1999 Mercedes-benz C230 Kompressor Sedan 4-door 2.3l on 2040-cars

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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 SL backs into Ferrari 458 Speciale while parking

There are a lot of people with the money to buy nice cars, but an absolute inability to drive them. And that's how this Mercedes-Benz SL ended up beached on the nose of a Ferrari 458 Speciale. It happened at a Virginia cars and coffee event, and that inability to drive we mention doesn't refer to the poor Ferrari owner. According to the YouTube description, the driver of the 380SL was attempting to parallel park when she landed on top of the hot 458. But since the video doesn't start until the Benz has landed, we only have the video uploader's word. But don't click away yet – the Ferrari's owner returned to the scene. Despite a hint of adult language, he's far more calm than we would be in that situation. That doesn't mean he's not angry, decrying the crash as "the dumbest thing I've ever seen." We agree, especially when you notice space between the 458 Speciale and the Nissan 300ZX in front of it. This was by no means a tight or difficult place to park, even without George Constanza's god-given parallel parking skills. Even a semi-competent driver could have maneuvered a vehicle far larger than a 15-foot-long roadster between the two cars with room to spare. Related Video: News Source: Media Gamut Motoring via YouTube Ferrari Mercedes-Benz Convertible Coupe Luxury Performance Videos mercedes sl-class cars and coffee

2016 Mercedes-Benz C350e Plug-In Hybrid casts a green light in Geneva

Mercedes revealed another plug-in hybrid model, the C350e, at the Geneva Motor Show. Based on the company's scalable hybrid platform, the C350e offers 19 miles of electric range, and the total system makes 279 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. It's part of the company's goal to bring 10 new plug-in models to the market by 2017 around the world. The hybrid system teams an electric motor with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a seven-speed gearbox. The C350e also has regenerative braking and can be driven in four modes ranging from Eco to Sport Plus. The lithium-ion battery pack can be charged in 1 hour, 45 seconds, and it has a total capacity of 6.2 kilowatt-hours. The C350e has an Airmatic suspension, an interior climate control system that can be controlled via the internet and offers Mercedes' suite of driver-assist technologies. Mercedes will sell the model as a sedan and a wagon in some markets. The new Mercedes-Benz C 350 e: Efficiency, dynamism and comfort – the best of three worlds The new Mercedes-Benz C 350 e: Efficiency, dynamism and comfort – the best of three worlds Following its premiere in the S-Class, Mercedes-Benz is now offering its most advanced hybrid technology yet in the C-Class and, for the first time, also in an Estate model. The dynamism and efficiency of the C 350 e make it a convincing proposition in both its Saloon and its Estate guise. With a range of 31 kilometres in purely electric mode, local emission-free driving is now a reality. Its four-cylinder petrol engine, in conjunction with a powerful electric motor, gives it a total system output of 205 kW (279 hp) and torque of 600 Nm. The new C 350 e thus delivers the performance of a sports car and yet offers certified consumption figures of just 2.1 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres both as a Saloon and as an Estate. This corresponds to CO2 emissions of 48 grams (49 grams for the Estate) per kilometre. Both models are also equipped as standard with AIRMATIC air suspension plus a Pre-Entry Climate Control system that can be controlled via the internet, adding up to a truly exceptional level of driving and climate comfort. Prof Dr Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development: "The PLUG-IN HYBRID is an investment in the future of Mercedes-Benz and we believe it will become established as the successful technology for maximum efficiency coupled with powerful dynamic performance.