GM dealers in California to sell cars on eBay

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- More than 225 General Motors dealers in California will sell vehicles through the eBay online auction site in a four-week trial, the companies announced Monday.

Under the program, which begins Tuesday, consumers will be able to bargain with the dealers for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Pontiac cars and trucks from model years 2008, 2009 and 2010. The program ends Sept. 8.

The new car shopping website, gm.ebay.com, will feature a "wide selection" of up to 20,000 new GM vehicles at "competitive prices," the companies said in a press release.

Customers will be able to buy cars outright at the advertised price using the Web site's "Buy It Now" option. Alternatively, customers can suggest a price under the "Best Offer" option, which may then be negotiated with the dealer.

"Together with eBay Motors, GM and our dealers are reinventing the car-buying experience for our California customers," said Mark LaNeve, GM vice president of U.S. sales, in a statement.

GM emerged from bankruptcy protection on July 10, concluding a 40-day stay in Chapter 11 with the sale of its key operations to a new company majority-owned by the U.S. Treasury. The company pledged to win back American consumers and taxpayers.

The automaker has sold certain new and certified-used GM models on eBay Motors in the past. But the scale of the new program marks a significant shift for the online auction house, which is traditionally focused on used cars and auto parts.

"Through this program, we are helping GM dealers to extend their physical showroom while at the same time delivering to our buyers the great deals and broad selection they expect from eBay (EBAY, Fortune 500)," said Rob Chesney, vice president of eBay Motors, in a statement.

As part of its restructuring, GM shut hundreds of under-performing dealerships across the country. But the new program has been hailed by at least one of GM's California dealers.

Ted Nicholas, president and chief executive of a Chevrolet dealership in Bakersfield, said in a statement that he is "very excited" to participate in the new program.

"We've found that serious shoppers want it to be easy, and have shifted from the traditional forms of researching and purchasing vehicles to getting it all done on the Internet," said Nicholas.

Truck market to start recovering in 2010 - Mercedes-Benz

The truck market continues to take a pummelling, even as early indications are that the global recession has started to bottom out.

Sales of extra heavy commercial vehicles were down 57% year-to-date at the end of July compared with 2008, with heavy commercial vehicles down 44,7%, and medium commercial vehicles 44,4%.

The bus market provides the only ray of hope in the commercial vehicle segment at the moment, at a 2% negative compared with 2008, this as government is equipping the public transport sector for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) commercial vehicles vicepresident Kobus van Zyl says truck sales typically lag passenger car sales by a few months.

As truck sales were still buoyant long after passenger car sales had entered the downturn, Van Zyl expects the truck market to now only pick up at the beginning of the next year, with passenger car sales already stabilising.

However, the extra-heavy commercial market is only expected to bottom out next year somewhere.

“Cars are down 29%. We would love that number right now,” says Van Zyl.

On a year-to-date basis, total truck sales are down from 21 884 units in 2008, to the current 11 398 units.

Van Zyl expects a South African truck market of 19 430 units this year.

This is a huge drop from last year's 34 664 units, and 2007’s record-breaking 37 069 units.

As recently as 2003, the truck market stood at an annual volume of 16 327 units.

Despite the doom and gloom, Van Zyl points out that the South African truck market is faring well compared with the rest of the world, with the segment down 60% in Western and Eastern Europe, for example.

Van Zyl says the local market is witnessing a lot of fleet replacement rather than expansion at the moment.

“Over the last few years companies build up their fleets to prepare for government's infrastructure spend, and now we see things starting to stabilise.”

Following much criticism from the trucking industry earlier this year that South Africa's traditional banks were shying away from providing credit to the automotive sector, Van Zyl believes the country's large banks have now started to return to the market.

“We are not where we were before the crisis, but the banks are definitely playing the market again. The banks are moving back. They understand the commercial vehicle market better now, and they are pricing the risk better,” he explains.

Around 45% of commercial vehicle deals within MBSA are funded in-house.

One aspect that has not improved is that the commercial vehicle parc is not providing service income to truck dealers as is the case with passenger vehicle dealers.

“Trucks are standing still, they are simply being parked, so workshop throughput has fallen dramatically,” notes Van Zyl.

He adds that MBSA's truck plant in East London, doing completely knockdown production, has been “severely affected” by the market downturn, but notes that no staff has been retrenched.

“To enable the plant to remain open we have spread out production volumes over the rest of the year. We have spend a lot of time and effort to build up expertise, and we do not want to lose this.”

Van Zyl notes that it was also important to retain staff in the light of the bus deal the company has clinched from the Gautrain rapid-rail link project, and the government supply contract it has secured for the World Cup.

Government earlier this year handed MBSA and MAN Truck & Bus the contracts to supply 570 buses to transport spectators, officials and players for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

MBSA will supply 168 semiluxury and 292 intercity buses, and MAN 110 general spectator buses.

Bombela, the company building the Gautrain rapid-rail link, and the company which will operate it for 15 years, has also signed a deal with MBSA for the supply of 125 buses which will service the project’s feeder and distribution routes.

source:http://www.engineeringnews.co.za

A brochure of the new W212 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been scanned and let loose onto the internet, so here’s a preview of the next generation de-facto communiting choice for businessmen in Malaysia. Styling-wise, this new edition completes the E-Class design’s transformation from curvy bulk into a new sportier, edgier and more angular design. The trademark quad oval headlamps are now square-ish, much like the Lexus GS.

	W212	W211	A6	E60	Accord
Length	4,868mm	4,856mm	4,927mm	4,841mm	4,945mm
Width	1,854mm	1,822mm	1,855mm	1,846mm	1,845mm
Height	1,470mm	1,483mm	1,459mm	1,468mm	1,475mm
Wheelbase	2,870mm	2,854mm	2,843mm	2,888mm	2,800mm

Above is a size comparison chart between the new W212 and the model it replaces as well as its competitiors, the Audi A6 and the BMW 5-Series. The A6 is clearly the longest and widest of the lot while remaining lowest as well, but it does not have the longest wheelbase. The new W212 is longer, wider and lower than the W211 so it should prove to have a sportier stance as well as be more stable on the road. It’s wheelbase has also grown by 16mm.

The image at the beginning of this story is the standard model with the regular foglamps, of which design reminds you of what Brabus usually does to a Mercedes foglamp, so they’ll probably have to think of something else with this E-Class! Now this image above shows us what we saw earlier in the initial batch of leaked shots, LED daytime driving lights in place of where the foglamps are. They are arranged in some sort of L shape.

This is the version with the AMG bodykit, also featuring the LED driving lights. You can see the differences in the front bumper, it has a frowney shape to its central air intake compared to the regular E-Class bumper’s smiley air intake. The sideskirt also bulges out a little towards the rear wheel on the AMG car.

The new W212 E-Class is quite a handsome and aggressive car from the front but when you get to the rear, I don’t know about you but my first thoughts were “fail”. The integrated exhausts tailpipes are a nice touch but as this photo is the E 500, it’s not known at this point whether the base models like the new E 200 CGI will get a similiar design.

The interior is quite clearly an evolution of the W204 C-Class’s interior. The sexy curved and thin wood panels of the W211’s interior is now gone, and replaced by thick and flat pieces of wood on a dash design that has also gone all angular like the car’s exterior. I don’t know, the interior kinda looks like it was lifted from a luxury truck or SUV rather than a Mercedes-Benz, so I really prefer the old W211’s interior. Ah well, all the better for people who plan to pick up a pre-owned W211 facelift in the future.

The leaked spec sheets reveal the new engine range for the W212 E-Class. Gone is the familiar E 200 K moniker, instead replacing it is the new E 200 CGI. The brochure and spec sheets actually doesn’t really reveal what kind of forced induction the new 1.8 liter engine uses, but just looking at the torque curve will tell you that it’s a new quick-spooling turbocharger, so now we can finally bid goodbye to the Kompresser supercharger of the W210 and W211. The new E 200 CGI’s 1.8 liter turbocharged engine also has direct injection and puts out 181bhp at 5,250rpm as well as 270Nm of torque between 1,800 to 4,200rpm. This is a very decent amount and beats the hell out of the 523i’s 230Nm, plus it kicks in at a very low RPM too. 0 to 100km/h takes 8.7 seconds, while the top speed is 235km/h.

The new 1.8 liter turbocharged direct injection engine also comes in E 250 CGI guise. The V6-powered E 230 is now missing from the line-up. In E 250 CGI form, the engine produces 201hp at 5,250 and 310Nm of torque between 2,000 to 4,500rpm. 0 to 100km/h takes 7.9 seconds, while the top speed is a little higher at 245km/h. The E 250 CGI also has wider tyres in 225/55R16 size compared to the E 200 CGI’s 205/60R16 tyres.

Click for enlarged image

Other engine options include a V6 and a V8 in the E 350 CGI and the E 500 respectively. These models come with either rear wheel drive or optional 4MATIC all-wheel drive. The E 280 seems missing, but may only be gone in the originating country of this leaked brochure. The E 350 CGI’s 3.5 liter V6 puts out 288hp at 6,400rpm and an impressive 365Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, thanks to its direct injection technology. The E 350 4MATIC’s engine has different power figures - 268hp at 6,000rpm and 350Nm of torque between 2,400 to 5,000rpm, an impressively wide peak torque spread for a normally aspirated engine. The 5.5 liter V8-powered E 500 and E 500 4MATIC produce 382 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 530Nm of torque between 2,800 rpm to 4,800rpm.

There are a few oil burners to choose from, ranging from the E 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY all the way up to a E 350 CDI BlueTEC. There is also a 4MATIC version of the E 350 CDI. The inline-4 diesels in the E 200 CDI, E 200 CDI and the E 250 CDI are the new 2.1 liter OM651 diesel engine that was unveiled recently. The E 200 CDI puts out 134hp between 3,000 to 4,600rpm and 330Nm of torque between 1,600 to 2,800rpm. The E 220 CDI does 167hp between 3,000 to 4,200rpm and 400Nm of torque between 1,400 to 2,800rpm. The 201hp E 250 CDI puts out a massive 500Nm from 1,600rpm all the way to 1,800rpm.

Click for enlarged image

The sole V6 turbodiesel option is the 3.0 liter E 350 CDI engine which has three power outputs in three different variants. The E 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY gets 228hp at 3,800rpm and 540Nm of torque between 1,600rpm and 2,400rpm, while the E 350 BlueTEC has less power - only 208hp at 3,400rpm but the same 540Nm of torque between 1,600 to 2,600rpm. Finally, the all-wheel drive E 350 CDI 4MATIC gets 221hp at 3,800rpm and 540Nm of torque between 1,600 to 2,400rpm. These numbers by the 3.0 V6 turbo diesel are all very close to the highest power output of the 2.1 liter twin turbocharged diesel, which is what makes the latter engine very special. What it lacks is the smooth silky refinement and sound of a V6.

Please look after the jump for a photo gallery containing the scanned brochures. It reveals a few colour options as well as the different interior colour schemes.

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Original post: http://paultan.org/archives/2009/01/08/leaked-2010-mercedes-benz-e-class-w212-brochures-with-detailed-specification-sheets/#ixzz0N94Dmc89

House approves $2B more for 'cash for clunkers'

WASHINGTON — The House has voted to rush an additional $2 billion into the popular but financially strapped "cash for clunkers" car purchase program.

The bill was approved on a vote of 316-109. House members acted within hours of learning from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that the program was running out of money.

Called the Car Allowance Rebate System, or CARS, the program is designed to help the economy and the environment by spurring new car sales. Car owners can receive federal subsidies of up to $4,500 for trading in their old cars for new ones that achieve significantly higher gas mileage.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the new money for the program would come from funds approved earlier in the year as part of an economic stimulus bill.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House rushed Friday to pump $2 billion into a popular cash-for-clunkers program running near empty, with a leading Democrat saying "consumers have spoken with their wallets."

A floor vote was under way at midday on the bill to refuel the car-purchase program. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer had said earlier that the additional money would come from funds Congress approved earlier in the year as part of a $787 billion economic stimulus bill.

Hoyer, D-Md., said that at the request of House Republicans — whose approval was required for swift passage — the bill would include provisions for government auditors to make sure the money was being spent as intended.

Republicans argued that Democrats were trying to jam the legislation through.

House Minority Leader John Boehner said it was unclear how many Republicans would support on the plan.

"There are a lot of questions about how the administration administered this program. If they can't handle something as simple as this, how would we handle health care?" the Ohio Republican told The Associated Press.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the cars purchased under the program were much more fuel-efficient than what the bill requires.

But some lawmakers complained that many dealers were left to contend with a chaotic government-run program.

"The federal government can't process a simple rebate. I've got dealers who have submitted the paperwork three times and have gotten three rejections," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich. "What is a dealer supposed to do?"

There had been a $1 billion budget for rebates for new car sales in the program that was officially launched last week and has been heavily publicized by automakers and dealers.

Called the Car Allowance Rebate System, or CARS, the program offers owners of old cars and trucks $3,500 or $4,500 toward a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle, in exchange for scrapping their old vehicle. Congress last month approved the plan to boost auto sales and remove some inefficient cars and trucks from the roads.

The Senate was not scheduled to vote on Friday but lawmakers hoped to win approval for additional funding next week.

Senate action is likely next week, making sure the program would not be affected by the sudden shortage of cash.

"Consumers have spoken with their wallets and they've said they like this program," said Rep. David Obey, D-Wis.

House members acted within hours of learning from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood that the program — designed to help the economy as well as the environment — was out of funds. Under the program, car owners can receive federal subsidies of as much as $4,500 if they trade in their old car for a new one that achieves significantly higher gas mileage.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said the administration assured lawmakers that "deals will be honored until otherwise noted by the White House." But he suggested that "people ought to get in and buy their cars."

At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs sought to assure consumers that the program is still running and will be alive "this weekend. If you were planning on going to buy a car this weekend, using this program, this program continues to run."

Gibbs would not commit to any timeframe beyond that.

It was unclear how many cars had been sold under the program.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said about 40,000 vehicle sales had been completed through the program but dealers estimated they were trying to complete transactions on another 200,000 vehicles, putting the amount of remaining funding in doubt.

John McEleney, chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, said many dealers have been confused about whether the program will be extended and for how long. Many had stopped offering the deals Thursday after word came out that the funds available for the refunds had been exhausted.

The clunkers program was set up to boost U.S. auto sales and help struggling automakers through the worst sales slump in more than a quarter-century. Sales for the first half of the year were down 35 percent from the same period in 2008, and analysts are predicting only a modest recovery during the second half of the year.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the program, North Palm Beach, Fla., dealer Earl Stewart said he planned to continue to sell cars under the program but would delay delivering the new vehicles and scrapping the trade-ins.

"It's been a total panic with my customers and my sales staff. We are running in one direction and then we are running in another direction," he said.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Certified Pre-Owned: 2003 - 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-class - Feature

No car signals the achievement—or, in today’s world, the maintenance—of affluence better than a Mercedes-Benz. We’re not talking wretched excess as displayed by one of Paul Allen’s destroyer-size yachts, but everyone knows you’re not on the dole when you pull up in a late-model Mercedes.

The German automaker’s mid-size E-class sedan is the entry-level machine for displaying such financial wherewithal, and it’s satisfying to drive as well. The basic E350 comes with a 268-hp V-6 with a broad power band and a slick seven-speed automatic. The E550 has a stirring 382-hp V-8 that can rocket the car to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, though it’s more a cruiser than a flamethrowing supersedan. Inside, it’s luxurious, roomy, and fitted with every safety feature.

As you read this, a new generation of E-class is arriving at Mercedes showrooms, but we expect that this previous model vintage—from model year 2003 through 2009—will retain its status for some time. You can acquire one for much less than the $49,475 minimum cost of a new E-class sedan by perusing the Mercedes certified pre-owned (CPO) listings, an operation that has been around since 1989.

As with most of these programs, a CPO candidate starts as a sound, accident-free vehicle, which is then inspected comprehensively by Mercedes personnel to make sure that it operates as well as a new car. Any shortcomings are corrected, all service schedules are brought up to date, and the tires and brakes are replaced if they’re more than half-worn.

credit: http://www.caranddriver.com

Russian Nightmare: Mercedes-Benz E-Class W124 Tuning Gone Bad

After looking at these photos, we've reached to the conclusion that we've been extremely harsh on ASMA. Don't get us wrong, we still find the German tuner's proposals hideous, but few will disagree that there's a new king in town. Even though there's a badge with the name 'Arturos' at the rear, we're not sure who's responsible for this freakishly modded Mercedes-Benz E-Class W124 that was apparently photographed somewhere in Russia.

The Merc's front and rear ends have been completely deformed with the grotesque creation featuring an ASMA inspired front grille flanked by a pair of CLK-style headlamps while at the back, Dr. Frankenstein incorporated a set of... SLK tail lamps. The vehicle also gets a variety of air vents on the hood and the front panels plus a triple exhaust pipes on each side of the bumper.

Via: English Russia

SmartTOP Roof Top Control for Mercedes Benz SL 129 Roadster

(live-PR.com) - Corona, CA, July 29, 2009 -- Mods4cars, the southern California based specialist in high-end electronics for convertible top and remote controls, announced the release of their latest SmartTOP comfort roof top control for the Mercedes Benz SL 129 roadster. The SmartTOP module allows the customer to operate the Convertible top by using the Factory Key Fob while walking up to,

or away from the vehicle. It’s even possibile to put the top up or down while driving up to 40 kmh / 25 mph.

Additionally the SmartTOP offers even more customizable, useful features, in one easy to install product: The top can be operated automatically with a short push of the open or close button, it allows starting the engine during remote top operation, it allows turning the engine off, getting out and locking the doors, while the top is still closing. All features can be individually enabled or disabled, some also allow different personal preferences to be set. All settings are retained even if the car battery is disconnected. With the help of the Shop/Diagnose mode, the SmartTOP becomes invisible to diagnostic tools. Should new features become available for this module, it can be updated easily and at very low cost.

The unique comfort controller can be installed by anyone with the help of the detailed installation manual. Installation requires little electronic skills and only standard tools. No soldering! The module comes with all wires and parts needed. There is no need for extra key fobs. All remote features are activated with the original key remote. It’s fully E13 tested and certified. It comes with an ultra-low power standby mode (less than 0.1mA) and a LED shows the correct installation and status. It’s compatible with Mercedes Benz SL R129 with IR remote and Mercedes Benz SL R129 with RF remote.

About mods4cars:
Mods4cars was founded in 2002 with the idea to add a highly demanded feature to the otherwise almost perfect Porsche Boxster: Comfort One-Touch roof operation while driving at slow speeds. The resulting product offered not only that, but also allowed quick and easy installation by just swapping out a relay box, thus leaving no traces and no permanent changes on the vehicle. The first smartTOP roof controller was born.

The success of their first products in Germany and Europe prompted them in late 2004 to move operations to the USA, to be able to serve the American market as well as all other English speaking countries such as Australia, UK and South Africa from one central location. Their business has grown to a full fledged international corporation with an office in California and a full line of innovative products as well as distributors and installation partners all over
the globe.

Being highly specialized in the development and distribution of after market roof- and comfort controllers since 2002 allows them to offer an unsurpassed level of competence and product quality. Their main goal is optimization of each individual product to a maximum in compatibility, usability and intuitive operation. They put greatest effort into development and quality checks of all their products to achieve this goal and meet all expectations of their customers.

All products are designed by a certified engineer, having years of experience on Porsche and Mercedes Benz vehicle electronics. They develop and manufacture according to all European and American (CE, FCC) directives and deliver state-of-the-art electronic onboard control units. Over-voltage protection, reverse polarity protection, safety shut-off and absolutely minimal standby power drain can be taken for granted.

The extraordinary success of their products is also based on the great communication with their customers, which usually already starts for each new product during the development and prototyping phase.

SMSC’s MOST Network Again Adopted in Mercedes E-Class

SMSC (NASDAQ: SMSC), a leading semiconductor company that provides Smart Mixed-Signal Connectivity™ solutions, today announced that its Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST^®) networking technology, has been selected as part of the infotainment system of the new Mercedes E-Class. MOST is the standard network for the infotainment systems across the full range of Mercedes volume platforms. Its proliferation, which started with the previous E-Class, is now entering the second round.

"We are pleased to continue to be selected by Daimler as the in-vehicle networking system of choice across their line of high-performance car models,” said Dr. Christian Thiel, Vice President and Managing Director of SMSC's Automotive Information Systems group. "Since their first model launch with MOST in 2002, our technology has evolved to meet Daimler’s strict performance and quality of service requirements. As a result, we are once again being selected for the new generation E-Class.”

MOST multimedia networking technology enables the networking of feature-rich infotainment systems in automobiles by providing the means to distribute multimedia entertainment functions among the various control devices around the car. For example, a CD changer, radio, global positioning system, mobile telephone and DVD player can be established in an efficient ring network and can send crisp, static-free audio signals digitally to the amplifier by utilizing the MOST network.

About SMSC’s Automotive Product Line:

SMSC’s Automotive Information Systems is a supplier of TrueAuto™ infotainment and information semiconductor solutions to major automakers, including Audi, BMW, Daimler, Hyundai/Kia, Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, Toyota and Volvo. SMSC is a founding member of the MOST Cooperation, a cooperative of automakers, automotive systems architects and manufacturers and key components suppliers working to extend and refine the MOST^® standard for the evolving requirements of automotive multimedia networking. Additional information is available at .

Forward Looking Statements

Except for historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this announcement are forward-looking statements about expected future events and financial and operating results that involve risks and uncertainties. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different from those discussed in forward-looking statements. Our risks and uncertainties include the timely development and market acceptance of new products; the impact of competitive products and pricing; our ability to procure capacity from our suppliers and the timely performance of their obligations, commodity prices, interest rates and foreign exchange, potential investment losses as a result of liquidity conditions, the effects of changing economic and political conditions in the market domestically and internationally and on our customers; our relationships with and dependence on customers and growth rates in the personal computer, consumer electronics and embedded and automotive markets and within our sales channel; changes in customer order patterns, including order cancellations or reduced bookings; the effects of tariff, import and currency regulation; potential or actual litigation; and excess or obsolete inventory and variations in inventory valuation, among others. In addition, SMSC competes in the semiconductor industry, which has historically been characterized by intense competition, rapid technological change, cyclical market patterns, price erosion and periods of mismatched supply and demand.

Our forward looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations and may not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers or divestitures. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are based upon the information available to SMSC at this time. Such statements are subject to change, and the Company does not undertake to update such statements, except to the extent required under applicable law and regulation. These and other risks and uncertainties, including potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation, are detailed from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the SEC. Investors are advised to read the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those sections entitled "Other Factors That May Affect Future Operating Results” or "Risk Factors” for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.

About SMSC:

Many of the world’s most successful global technology companies rely upon SMSC as a go-to resource for semiconductor system solutions that span analog, digital and mixed-signal technologies. Leveraging substantial intellectual property, integration expertise and a comprehensive global infrastructure, SMSC solves design challenges and delivers performance, space, cost and time-to-market advantages to its customers. SMSC’s application focus targets key vertical markets including consumer electronics, automotive infotainment, PC and industrial applications. The Company has developed leadership positions in its select markets by providing application specific solutions such as mixed-signal embedded controllers, non-PCI Ethernet, ARCNET, MOST^® and Hi-Speed USB.

SMSC is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York with operations in North America, Asia and Europe. Engineering design centers are located in Arizona, New York, Texas and Karlsruhe, Germany. Additional information is available at www.smsc.com.

SMSC and MOST are registered trademarks and Smart Mixed-Signal Connectivity is a trademark of Standard Microsystems Corporation.

Brabus Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe

The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe just went on sale and Brabus already presents an extensive tuning program for the new two-door. The pinnacle of the available performance tuning is the Brabus 6.1 displacement engine. It has a rated power output of 462 hp (456 bhp) / 340 kW and propels the E 500 (US: E550) to an impressive top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph). Also on offer is an aerodynamic-enhancement program that was developed in the wind tunnel. Further highlights are custom-tailored wheels up to 20 inches in diameter, sporty yet comfortable suspension solutions and exclusive interior options.

A rated power output of 462 hp (456 bhp) / 340 kW and a peak torque of 615 Nm (453 lb-ft) at just 3,100 rpm are the result of the displacement increase of the four-valve V8 engine from 5.5 to 6.1 liters. 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 315 km/h (196 mph): The Brabus 6.1 displacement engine turns the E 500 Coupe into a true high-performance automobile.

The displacement increase of the eight-cylinder engine sells for 29,000 Euros. It is facilitated by the installation of a billet crankshaft with longer stroke and larger pistons. Furthermore the four-valve cylinder heads are precision-machined and fitted with custom camshafts. The Brabus sport exhaust system with high-performance metal catalysts also contributes to the impressive power output as do specially programmed engine electronics.

More driving fun with the turbodiesel models is available with the Brabus ECO PowerXtra kits. For the E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Brabus offers its D4 tuning kit. For just 1,390 Euros power output of the common-rail four-cylinder engine jumps from standard 204 hp (201 bhp) / 150 kW to 235 hp (232 bhp) / 173 kW. Peak torque grows to 560 Nm (413 lb-ft).

The V6 turbodiesel engine of the E 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY equipped with Brabus ECO PowerXtra D6 (III) module produces 272 hp (268 bhp) / 200 kW and a peak torque of 590 Nm (435 lb-ft).

All engines are lubricated with ARAL high-performance motor oil and like all Brabus components they are backed by the one-of-a-kind Brabus Tuning Warranty® of three years, up to 100,000 kilometers or 62,000 miles (see Brabus warranty conditions as of November 2006).

Stainless-steel Brabus quad sport exhaust systems are available for all new Mercedes-Benz E-Class models.

The Brabus designers have also developed a sporty yet elegant aerodynamic-enhancement package for the two-door E-Class. It is manufactured from Pur-R-Rim in OEM quality. The Brabus front spoiler with integrated LED daytime running lights gives the coupe an even more striking face and reduces aerodynamic lift on the front axle at high speeds.

Brabus adds sporty highlights to the sides with new aluminum front sport quarter panels with integrated clear-coated carbon-fiber inserts. New rocker panels visually give the coupe a lower and sleeker stance. They feature LED entrance lights integrated into their undersides. Customers can also choose a version with integrated illuminated Brabus logo.

The Brabus rear apron features a centrally mounted reflector and custom-tailored cutouts on either side for the four tailpipes of the Brabus sport exhaust system.

The exclusive Brabus appearance is rounded out by one-piece or multi-piece Brabus Monoblock light-alloy wheels with diameters of 17, 18, 19 and 20 inches. The largest tire/wheel combination features Brabus Monoblock VI, E, Q or S wheels in size 9Jx20 on the front axle and in size 9.5Jx20 in back. High-performance tires from Brabus technology partners Pirelli and YOKOHAMA are mounted in size 235/30 ZR 20 in front and in size 265/25 ZR 20 on the rear axle.

The available Brabus suspension solutions offer sporty handling combined with excellent ride comfort. They were custom-developed for the various engines available in the new E-Class. The list of options starts with lowering springs and culminates in a complete height-adjustable coil-over sport suspension.

Brabus also offers a high-performance brake system for the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe. It features six-piston aluminum fixed calipers and 360-mm (14.2 inches) vented and cross-drilled discs on the front axle. The rear axle stops with four-piston aluminum fixed calipers.

Brabus will customize the interior of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe to customers’ specifications. The list of interior options includes stainless-steel scuff plated with illuminated Brabus logo, an ergonomically shaped Brabus sport steering wheel and an entirely new interior crafted from especially soft yet durable Brabus Mastik leather and Alcantara.