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How Atlanta landed Mercedes-Benz

The first phone call came last spring. An international real estate company had a high-profile client that wanted to relocate its North American headquarters. The client, whose identity was confidential, narrowed the list of prospective sites to Texas, North Carolina and Georgia. Would Georgia officials be interested in a discussion? Behind the scenes, they worked for months to lure the company, touting lower housing prices and a relaxed pace of life. They arranged interviews with CEOs of other companies in Atlanta who could speak about the area's business climate and they augmented negotiations with key executives from a utility company and Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport. Ultimately, they were also offered a reported $40 to $50 million in tax incentives. Secrecy was vital. The intermediary and officials with the Georgia Department of Economic Development gave the project a code name that changed three times throughout the summer and fall, so that only a few people had access to the most basic information. It was called Operation Eagle. It was only in September that the Georgia officials learned the identity of the client, Mercedes-Benz, and only last week that Operation Eagle bore fruit when the company publicly announced it would relocate its North American headquarters from Montvale, NJ, to the north side of Atlanta. "They put themselves in a spot on the north side where millennials can live in the city, and people can live in the northern suburbs and raise a family," Tom Croteau, deputy commissioner of global commerce for the GDED, tells Autoblog. "And when you combine that with the business aspect of a lower-cost environment, that's what we were able to provide them, along with a long-term commitment to support them however we can." In the move, the company benefits from a location that's closer to a growing base of suppliers that work with German car companies in the Southeast, as well as closer proximity to ports in Brunswick, GA, that are some of the busiest in the country. Mercedes-Benz will bring 800 to 1,000 jobs to the area. In addition to the employment, Georgia benefits from another notch in its automotive belt. Atlanta is already home to Porsche's North American headquarters. Kia Motors has a major manufacturing facility in West Point, GA, and General Motors opened an information technology center in Atlanta two years ago that employs roughly 1,000 workers.

Mercedes introduces the details of the C450 AMG 4Matic

We saw the AMG Sport models joining the C-Class line in Detroit, but Mercedes has waited until the press launch of the Mercedes-AMG C63 to give us the details. In case you've forgotten about how this new puzzle piece fits, there's Mercedes-Benz, there's Mercedes-AMG, then there's the Mercedes-Benz AMG Sport line slotted in between for those who want sporty luxury but not too much of either. This is the second variant in that line-up, and also the second to get V6 power, following the GLE450 AMG Coupe. In the case of the C450 AMG 4Matic, that means a twin-turbo six-cylinder with 367 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 38 hp and 29 lb-ft over the C400 4Matic on which it's based. It goes much closer to proper AMG territory with its looks and features, with that sharp, chrome-trimmed lip in front, the oblong lower intakes, lightweight wheels, and a "special AMG badge" on the front fenders. In back, the sedan gets a spoiler on the trunk, the wagon gets a roof spoiler. There's a suspension highly derivative of that on the C63 AMG, with three-stage dampers. So too the five drive modes laid out like on traditional AMGs, the 7G-Tronic automatic transmission, the ESP with Curve Dynamic Assist, and it will even sound close to an Affalterbach special thanks to a sports exhaust. Cabin occupants can play the real deal with sport seats and a flat-bottomed wheel with red cross-stitching. We don't have a price yet, but there will probably be plenty of room between the price of the AMG C63 and the $48,950 C400 4Matic to make buyers happy. The press release below has all the info. Related Video: The new C-Class models from Mercedes-AMG: Mercedes-AMG C 63 and Mercedes-Benz C 450 AMG 4MATIC Mercedes-Benz C 450 AMG 4MATIC: Second AMG sports model with V6 power Driving Performance – the AMG brand claim and typical character traits can now be experienced by an even broader target group. The new C 450 AMG 4MATIC expands the product range of the sports car and performance brand within Mercedes-Benz with another new AMG sports model. As an attractive entry into the world of AMG, the C 450 AMG 4MATIC combines a 270 kW (367 hp) 3.0-litre V6 biturbo engine with a permanent Performance all-wheel-drive system and sophisticated suspension technology adopted from the Mercedes-AMG C 63. This all results in fascinating driving performance and the hallmark emotional expressiveness of the brand.

Infiniti shows Q30 interior ahead of Frankfurt debut

Infiniti is supposed to debut the all-new Q30 hatchback at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, but as the show is still a couple of weeks away and the company has elected to release yet another image, we aren't sure there'll be all that much to see come Sept. 15. With that in mind, then, we give you the first images of the entry-level hatch's cabin, and they're, um, wow. We knew the Q30 had a lot in common with the Mercedes-Benz A-Class but as these images show, this is far more than a common platform. The steering wheel, instrument cluster, switchgear, and shifter are direct from the Mercedes parts bin. From the looks of the images, the Q30 will even have a Mercedes-style key. This might not garner much attention in the budget ranks – take the Scion iA and Mazda2, for example – but this degree of parts sharing in the premium market is sure to raise some eyebrows. It's also a rather bewildering move for Infiniti. The company is, in effect, selling a Mercedes-Benz to any new customers it attracts. That'll certainly make a Q50 a hard sell when it comes time for an upgrade. Now, in Infiniti's defense, there are some differences in the layout here. The triple nozzle-style HVAC vents have been replaced with a more conventional pair of outlets, and the instrument cluster hood extends over the built-in navigation screen. That design decision, in particular, will certainly appeal to critics of the tacked-on-tablet look offered by Mercedes. The analog buttons for the multimedia system have also been tweaked, with the result looking far cleaner than the mess of buttons offered on Mercedes' products (we wouldn't be shocked to see this layout arrive on a facelifted A-, CLA-, or GLA-Class in the near future, though). Beyond those changes, though, there are multiple Mercedes design hallmarks here, including the location of the controls for the seat adjustments. You can check out the Q30's cabin in both right- and left-hand drive varieties courtesy of the images above. And for comparison's sake, we also included our most recent gallery of the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class at the bottom of the page. Have a look and be sure to scroll down for the official press release. September 1, 2015 Countdown Frankfurt: First ever Infiniti Q30 active compact opens its doors before world premiere ? Q30 – The first global Infiniti compact ? Q30 interior design echoes daring expression of exterior ?