Anyone who spends some time on backroads with moderate traffic will really appreciate the new adaptive high beam assist from Mercedes-Benz. The system automatically adjusts head light output to maximize visibility for the Mercedes driver and also oncoming traffic.
Instead of just switching between high and low beams, the system also actively aims the head lights to project the maximum amount of light without blinding other drivers on the road. A camera located in the rearview mirror will detect the head lights of oncoming vehicles or the tail lights of cars you are approaching and adjust the aim of the head lights automatically.
The dynamic lighting system will aim the driver's side head light closer to the ground as traffic approaches and then slowly bring the light back up for maximum forward visibility once the vehicle has past. A brief demonstration of this system in a darkened arena showed how gradually the head lights change aim while a car approaches. By gradually changing the aim of the lights, drivers' eyes never have to adjust to a great change in the amount of light and the temporary loss of night vision that results from switching between high and low beams doesn't happen. There are two distinct modes to maximize the effectiveness of the system; one for highways and one for country roads.
More common features like adaptive headlights that follow the steering wheel's angle in a turn and cornering lights which only turn on during low speed turns are also included. Look for the new country and motorway modes to appear on the next Mercedes E-class coupe and sedan as well as the 2009 S-class.
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Seen recently on the Mercedes stand at the 2012 Paris Motor Show was the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric drive. This pure electric car is powered by a lithium-ion battery co-developed with Tesla. Range is touted to be 125 miles, with a top speed of 93 mph. Apparently, the Electric Drive will be the only version of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class that will be made available in America. This, despite the brisk sales of more conventionally-powered variants elsewhere. It seems too that Mercedes-Benz intends to call its EVs Electric Drive henceforth, as a way to associate premium electric vehicles with the Mercedes brand. The introduction of the B-Class Electric Drive to the U.S. market will see it compete directly with cars like the Toyota Prius and Ford's C-Max. There are other pure electric cars on the market, though as a Mercedes, the B-Class will be competing at a decidedly premium price point. But for upscale consumers who have been wanting a green halo car, the Mercedes B-Class seems to be just the ticket to push them toward that purchase. LATEST CARS WALLPAPERSSource: Benzinsider
It wasn't quite the qualifying that the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team was hoping for heading into Saturday's trials at Japan's Suzuka Circuit. Both Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg posted times that were far from being enough to get them into Q3. Schumacher qualified at 13th off his solitary Q2 run, but would slide all the way down to P23 when the race starts tomorrow. He got slapped a 10-place penalty after the incident at the previous race in Singapore, where he collided with the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne, causing both to retire for the race. Rosberg qualified at 15th but moves up to P13 on the grid thanks to the penalties handed out to Schumacher and Force India-Mercedes driver Nico Hulkenberg (from 10th to P14, 5-place penalty for gearbox change). Meanwhile, the two Red Bulls were the big winners of the qualifying session, as Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position and teammate Mark Webber takes the front-row seat on the grid beside him. Jenson Button of McLaren-Mercedes took third but was slapped with a gearbox penalty, so he slides to P8. It looks like it's going to be another tough climb from behind for the Mercedes drivers. Let's hope that the announcement of Lewis Hamilton joining the team next year to take over Schumacher's spot isn't becoming a distraction. 
Michael Schumacher almost came all the way from P23 to earning a championship point, but had to settle for a scoreless eleventh-place finish at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. Mercedes AMG Petronas teammate Nico Rosberg never set a lap after a collision in the first corner that also knocked out championship frontrunner Fernando Alonso. Schumacher got engaged in a tight matchup against the Toro Rosso of Daniel Ricciardo at the end, but the Australian edged him out by 0.85 seconds to claim the final championship point at stake in the race. With Alonso getting eliminated, Sebastian Vettel won the race and inched closer to the lead in the championship race. Only four points separate him from Alonso now (190 to 194), with Kimi Raikkonen a distant third at 157 points. Felipe Massa took second place, and Kamui Kobayashi took the last podium slot. He also became the third Japanese driver to claim a podium finish, and he did it in his home race, to boot. "I have mixed feelings after the race here in Japan, because it's obviously unfortunate to come so close to scoring points and not manage it, after a race which went better than we expected," said Schumacher. " I had a good start to the race but unfortunately it ended fairly quickly today," said Rosberg. "In the first corner Grosjean spun into Webber and that also led to my accident. I began to brake but Senna crashed into me from behind which destroyed my rear tyre and meant that I had to retire." The team is already looking forward to a stronger performance for the Korean Grand Prix, and hopefully, there will be some championship points gained next weekend. 
What's more special than an SLS AMG GT3? If you answered an exclusive, special anniversary edition model, you're right. That's what the SLS AMG GT3 "45th ANNIVERSARY" is all about-the vehicle will be hand-built and the production run will be limited to 5 units, no more and no less. There's no doubt that collectors will be hot on the heels of this exclusive customer sport racing car, which runs on a naturally aspirated 6.3-liter V8 engine. It comes with several tweaks for both the exterior and the interior. The gullwing doors of the car come with a logo that says "45 Years of Driving Performance." The vehicle comes with a designo magno graphite matte finish, which was seen previously on the initial 45th anniversary exclusive model, the SL 65 AMG "45th ANNIVERSARY," which made its appearance at the New York Insternational Auto Show last April. Designo magno graphite also makes its way to the light-alloy wheels of this SLS AMG GT3. In addition, carbon fiber reinforced plastic is found all over the vehicle, including components like the rear wings, mudguards, bonnet, and front splitter. CFRP allows the vehicle to remain light without sacrificing build quality and performance. As for the interior, it's all about racing. There's a steel roll cage (also in designo magno graphite matte finish), a dashboard with a center console (containing the numbering badge for the exclusive model's sequence) that has a matte carbon fiber finish as well, six-point seatbelts, steering wheel spider, and a seat shell for the co-driver side. The car will also come with an indoor car cover that contains the aforementioned "45 Years of Driving Performance" mark. AMG brand ambassador and DTM champion Bernd Schneider has a hands-on involvement in the production of the SLS AMG GT3 "45th ANNIVERSARY," further adding to the story of this highly exclusive model. He installs the V8 engine into the vehicle with the help of an AMG engine fitter. 
In Cologne, Mercedes-Benz Market Launch Manager for Mercedes-Benz hybrid and electric buses Ulrich Piotrowski, together with Mercedes-Benz buses brand spokesman Roman Biondi, accepted the first-ever EBUS award for the company's fuel cell Citaro hybrid buses. Under the patronage of Dr. Peter Ramsauer, the Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Development, the EBUS Award was given in recognition of the efforts that have been made to introduce electric buses into public local transport, and is intended as an incentive to drive forward innovative developments in this sector. In giving the award to the Citaro FuelCELL Hybrid, the judges recognized the fuel cell, lithium-ion battery and electric motor components of the bus, which enables it to travel over 300 kilometres without producing any emissions at all. The judges also noted the use of a fuel cell that had already been deployed in the passenger car segment by the German automaker. Furthermore, with more than a dozen buses in actual service (17 in fact), the awarding committee recognized that the Citaro fuel cell hybrid was not a mere technology demonstrator but an actual working vehicle in use in the public transport system. Compared to previous generations systems, the Citaro hybrid bus now uses 50% less hydrogen, due to improvements like fuel cell stacking and lithium-ion cell hybridization. With these improvements, Mercedes-Benz has demonstrated that it is now possible to mass manufacture drive systems that are virtually maintenance-free and very long-lasting. Cars and buses running on electric power alone with fuel cells as energy generators are now very much a reality. In terms of greening our technologies to lessen the impact of transport systems on the environment, Mercedes has shown that is leading the way. The recognition of government and scientific groups of the company's efforts only serves to spur interest and gratitude on the part of consumers. 
Car collecting is in no way limited to the full-scale collectible models that one sees plying the streets of the world. How else would one explain the myriad hobby brands and shops that cater to the enthusiasts who fill shelf upon shelf of scale model cars? This month, the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany is holding its 4th annual collector's fair. Focusing primarily but not entirely on Mercedes-Benz collectible cars, the fair will also feature other memorabilia like pins, literature and accessories. A highlight of the Mercedes-themed fair is a special edition model from long-time scale car manufacturer Minichamps. Highly detailed, this will be a Type R107 Mercedes-Benz SL with the interior done in a leather-like material. Only 500 1:43 pieces will be made, and will be individually numbered and placed in a collector's box. For dealers and commercial hobbyists, there's still time to register your enterprise. Just log on to http://www.mercedes-benz-classic.com/sammlerboerse. Opening on October 27, the fair is open for free to the public. 
Thanks to strong September sales figures that jumped 7 percent compared to the same month last year, Mercedes-Benz was able to pad its lead over German rival BMW. So far, Mercedes-Benz leads by 5,221 vehicles in its bid to claim the title of number 1 luxury car brand in the United States. According to a statement by the automaker, the strong sales can be attributed to the updates on the GLK compact SUV and the C-Class compact sedan. This helped the company reach 23,156 total units delivered in the US last month, compared to the 21,761 units BMW sold over the same period. In addition, Lexus-the luxury car marque of Toyota-was a close third at 20,386 units. Mercedes-Benz took upon itself the challenge of wresting the crown from BMW, who won 2011 by a mere 2,715 units from longtime leader Lexus. If things continue improving like they are right now, Mercedes-Benz could reach that goal. The automaker sold 7,872 C-Class units, accounting for an improvement of 15 percent compared to September 2011. As for the newly updated GLK, sales rose 66 percent to 3,206 units. Steve Cannon, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, said that it's shaping up to be "a nice finish for the year" in an interview back in September. 
Seen on a Czech blog is this monstrous G500 conversion which has made the nicely-proportioned G-Class diminutive by comparison. Stretching more than 6.3 meters, this SUV (truck maybe?) is longer than a Rolls-Royce Phantom. By 210 mm. Although sporting a leather interior, this G500 retains the spartan appointments typical of a G-Class. Also typical is the base 5-liter V8 that gives 300 hp when the driver floors the throttle. But peak output is not this vehicle's forte, rather torquey grunt for all-terrain mobility. As you can see, the major mods are all external, with the chassis extensions allowing a huge cargo bed at the rear, to which the spare tire has also been relocated. The cargo area also follows the belt line of the original G-Class, so the conversion would look almost OEM, were it not the humongous wheel flares that have been grafted onto the body to cover the equally massive off-road tires. Up front, tubular bumpers replace the originals and finishing off this G500 is a matte black finish with blacked-out trim. With that look, you've got a unique Model G that literally leaves a big impression. 
Michael Schumacher is widely recognized as one of the best drivers to compete in Formula One, and now his career is coming to an end for the second time. "I have decided to retire from Formula One at the end of the season, although I am still able to compete with the best drivers of the world," Schumacher said at a press conference prior to the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix that's set to take place this weekend. "This is something that makes me proud, and this is part of why I never regretted my comeback. I can be happy with my performance and the fact that I was continuously raising my game during the last three years. But then, at some point it is time to say goodbye." Schumacher, 43, is a 7-time F1 champion. Much of his success was prior to his first retirement in 2007. He remained involved with the Ferrari team post-retirement, from being an advisor to helping in development and testing. Then he returned in 2010 to race for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team, teaming up with another German, Nico Rosberg. Since his comeback, it became clear that Schumacher can still compete with the best of the best in racing, but his advanced age, emergence of great young drivers, and often unreliable cars didn't allow him to replicate his past success in F1, which includes 91 Grand Prix victories, 68 pole positions, and 77 fastest laps. At the end of September, it was confirmed that McLaren Mercedes driver and 2008 F1 champion Lewis Hamilton would be racing for Mercedes AMG Petronas starting next season. This was practically a confirmation that Schumacher's days at Mercedes were numbered, although it was speculated that he might be going to another team to continue racing. 
