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October 05 News |
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Stay snug
Owners of the latest SLK can warm to the delights of open-top motoring this autumn thanks to the
roadster’s ingenious AIRSCARF neck-level heating system. At the touch of a button AIRSCARF, a
motoring world first, releases temperature-controlled air from vents in the headrests to keep each
occupant’s shoulders, neck and head warm even when it’s cold outside. And should the heavens
open, the metal vario roof takes a mere 22 seconds to transform the open-top roadster to
weatherproof coupé. |
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End of the line
With the launch of the new S-Class, the last 220
series saloon has rolled off the assembly line.
The milestone vehicle is a cubanite silver S 430
4MATIC and is destined for a customer in the
U.S. The production of the last car of the series
provided Plant Director Prof. Eberhard Haller
with an opportunity to comment on the vehicle’s
success: “Since the series was launched in
1998, the employees at the Sindelfingen plant
have produced about 500,000 units of the
saloon for customers around the world,” he
said. “Every single vehicle is an expression of
their expertise and their attention to detail. I
would like to thank all of the employees for
making the S-Class what it is today: the world’s
most successful luxury saloon.” |
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Sitting safely
Every year while travelling as passengers, 40
children under the age of 11 are killed, while a
further 500 are seriously injured. Mercedes offers
a range of child seats suited to the physique of
children as they grow up. For example, baby
seats provide special protection for the neck, as a baby’s head makes up a quarter of its body
weight compared to 18% for an adult. Mercedes
offers four different seats to accommodate
youngsters from the ages of 0 to 12. Each one
has passed stringent testing and has been
designed to work in tandem with the seat belts. |
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Charity Maybach
Maybach has just auctioned off for a charitable
cause its first example of the new sporty 57 S
series at the exclusive Monterey Sports and
Classic Car Auction in California. Jay Leno, the
legendary late-night talk show host and
professed car enthusiast renounced his
auctioneer’s fee and personally accepted the
highest bid of 500,000 dollars offered by John
O’Quinn, a Texan celebrity lawyer and car
collector. The event, which took place at the
elegant Portola Plaza Hotel, was attended by
celebrities and served a good cause. |
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B-Class ‘Explorers’
Mercedes is aiming its new B-Class model at
‘explorers’, young town-dwellers who like design
and brands with status. Apparently, they require
a car to transport sports equipment and they will
have one child or be thinking about starting a
family. They are affluent enough to be able to
afford a car between £15K and £25K! And many
potential customers are expected to trade-in
their current sports hatchbacks. Mercedes sees
the B-Class not so much as an MPV, more a
multi-activity vehicle as 70 per cent of the
interior is load-carrying space for people, their
goods, pets, luggage and recreational
equipment. In a full year they are hoping to sell
6,000 units in the UK.
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