Benz Faqs

It looks like BMW and Mercedes are collaborating and will be working very closely within the next few months. Reports have indicated that they will be working on creating engines together and will be creating new assemblies like “axles, steering gear or drive systems.”

BMW is being driven by the desire to cut costs. One can only assume that Mercedes, for all of its protestations, has the same thing in mind. Every carmaker is coming out with a raft of smaller cars to serve multiple purposes, among them: meet CO2 emissions and CAFE standards, put on a green face on for the public, and, of course, increase volume by selling more inexpensive vehicles.

Mercedes has decided to place Ralph Fisher as the new general Manager over the Customer Assistance Center. Fisher will start his new position on the first in January and will be in charge of keeping consumers happy and satisfied.

As general manager, Customer Assistance Center, Fisher will oversee a staff of 184 employees of the full-service customer service team which assists an annual average of 2.3 million contacts – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – including Roadside Assistance, information services, and fulfillment of requests for literature and accessories catalog orders. Fisher will move into his new position from his current role as the general manager of MB Manhattan, the only corporately-owned Mercedes-Benz dealership in the United States. There, Fisher is responsible for the sales, service and operations of the dealership’s two showrooms in Manhattan: 41st Street at 11th Avenue and Park Avenue from 55th Street to 56th Street.

Mercedes has given the 2009 SLK a makeover to remember. The new model – which has been given better mechanical features, a nicer interior, and brand new styling for the front and rear end of the vehicle – will be debuted at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show.

The 3.5-liter V6 in the SLK350 gets a boost in output to 305 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy is improved with both the six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic gearboxes. The supercharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine in the SLK200 Kompressor receives a bump to 184 hp and 184 lb-ft. But the 5.5-liter V8 in the SLK55 AMG is carried over with no major changes.