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Tag: Mercedes

  • Mercedes recalls 492 faulty cars in Vietnam

    Mercedes recalls 492 faulty cars in Vietnam

    Mercedes Vietnam announced it would recall 492 ML and GLE cars sold in Vietnam beginning March 15 to fix inconsistent design features and repair errors in the spare wheel compartment.

    The affected SUVs were manufactured and imported between February 2012 and October 2019.

    German luxury vehicle company Mercedes recalls ML and GLE SUVs in many countries, including Vietnam, because of concerns that water could collect in the spare tire wheel compartment, leading to a possible fuel pump malfunction and subsequent engine stalls without prior warning.

    This increases the risk of accidents and injuries for other road users.

    To fix the problems, Mercedes Vietnam dealerships will inspect the vehicles for any damage, install a water drain plug in the spare tire well, and replace the fuel pump if necessary.

    The company reported that such repairs should only take about 30 minutes per automobile.

    Mercedes GLE is a mid-size luxury SUV, first launched in 1997. Cars sold in Vietnam are imports that compete with rivals like the BMW X5, Lexus RX and Audi Q7.

    In Vietnam, GLEs is currently priced at VND4.509-5.679 billion (US$191,000-240,600).

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  • Mercedes recalls nearly 1,000 vehicles over fire risk

    Mercedes recalls nearly 1,000 vehicles over fire risk

    Mercedes is recalling 966 cars in Vietnam due to fire risks related to electrical short circuits in the trunk control modules and faulty trim bars on rear doors.

    The recall covers three models – C300, GLE, and GLS imported via official channels in Vietnam. Of these, 126 recalled Mercedes C300 cars were made between May 2021 and May 2022.

    The remaining 840 units – GLE 450 4Matic, GLS 450 4Matic, GLS Maybach 480 4Matic, and GLS Maybach 600 4Matic – were made between July 2019 and January 2022.

    With the C300 model (W206 generation), there is a risk of rainwater ingress at the rear trunk. Moisture can thus seep into the signal acquisition and actuation module (SAM module) inside the trunk, the carmaker said.

    In this case, short circuits may occur in the control modules and fire risks cannot be eliminated entirely. In addition, short-circuiting can lead to various other problems, such as taillight damage. The company has recalled vehicles to fit a waterproof cover over the module that receives the signal and activates it to prevent problems.

    The GLE and GLS models are being recalled to repair the trim bar in the triangular window (rear door) because they may not meet specifications due to deviations in the assembly process. As a result, the decorative bars may detach from the vehicle while in motion, potentially causing accidents or injuries to other road users.

    The above models are being recalled at Mercedes Vietnam’s authorized dealers system nationwide, and repairs are done free of charge. Fixing the error on the C300 takes about 60 minutes, and procedures for the remaining lines about half that time. The recall program will run from November 10, 2022 to December 31, 2027.

    Mercedes Vietnam has said that it will also provide free error correction support for C300, GLE, and GLS models not imported via official channels that are on the global recall list of Mercedes AG.

  • Mercedes recalls nearly 1,000 vehicles in Vietnam over fire risk

    Mercedes recalls nearly 1,000 vehicles in Vietnam over fire risk

    Mercedes is recalling 966 cars in Vietnam due to fire risks related to electrical short circuits in the trunk control modules and faulty trim bars on rear doors.

    The recall covers three models – C300, GLE and GLS imported via official channels in Vietnam. Of these, 126 recalled Mercedes C300 cars were made between May 2021 and May 2022.

    The remaining 840 units – GLE 450 4Matic, GLS 450 4Matic, GLS Maybach 480 4Matic and GLS Maybach 600 4Matic – were made between July 2019 and January 2022.

    With the C300 model (W206 generation), there is a risk of rain water ingress at the rear trunk. Moisture can thus seep into the signal acquisition and actuation module (SAM module) inside the trunk, the carmaker said.

    In this case, short circuits may occur in the control modules and fire risks cannot be completely eliminated. In addition, short circuiting can lead to various other problems, for instance, damage to the taillights. The company has recalled vehicles to fit a waterproof cover over the module that receives the signal and activates it to prevent problems.

    The GLE and GLS models are being recalled to repair the trim bar in the triangular window (rear door) because they may not meet specifications due to deviations in the assembly process. As a result, the decorative bars may detach from the vehicle while it is in motion, potentially causing accidents or injuries to other road users.

    The recall of the above models is being carried out at Mercedes Vietnam’s authorized dealers system nationwide and repairs are done free of charge. Fixing the error on the C300 takes about 60 minutes and procedures for the remaining lines about half that time. The recall program will run from November 10, 2022 to December 31, 2027.

    Mercedes Vietnam has said that it will also provide free error correction support for C300, GLE and GLS models not imported via official channels that are on the global recall list of Mercedes AG.

  • Mercedes Enables Apple Music Spatial Audio On Its Cars

    Mercedes Enables Apple Music Spatial Audio On Its Cars

    Mercedes has always made a big deal about its Burmester Audio system on its luxury vehicles which promise 3D and 4D sound, but now it has upped the ante by collaborating with Apple. Apple’s music streaming service, Apple Music, launched spatial audio support last year and now it is deeply integrated into the latest Mercedes Benz EQE SUV which launched on Sunday.

    Spatial audio will be enabled at the heart of the MBUX infotainment system which will first come to the Mercedes Maybach S-Class, S-Class, EQS, and EQS SUV via a software update and it will be launched as well on the EQE and the newly launched EQE SUV. This feature is available for cars that have the Bumester 3D or 4D sound system which costs an additional $4,550 to $6,730.

    Mercedes and Apple believe that it will offer a more realistic audio experience and give the vibe of a concert hall.

    “Sound quality is incredibly important to Apple Music which is why we are so excited to be working with Mercedes to make Spatial Audio on Apple Music available natively in the car for the first time. Spatial Audio is revolutionising the way artists create and fans listen to music and it’s an experience that is impossible to explain in words; you have to hear it for yourself to appreciate it. Together with Mercedes, we now have even more opportunities to bring wholly immersive music to our subscribers all over the world,“ said Apple’s VP for Apple Music and Beats Oliver Schusser.

    While Apple has an arrangement with Audi and Porsche for the integration of Apple Music in their cars, this is the first time the Cupertino-based company has extended spatial audio capabilities beyond iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods and HomePods. Recently, Apple revealed that Apple Music had over 100 million songs and a substantial chunk of the portfolio includes songs tuned for spatial audio and lossless high-resolution audio formats.

    Most premium car owners tend to iPhone users as it is the best-selling smartphone in the world and via its vertical integration Apple is now capturing a lot of customers that would’ve traditionally gravitated towards Spotify by virtue of deals like the one it has now cracked with Mercedes.

  • Mercedes’s largest dealer hits full-year profit target

    Mercedes’s largest dealer hits full-year profit target

    Hang Xanh Motors Service Joint Stock Company, a major Mercedes-Benz car dealer, reported pre-tax profits of more than VND240 billion (US$10 million) in the first nine months, exceeding its full-year target.

    Consolidated revenues were up 50 percent year-on-year at VND5.17 trillion. In the third quarter they rose 2.7 times to VND2 trillion ($83.1 million).

    Haxaco’s short-term debts increased by more than 60% to VND563 billion, while long-term debts, mainly in the form of convertible bonds, were around VND180 billion.

    Vietnam has three authorized Mercedes-Benz dealers, Andu and Vietnam Star being the others, and Haxaco has the largest market share.

    It has five sales agents in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Can Tho.

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  • Mercedes-Benz India To Consider Accelerating Localisation And Launch Plans Of EVs

    Mercedes-Benz India To Consider Accelerating Localisation And Launch Plans Of EVs

    On August 25, Mercedes-Benz India recorded 2,46,000 views on its Twitter handle for the Mercedes-AMG EQS 4 MATIC+ launch live stream. And ever since it stepped in the Indian luxury EV space with the EQC electric SUV, the brand has observed a steady rise in interest around its electric models through its customer-engaging activities. Now that is confidence-inspiring for the German brand to expedite its plans for launching new electric vehicles in India and considering their local production. It is planning to introduce them as completely knocked down (CKD) products in a bid to keep their ex-showroom prices in check.

    The response that the EQS got shows that the public in ready to be interested in the vehicle and it shows that there is potential in the market. Not every one of the 2,46,000 viewers on Twitter that we had during our live launch will purchase the car, but it shows that the time is right. It’s ready to move into the electric vehicle space, and it gives us a lot of confidence going forward, also with the locally produced car which we’re launching now. The story of EVs is a story of accelerations and deceleration not only in India, but it has also happened globally. We think that things will happen in a couple of years, but they will happen faster than the original plans were. In that sense, I am very confident based on the pipeline Mercedes has built globally. And we’ll also relook on what to do in India based on based on the feedback we’re getting. The EQC gave us good feedback and the EQS is a very strong local product, the EQB which will come later in the year will also see a very different segment. From what we see, what will happen in the next six months will certainly influence our outlook in terms of localization and in terms of products.”

    The next Mercedes-Benz launch in the Indian EV space will be the locally manufactured EQS electric sedan which will roll out of the Chakan plant on September 30. By the end of this year, the German carmaker will also introduce the EQB electric SUV in our market, which is likely to take the CKD route as well. So by 2023 Mercedes will already have four electric offerings in our market across multiple segments. We also know that models like the Vision EQXX and G-Wagon based EQG electric concepts are under development at the Stuttgart headquarters. So if the company continues to observe a growing interest in its electric offerings, it is likely that it will consider introducing these models sooner and as locally manufactured products.

    Well, the overall luxury car market is still roughly around 1.8 per cent in India with EVs having an even miniscule share. But according to a Mordor Intelligence study, the Indian luxury car market is expected to reach a value of over $ 1.54 billion from $ 1.06 billion by 2027 with a CAGR of more than 6.4 per cent during the forecast period 2022-2027. The study further states that with majority luxury car brands aggressively balancing their line-up with EV models, the electric segment is likely to dominate the luxury car space which is reassuring.

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  • Mercedes-AMG Project One Enters Production

    Mercedes-AMG Project One Enters Production

    Mercedes-AMG had taken the wraps off the Project One F1-engined hypercar five years ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show and it’s been a long time coming since then. Destined to be the fastest road car ever by Mercedes, it was delayed due to development hurdles with making the turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 petrol engine meet emission standards and noise regulations. Well! It’s through all that and the car is on the assembly line now. Mercedes-AMG will only manufacture 275 units of the Project one.

    The cars are being put together by hand at AMG’s Coventry facility in UK while the hybrid powertrain with its four electric motors is made by the Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains division in Brixworth. The same division was also responsible for developing and producing the heart of its F1 car. To start production of the One, AMG teamed up with Multimatic to set up a bespoke production facility. The company claims that each and every vehicle has to go through 16 assembly and testing stations and Mercedes-AMG describes the process as resembling the production of luxury watches. Over 50 people are involved in the production of a One hypercar. Once the car is assembled, it undergoes a roll-out at an adjacent proving ground where a factory test driver gives it the proverbial green light.

    The engine is tuned to churn out 1034 bhp and is covered in protective wrap and transported in a closed truck to Affalterbach in Germany at AMG’s headquarters. This is where the owners finally get their hands on the hypercar and also receive a technical vehicle briefing by AMG One experts. The Mercedes-AMG Project One can can do 200 km/h in less than 6 seconds and has a top speed of 350 km/h. It has also run purely on electric power with a range of 25 km and its internal combustion engine will need to be rebuilt after 50,000 km something that is quite common for an F1 engine

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  • Mercedes distributor posts major profit jump

    Mercedes distributor posts major profit jump

    Vietnam’s biggest Mercedes distributor Haxaco posted a pre-tax profit of VND102 billion ($7.36 million) in the second quarter, up 12.6 times year-on-year.

    Its profit for the first six months was VND172 billion, or 80 percent of its target for the year.

    The company said the government’s 50 percent discount on registration fees of cars assembled locally has helped push sales and increase its profit margin.

    “Haxaco’s profit rose because demand for luxury cars surged after the pandemic.”

    It also received incentive interests from banks and saw its loan expenses drop 41 percent year-on-year in the first six months.

    Haxaco is the biggest Mercedes distributor in Vietnam, followed by Andu and Vietnam Star.

    It has four dealerships in Vietnam, with two each in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It plans to open a new one in the southern city of Can Tho by the end of this month.

    Mercedes first assembled its cars in Vietnam in 1996. Vietnam is the first country apart from Germany that assembles its luxurious lineup S-Class.

     

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  • Mercedes-Benz Expects Supply Chain Constraints To Continue In 2022

    Mercedes-Benz Expects Supply Chain Constraints To Continue In 2022

    Mercedes-Benz is still feeling the effects of the global semiconductor shortage that hit the auto industry as well as supply chain constraints. As per a report by PTI, the carmaker is not expecting the situation to improve in 2022 while also saying that it was hard to predict how it would change in the future.

    Speaking to PTI, Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India said that the company was dealing with not just semiconductor shortages but also with congestion in shipping. He added that the company was facing significant supply constraints placing a limit on the number of cars it could produce and deliver causing longer waiting period for its customers. Schwenk also revealed that the global economic uncertainties and go-political tensions seemed to have worsened over the past few months with a lot of questions being raised across markets regarding the economic situations in the short-to-medium terms.

    Schwenk however said that while the brand was facing uncertainty over its production levels, the global economic uncertainties and geopolitical crisis was yet to affect consumer sentiment in India. The carmaker said that it has over 5,000 pending orders on its hands currently in the country with the number of bookings continuing to increase.

    He however said that the company in the past few months had been forced to hiked prices on several occasions owing to rising input costs and the company was continuing to monitor topics such as inflation and pricing.

    Mercedes has some big launches lined up for India in the coming months including its all-electric flagship, the EQS luxury sedan and the EQB electric SUV. The carmaker at the start of the year had revealed its plans to launch 10 new models in India in 2022 which has till now included the new Mercedes-Maybach S-Class and the new-gen C-Class.

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  • Mercedes Readies Plants To Produce Electric Vehicles

    Mercedes Readies Plants To Produce Electric Vehicles

    Mercedes-Benz is adjusting its network of plants to  manufacture a new range of luxury electric vehicles as it prepares to switch to electric by the end of the decade.

    Mercedes aims to halve CO2 emissions per passenger car over the life cycle by the end of this decade compared to 2020.

    “We are ready for the rapid scaling of electric vehicle volumes,” said Joerg Burzer, board member for production and supply chain, adding the new setup followed talks between management and worker representatives.

    Plants in Sindelfingen, Bremen, Rastatt – all in Germany – and Kecskemet, in Hungary, will start production of new models in the top end luxury, core luxury and entry luxury segments from the middle of the decade, said Mercedes.

    Battery systems will be supplied by a production network with factories in three continents, it said.

    “The local production of battery systems is a key success factor for the Mercedes-Benz electric ramp-up and a decisive component in being able to meet the global demand for electric vehicles flexibly and efficiently,” it said in a statement.

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  • Mercedes dealer to operate luxury car rental service

    Haxaco, a major Mercedes-Benz dealer, will focus on developing luxury car rental service this year besides its core business of car retail.

    In a recent annual meeting, its chairman Do Tien Dung said the firm has almost gained monopoly status in luxury car rental across Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, as competitors had been driven out of business due to the pandemic.

    Haxaco posted VND205 billion ($9 million) in profits in 2021, and it targets raising that by 3.4 percent this year.

    Besides being the dealer of Mercedes in Vietnam, it has also distributed MG, a UK car brand, since 2020.

    Dung said the MG reselling segment saw some achievements but has yet to meet the expectations of the company and its shareholders.

    Haxaco eyes becoming an exclusive distributor of a new car brand in Vietnam, but its chairman also noted that such ambitions need time and planning.

    It also plans to issue shares worth VND595 billion this year to raise funds for opening new Mercedes-Benz showrooms.

    Such investment is vital to maintain competitiveness against larger contenders, Dung added.

  • Mercedes-Benz Accelerates In-House Software Push With New Tech Centre

    Mercedes-Benz Accelerates In-House Software Push With New Tech Centre

    Mercedes-Benz opened a new 200 million euro ($217 million) software center in Sindelfingen on Friday, its latest investment in boosting in-house software capabilities as it works to bring its own MB.OS operating system onto the market by 2024.

    Around 750 of the 3,000 new hires, the luxury carmaker plans to bring in globally to develop the operating system were hired in Sindelfingen, working on features from in-vehicle entertainment to autonomous driving.

    The center is part of a wider effort by Mercedes-Benz to streamline its software strategy from a patchwork approach bringing in technology from a wide range of suppliers to controlling the core of its software offering itself.

    “We take responsibility for software architecture and integration – that is our main goal,” Chief Software Officer Magnus Oestberg said in a roundtable.

    “We don’t do everything ourselves – we place value on partnerships, but of course the parts that are most important for us, we do in-house.”

    One such partnership is with U.S. computer graphics specialist Nvidia, with whom Mercedes-Benz struck a deal in 2020 to develop assisted and self-driving functions that will form part of the MB.OS system launching in two years time.

    The carmaker is 600 unfilled vacancies away from achieving its goal of a global team of 10,000 software engineers in Berlin, China, India, Israel, Japan, and the United States.

    “The profile of a software engineer is highly sought-after – demand is considerably higher than supply,” Chief Technology Officer Markus Schaefer said.

    In a survey of 572 auto executives by research institute Capgemini, 97% said that four out of 10 in-house workers will need to have software skills within five years, from IT architects to cloud management professionals to cybersecurity experts.

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  • Mercedes To Use Luminar’s LiDAR’s With New Deal

    Mercedes To Use Luminar’s LiDAR’s With New Deal

    Mercedes has announced that it has inked a deal with LiDAR maker Luminar whose devices will be incorporated in its vehicles in the future. Mercedes has also taken a small stake in the company with the acquisition of 1.5 million shares. As a part of the deal, Luminar will also be sharing data with the luxury carmaker.

    Luminar in particular has closed a deal with Daimler North America which is the parent of Mercedes in the US. Daimler will also share data from development and production vehicles for the continuous development of the systems.

    “A landmark moment in the industry that will demonstrate how substantially increased safety and autonomous driving functions on consumer vehicles are going from sci-fi to mainstream,” said Luminar founder and CEO Austin Russell.

    Currently, both companies haven’t revealed when the first Mercedes car will be revealed which will have a Luminar LiDAR. LiDAR is critical for autonomous driving – more importantly, sophisticated autonomous systems which aim for self-driving capabilities, something Mercedes currently lacks in its vehicles.

    Luminar already has announced a deal with Volvo and will be integrating its LiDAR and software in its cars. Volvo will also unveil an electric SUV later this year which will feature Luminar’s technology.

    However, Luminar’s deal with Daimler is also about the development of its Iris LiDAR system. This is not the first time Daimler has invested in Luminar its trucking division also invested in the LiDAR maker for its Blade system.

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  • Self-Driving Sensor Maker Luminar Shares Rally On Mercedes-Benz Tie-Up

    Self-Driving Sensor Maker Luminar Shares Rally On Mercedes-Benz Tie-Up

    Luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz will partner with self-driving sensor maker Luminar Technologies Inc to enable fully automated driving on highways for its next-generation vehicles, Luminar’s founder said.

    Luminar shares surged 18% at $15.89 on Thursday. Luminar said Mercedes-Benz will have 1.5 million shares in Luminar, which will vest over time when certain milestones are met.

    Vehicle autonomy “is really going mainstream with Mercedes,” Luminar CEO Austin Russell told Reuters on Wednesday, without disclosing a timeframe for putting the technology in Mercedes’ vehicles.

    He said the two would develop “true” autonomy capabilities to keep drivers out of the loop, while improving safety capabilities such as automatic braking.

    Automakers from Tesla to General Motors Co and Volvo have set their eyes on introducing autonomous vehicles for consumers, although regulatory and technological challenges remain.

    Luminar said Mercedes-Benz will have 1.5 million shares in Luminar, which will vest over time when certain milestones are met.

    Tech firms such as Alphabet’s Waymo and Cruise also are developing self-driving taxis or trucks for commercial use such as ride-hailing and delivery services.

    General Motors is working with its majority-owned Cruise self-driving unit to introduce a personal autonomous vehicle by as early as mid-decade, Chief Executive Mary Barra said this month.

    “If you want to be able to get to truly autonomous capabilities in a consumer vehicle, and you have to industrialize hardware, software, all of these systems that come into play. That by the way, is completely different than the work that the robo-taxi companies have been working on,” Russell said.

    He said it is a challenge to mass-produce lidars and make sure they are robust enough to meet stringent requirements from automakers.

    “It is a completely different kind of business of going from a science and technology business to an automotive corporation.”

    Tech firms such as Alphabet’s Waymo and Cruise also are developing self-driving taxis or trucks for commercial use such as ride-hailing and delivery services.

    Lidars, which use laser light pulses to measure the distance between the sensor and the target object, are widely seen as essential to achieving full autonomous driving. But Tesla has shunned the sensor, saying it is expensive and unnecessary.

    Volvo Cars and Luminar said earlier this month that they will put a hands-free driving system in an upcoming electric sport utility vehicle.

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  • BMW Claims Outperforming Mercedes-Benz In Sales For The First Time In Six Years

    BMW Claims Outperforming Mercedes-Benz In Sales For The First Time In Six Years

    BMW AG is claiming that it outperformed Mercedes-Benz in terms of sales in 2021. The carmaker has beaten its German counterpart for the first time in the last six years as Mercedes-Benz had been the highest-selling luxury carmaker since 2015. Pieter Nota, Head Of Sales – BMW Group took to LinkedIn saying, “Proudly claiming number one position in the global premium automotive segment for the BMW brand in 2021,” Nota has credited the sales growth to the carmaker’s product range and operational performance.

    That said, BMW is yet to disclose the annual sales numbers of 2021 but has said that deliveries have been tracking ahead of the Daimler AG brand for much of this year. According to reports, the Bavarian carmaker has been comparatively less impacted by the semiconductor shortage crisis. In fact, there is a good chance that Mercedes-Benz’s sales have been impacted mainly due to the semiconductor issue that disrupted production. Mercedes on Monday said scarce supply of components will continue to grip the industry during the first half of the year.

    According to news reports, BMW will publish its full-year sales data on January 12 which is when we’ll get an idea of its sales. The carmaker delivered sold 1.7 million units in the first three quarters of 2021 and exceeded Mercedes-Benz’s by over 1.12 lakh units. Even in India, BMW Group recorded the highest ever sales growth in a decade this year at 35 percent selling 8,876 cars (BMW + MINI) and 5,191 motorcycles in 2021.

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