Showing posts with label Mercedes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mercedes. Show all posts
on 7 Apr 2013
The Detroit Bureau

By Paul Eisenstein of The Detroit Bureau

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG (© Rick Wait)Click to enlarge picture

The new Mercedes-Benz CLA45 helps usher in a new AWD strategy for the German automaker's AMG brand.

With the launch of its updated 2014 E-Class, CLS and CLA performance models, Mercedes-Benz will begin a dramatic shift at its AMG brand-within-a-brand. Going forward, virtually all of the performance division's products will come with standard all-wheel-drive.

The strategy should help expand the appeal of models like the 2014 E63 AMG and new CLA45 AMG in snowy northern regions where all-wheel drive has become a virtual must for buyers.

Mercedes is betting it will also further enhance demand for AMG models in their traditional "smile state" markets.

"It should widen our footprint," suggested Rob Moran, manager of the AMG line for Mercedes-Benz USA.

The highest-performance models within the expanding Mercedes model-mix, AMG products have a strong and loyal following in the U.S. — in fact, half of the world's production winds up somewhere in the States and, in turn, about half of those are sold in Southern California alone, with other strong regions in Florida and other warmer regions of the country.

Read:  Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG debuts

Like most of its luxury competitors, Mercedes has discovered a major shift in demand among luxury buyers in recent years. Whether a Benz, BMW or Lexus, customers in snow belt regions increasingly demand all-wheel-drive, Moran noting "in New York, it's pretty hard to find" a conventional Mercedes product on a dealer lot that wasn't equipped with the maker's 4Matic system.

Competitors, notably Audi, have been promoting all-wheel-drive as a way to deliver both improved winter traction and performance, expanding their sales of high-powered models in places like New York and the Midwest. And Mercedes will adopt a similar strategy.

It already offers 4Matic in its crossover AMG models, such as the ML63 AMG. But the launch of the 2014 E63 AMG, CLS63 AMG and CLA45 AMG marks the first time the technology is paired with the performance division's passenger car models.

View Pictures:  2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA

While sharing its name with the traction system in more conventional Mercedes models, the AMG 4Matic technology has been revised to "emphasize performance," stressed Moran. For one thing, there will be a fixed power ratio that delivers more power to the rear wheels on the E63 and CLS63, he notes, only 33 percent of the torque of those engines going to the nose wheels. Meanwhile, AMG's 4Matic system will feature what is known as "torque vectoring."

With traditional all-wheel-drive, both front wheels receive the same amount of power. That can result in an understeer situation, where the car tends to push into a corner. But torque vectoring shifts power to the outer wheel in a turn, helping the vehicle corner more aggressively.

The exact torque split will vary according to individual AMG models. The new CLA line, for example, is Mercedes' first model to start art as a front-wheel-drive vehicle. With 4Matic added, the CLA45 AMG will still launch with 100 percent of its torque to the nose. But depending upon road conditions and driver input, explained Moran, as much as 50 percent of that power can shift rearward.

Looking ahead, only the Mercedes-Benz SLS supercar is not expected to adopt a standard 4Matic strategy. The maker is still deciding whether to add the all-wheel-drive system onto a future version of the SL roadster.

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As much in demand as 4Matic may be in the snow belt, all-wheel-drive has significantly less appeal in sunny climes, though it is gaining traction for its performance benefits. And to enhance the appeal of the new 4Matic strategy in traditional markets like Southern California, the 2014 models will add a lot more pep.

The outgoing, rear-drive E63 AMG currently makes 518 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. The 2014 4Matic update jumps to 550 hp and 531 lb-ft. That haves 0.6 seconds off its zero-to-60 times, at 3.6 seconds.

Meanwhile, the old E63 AMG performance package is now spun off as a separate model, the E63 AMG S 4Matic. It gains 27 horsepower, now rated 550 hp and 590 lb-ft, and comes in at 4.1 seconds zero to 60.

The 2014 version of the "base" E63 will go for $92,770, about a $3,000 increase, though that figure includes a number of new standard features, including 4Matic. Meanwhile, the new CLA45 will become the lowest-priced AMG offering in the U.S., at $47,450. That's about $13,000 less than the prior AMG starter model, the C63.


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Garmin to Provide In-Dash Navigation for Future Mercedes-Benz Models

OLATHE, Kan./April 2, 2013/Business Wire - Garmin® International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced that Daimler AG has selected Garmin as global navigation provider for future Mercedes-Benz models. Garmin's award-winning navigation will be fully integrated into Mercedes-Benz infotainment systems over the next four years.

"Being selected by Daimler as their global tier-one navigation solution partner is a testament to Garmin's growing capability and exceptional product quality in the auto OEM space," said Matt Munn, Garmin managing director automotive OEM. "We are honored by Daimler's confidence in Garmin and we look forward to working with them to deliver an exceptional navigation experience for the world's most discerning drivers."

Building upon Garmin's easy-to-use interface, advanced navigation functionality will be seamlessly integrated into the Mercedes-Benz infotainment systems to provide an efficient and intuitive experience. In addition to displaying navigation and maps on the in-dash display, users will have access to important driver information, such as next turn, at a glance on a second display, positioned behind the steering wheel. The Mercedes-Benz infotainment systems also allow users to control navigation functions through the system's rotary controller or via voice command functionality. Furthermore, Garmin's next-generation navigation software will provide critical positioning information for Advanced Driver Assistance (ADAS) functionalities of the vehicle to assist drivers in challenging situations.

Garmin's automotive OEM group utilizes the company's long-standing experience in user interface and hardware design from its automotive, avionics and marine segments to develop innovative in-car navigation, telematics and infotainment systems. Garmin's broad range of in-vehicle electronics for the automotive industry includes full infotainment and telematics systems, navigation software, location-based services, and integrated portable navigation systems. Garmin has dedicated automotive OEM offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.

About Garmin International Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin's products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. A component of the S&P 500 index, Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin is a registered trademark of Garmin Ltd.
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Notice on Forward-Looking Statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 29, 2012, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of such Form 10-K is available at http://www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.


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