Mercedes C-Class Brought Home Awards from Australia and Japan

Mercedes C-Class was able to win awards from Australia in Japan, proving once again that the car is not only popular and admired in Europe and North America. Besides being an entry level vehicle, the C-class is gorgeous in its own right and powerful too, so it is not surprising it always gets the citations.

Stuttgart – The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is among the most popular cars – worldwide. This is confirmed by two recent awards: in Japan the C-Class leads the field as the best imported car for the second time in succession. Down under, the
C 250 CDI and the C 63 AMG Coupé scooped the "2011 Australia’s Best Car Award" in their respective segments.

The title "The Imported Car of the Year Japan" is traditionally awarded at the Tokyo Motor Show for the automobile with the best concept and the most innovative technology. As in the previous year, the title for 2011/2012 went to the C-Class Saloon and Estate. C-Class models also claimed Australia's most important independent automobile award. The Australian Automobile Association presented the C 250 CDI as the best of the best premium mid-size cars. The C 63 AMG Coupé won its award category as best sports car.

Mercedes-Benz carried out a comprehensive upgrade of the C-Class in the spring of 2011. The new generation boasts a dynamic design and numerous new assistance systems: from the ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection system to proximity control with DISTRONIC PLUS, it offers a new standard of safety in this segment. In addition, fuel consumption has been cut by up to 31 percent in comparison to the previous generation.

Source: Daimler AG

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MBUSA New Chief Not Yet Chosen

Image via CrunchBaseErnst Lieb, former CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, was quickly fired. Yet, until now, his replacement has not been found.

One reason, according to reports is that Lieb has been very effective in his post before that it is difficult to find someone as good and as “loveable” as him. Apparently, dealerships in America really liked Lieb's leadership. The second reason is that the candidates for the position all include Mercedes-Benz executives from other countries, they are also performing really well where they are right now, so it would be very difficult to get them out of their current posts because that place maybe affected. Apparently, the contenders for the post are from Canada, Turkey, China, Australia and England.

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Ernst Lieb Ousted as MBUSA Chief

News surfaced last week that the “charismatic” CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, Ernst Lieb, was replaced. When it was first reported, there was no reason, it was just noted that a temporary replacement in the person of Herbert Werner, MBUSA Finance Head, will sit on his post.
Image via CrunchBase
However, just a few days ago, Wall Street Journal reported that according to “people familiar with the matter”, Lieb was removed from his post due to financial misdeed. This is after questions surfaced because of the purchase of his home near the MBUSA's headquarters, as well as a personal flight to Australia he took, in which the company paid for.

Even if Mercedes gained sales and market share during his tenure, it was done because the company is being very careful and attentive to corruption practices.
Despite all this, it seems that Lieb is one-of-a-kind because MBUSA is still trying to find for the new CEO to fill in his shoes, someone who has great understanding of the country's market and the company's dealer network there, like him.

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No to Leather Seats -Tobey Maguire

We all know who Tobey Maguire is, he is the star of Spiderman movie. Yet not all of us know that he is an animal advocate. In fact, he was hailed as PETA's sexiest vegan one time, and with that, he also adopted a “no leather” policy.

Thus, when he was given a Mercedes-Benz that he can use while filming “The Great Gatsby” in Australia, he sent it back, and reportedly, he was upset because the car has leather seats. Naturally, Bazmark Films returned it to the dealer and and asked them to replace the upholstery with vinyl.

With this step, PETA became very proud.

Photo: Rottentomatoes.com

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2012 Mercedes Benz SLK in Australia

The new Mercedes-Benz SLK offers a lot of characteristics, efficiency, power and luxury feel. The car also made sure that the driver will be involved in the over-all experience of the car. Being a one of the best cars among the newly produced models, this one has reached the land down under.

Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AMG and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Cars commented about the vehicle : ““I am convinced that with its passionate design, its highquality interior and its modesty at the filling station it will continue to provide an enormous amount of fun on the road in future, too, consolidating its status as a cult roadster.”

The price for this car in Australia has not been set yet, as they have only listed the Manufacturer's List Price which does not include the dealer delivery and on-road costs yet. The MLP for the SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY equipped with a 1.8L engine is AU$82,900 and the SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY powered by 3.5L V6 unit is AU$118,900.

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