves have changed their
tactics as recent advances in technology have made it virtually
impossible for them to break into cars and hot wire them. Security
improvements and computer systems mean that the only way you can
guarantee to get away with a car is to have the keys, so now houses
are being broken into for the specific purpose of taking car keys.
We have also had cases where keys hanging close to doors, letterboxes
or cat flaps have been stolen by thieves using poles with handles
on them to lift keys down and back through the opening"
...and wing mirrors
Thieves are targeting electronic Mercedes wing mirrors. Police are
investigating the spate of thefts of the wing mirrors, which cost
between £300 and £900. Eight Mercedes owners in the Redhill area
awoke on September 1 and reported that both their wing mirrors had
been carefully removed overnight. PC David Christian said he believed
the careful removal of the mirrors suggests they are being stolen
for resale: ³Whoever is responsible for these thefts is obviously
removing the wing mirrors in a very professional manner, carefully
unscrewing the entire units.² |
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Thumbs
up for top down
Demand
for convertible cars in the UK is going through the roof and despite
this year¹s washout summer the increase has moved into top gear.
Latest figures show that registrations of new topless models are
soaring, with the January to August market rising by 21 per cent
to a record 77,946 new cars. This reflects a ten-year trend in
which new convertible sales have grown from just under 18,000
to more than 98,000. In the past five years demand has more than
doubled and 2004 is on course to be the first 100,000 plus market
for top-down motoring. Compared with the rest of Europe, the UK
leads the way in sales growth. SMMT chief executive Christopher
Macgowan, says: "Some people say that we British must be mad to
buy more convertibles than countries like France, Spain and Italy.
However, there may be a good reason why we sell many more than
the combined total of those three markets. "Perhaps driving with
the hood down in Milan or Madrid is simply not as appealing as
it is in Manchester. Maybe in southern Europe the sun is too oppressive
for anything other than the roof-up with a blast of the air conditioning.
"A sunny day in Scunthorpe on the other hand is the perfect opportunity
to enjoy the top down."
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Record-breaking
240D
A Greek taxi driver has donated his record-breaking Mercedes car
to the company¹s museum in Germany. Gregorios Sachinidis¹ Mercedes
240D has clocked up a record-breaking 2.8million miles, and now
becomes the Mercedes-Benz with the highest recorded mileage known
to date. The mileage is the equivalent of six trips to the moon
and back, or 82 times around the earth. Mr. Sachinidis bought his
car in Germany in 1981 with around 220,000 km on the clock, before
driving it back to Thessalonica. Here it was in service as a taxi
24 hours a day until July 2004. During this time the owner was able
to call upon the original engine and two spare units, deploying
them on a rotational basis 11 times in total. He was so pleased
with his car he wrote to company boss Juergen Hubbert to thank him
personally for the outstanding service. At a reception, Mr. Sachinidis
was presented with a key for a new C200 CDI to be picked up upon
his return to Greece. |
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Fashion
week storm
The new smart forfour was the choice of International catwalk models
during London Fashion Week. Storm Model Management used five of
the recently launched cars to chauffeur their international models
around the catwalk shows. The forfour is the first smart with four
seats and four doors and has recently gone on sale in the UK. Storm
Management said: ³The smart is cool and stylish and is the perfect
choice for the girls to be driven around London, in what is a frantic
week of non-stop catwalk fashion shows². The forfour starts from
£7,995. |
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