Gizmodo Australia » mercedes-benz

HD Radio Now Standard On All Rolls-Royce Automobiles

Jack Loftus — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:00:00 +0000

When it comes to luxury automobiles and pampering its customers Rolls-Royce isn’t stopping at specialised purse holders. Nay, they’re extending the perks to include HD radio, now standard on all the vehicles they offer.

The move makes Rolls-Royce one of only two car manufacturers to offer HD radio standard, the other being Volvo. Audi and Mercedes-Benz will follow suit in 2011.

HD radio listeners: Does this excite you to no end or what? [CrunchGear]

Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams On Brakes At Red Lights

Mark Wilson — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:00 +0000

The light has been yellow for too long, and you’re not making it through the intersection before it’s red. But either you don’t notice or you don’t care. But even though your foot is on the gas, the car brakes.

Mercedes-Benz is experimenting with this very scenario at their R&D facility in Palo Alto.

Using a smart intersection, the light essentially communicates with the car. And if the driver still isn’t responsive to, say, brake after several warnings of a red light, the car can stop itself. (Start the clip around 50 seconds in for the full demo.)

Mercedes-Benz admits that, though the technology is “almost there”, we’re still a decade out from its deployment. After all, every stoplight in America would need an upgrade to smart intersection status (for which there are no agreed standards). Plus, given that these intersections would cost money that would surely be lost through less tickets, it’s hard to imagine where the money will come from.

So what do you think? Is this a handy safety feature or a limit on our human rights to break the law? [BBG]

Brabus Viano Lounge Is Rich Techie’s Van Of Choice

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:00:00 +0000

The Brabus Mercedes-Benz Viano Lounge, which is so high-end it’s called a “Lounge” and not a van (spoiler: it’s a van), is chock full of pretty much the most impressive array of tech gear we’ve ever seen on four wheels.

A short list of included gadgetry: A 32-inch electrically-deployed LCD, Wi-Fi, included Sony Vaio laptop, PS3, optional (and ridiculous) Vertu Constellation luxury phone and an espresso maker, all crammed into a van with 426hp. It’s still a concept, so there’s no price, but it’s definitely good to see a totally insane luxury car tricked out without giant flames on the sides. [Serious Wheels via LikeCool via DVICE]

RENNtech Mercedes C63 AMG SPEC.R and Its Radar Jamming System Get a Test Drive

Sean Fallon — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:20:00 +0000

Jalopnik had the honour of test driving the RENNtech Mercedes C63 AMG SPEC.R. It’s a beautiful car, but one of the most interesting features is the radar jamming system built into the rear-view mirror.

Amazingly enough, the system worked flawlessly in Jalopnik’s test. The savings in speed tickets alone means that this car will pay for itself in time. Well…maybe not. Hit up Jalopnik to get the full test-drive details. [Jalopnik]

Mercedes Attention Assist Fights Drowsy Driving With Coffee Breaks, Alarms

Jack Loftus — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Fall asleep at the wheel of the new Mercedes E-class and the car will attempt to wake you up. Then, like a good $US50,000 vehicle, it will suggest you pause for coffee.

Called Attention Assist, the program is the result of some meticulous study by the fine folks at Mercedes. By studying the brainwaves of sleepy drivers and the physical behaviour that accompanied them (like sluggish or delayed steering, for example), they were able to design a car that literally knows when you’re about to fall asleep at the wheel.

When the system notices that, thanks to sensors in the steering wheel, it will sound an obnoxious alarm to startle you into consciousness. Then, as mentioned above, the display will suggest you “pause” and take a break.

Meaning, if you purchase a new E-Class when they come out in 2009, you’ll probably be driving in one of the safest cars on the road. That is, until some schmuck driving a beat-up old ‘95 Ford falls asleep at the wheel after working three jobs and kills you. Until that day though, super safe. [Autoweek via DVICE]

Mercedes’ Web-Connected myComand Takes on BMW iDrive

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:45:00 +0000

Mercedes-Benz new myCOMAND system has appeared at the Los Angeles Auto Show, taking on the fourth-generation BMW iDrive. Whereas the latter has an Xbox 360 feeling, this one gets some clues from Apple, especially Coverflow and the menu navigation, which reminds me of the first version of the Apple TV and Front Row. One big difference is that myCOMAND is connected to the web, grabbing information wirelessly and presenting it through their own on-screen apps. Looking at the high resolution screens and the feature list, it seems very good:

• Off-board navigation: The GPS is constantly updated, from the maps to the points of interests. It also has a satellite overview and the search language is open: you can write directions without having to follow a format. It looks like the are plugging into Google Maps for this one, although I’m not sure how well the writing will work using their navigation knob.

• Trip assist: This part is quite nice, grabbing information pertaining your planned trip from different web sources and presenting it in a useful manner. You can, for example, see the weather forecast for the trip, as well as giving you the possibility to make hotel and restaurants reservations from the system itself.

• World radio: Instead of using a normal radio, this one plugs into the web to access all the stations available. The menu gives the possibility to access radio via genre. More interesting is the idea of storing your music in a web server and accessing it through the system directly, without the need to connect an digital music player or storing things locally.

• Internet telephony: It has support for voice over IP systems like Skype.

• Web browser: They also include a web browser, in case you need to get more information than the one provided with the thin clients above.

• YouTube: For huh… hmmm. Some reason.

The navigation knob, which looks similar to the Powermate, is simpler than the iDrive 4.0. Our Jalopnik comrades will have to try it to see if their user interface approach is better or not. [Mercedes Benz]

Mercedes Formula Zero Envisions Eco-Friendly Green Racing in 2025

Jack Loftus — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0000

The Formula Zero racecar, pictured above in all its conceptual glory, is the Mercedes-Benz take on racing in the year 2025. Designed by the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Centre of North America, the car aims to mash together the “the thrill of Formula One, the track dynamics of the bobsled or luge, and the grace and efficiency of yacht racing.” As you can see from the obvious sail, there’s also a great deal of wind power and energy efficiency present in the design. In 2025, racing teams are allocated a set amount of stored energy, which team and drivers must manage to win the race. Winners are determined not only by elapsed time, but also on their team’s energy efficiency factor. An outrageously detailed explainer of this futuristic racing world, complete with clear glass race tracks, lies below.

Mercedes-Benz Formula Zero
Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Centre of North America
Luxury racing arrives in the Formula Zero Racer by incorporating the thrill of Formula One, the track dynamics of the bobsled or luge, and the grace and efficiency of yacht racing.

Reminiscent of the Mercedes Benz racing heritage of the 1930’s, the Formula Zero Racer is loaded with technology designed to extract the maximum thrust from the electric hub motors, aero-efficient solar skin and high-tech rigid sail.

Each team is allocated the same amount of stored energy and it is left to the teams and drivers to manage the variables to win the race. The winner is determined by total elapsed time combined with the energy efficiency factor.

Spectators at the Mercedes Benz Formula Zero racing Series are treated to a new dimension of racing as the transparent track is visible from all perspectives – even from below!

Designers:
Alan Barrington
George Yoo
Kevin Verduyn

[LA Design Challenge Motorsports 2025]

Mercedes Benz Makes an iPhone Pouch…Wait What?

Jason Chen — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:00:00 +0000

It’s Mercedes’ Swarovski Elements iPhone pouch from their GLK collection, which holds your iPhone the way that only a gaudy piece of leather can. Only 40 are going to be made (as of now), and will be raffled off in the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin to people who are rich enough to attend. More gaudiness after the jump. [eMercedes Benz]

Mercedes-Benz Integrates iPhone into Its Cars with Special Cradle

Gizmodo US Edition — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:45:00 +0000

German car manufacturer Mercedes is buying the iPhone-is-God credo, and has come up with a designated piece of gear to allow Benz drivers to integrate their iPhones into the car system. The US$249 gadget works with the C-, E-, CLK-,
CLS-, S-, CL-, SL-, M- and R-Class cars, as well as the forthcoming GLK-Class. It connects your phone to the car’s audio system via either the optionally available Media Interface or the retrofittable iPod® Interface Kit. Full press release below.

New cradle allowing full integration into the vehicle architecture: Mercedes-Benz makes in-car iPhone® connection even easier

Stuttgart – Whether it be a quick call to a business colleague for an important discussion, listening to favourite music tracks or checking home and office e-mails whilst on the move – the Apple iPhone® is a leading-edge business tool with multimedia capability, available in Germany and other markets. Now Mercedes-Benz allows the iPhone® connection to be fully integrated into the vehicle architecture for the first time – once again pointing the way ahead for the automotive industry. The new Apple iPhone® cradle allows simple switching between the telephone and audio functions. What’s more, thanks to the location of the cradle in the centre console, the iPhone® is within easy reach of both the driver and the front passenger. For ease of use, the iPhone® is controlled via the multifunction steering wheel, while the vehicle display is used to indicate the phone status or music functions and information such as the track title and artist.

Over 100,000 people in Germanyhave already purchased an iPhone® – made by US electronics giant Apple – since its launch in November 2007. By introducing the new cradle for the Apple iPhone®, Mercedes-Benz has made it even easier to enjoy the special benefits of this trend-setting multimedia application, even when on the move in the car. This fully integrated solution – the first of its kind – enables either the phone functions or the audio functions on the iPhone® to be activated. As ever, the device is easy to use thanks to the controls on the multi-function steering wheel, all of which enhances road safety, as the driver’s hands remain on the steering wheel, leaving them free to concentrate on the traffic and the other controls in the cockpit.

Perfect reception is assured as the iPhone® connects to the vehicle aerial automatically when inserted into the cradle. A further advantage is the automatic recharging of the iPhone® battery whilst the phone is sitting in the cradle.

This function means that the iPhone® stays fully charged, which is ideal if the user has to leave the vehicle.

New design to influence the style of further cradles

As well as impressing on a technical level, the Apple iPhone® cradle’s exclusive design allows it to be integrated seamlessly into the interior of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The all-new design is based on a black-and-silver colour scheme that adds hallmark Mercedes-Benz touches. The leading-edge design will be used in future cradles for mobile phones available from Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH.

The iPhone® cradle can be inserted into the centre console – where it is within easy reach of both the driver and the front passenger – with a single click and without the need for any tools whatsoever. The portable device is therefore easy to plug in and unplug.Optional convenience telephony (Order Code 386) must also be specified. The cradle connects to the audio system either via the optionally available Media Interface or the retrofittable iPod®Interface Kit available from the range of genuine accessories. Both variants use an integral adaptor lead that has to be installed by a specialist workshop, ensuring an ideal connection between the cradle and the Media Interface or iPod® Interface.

The fully integrated iPhone® is available now for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, E‑Class, CLK-Class, CLS-Class, S-Class, CL-Class, SL-Class, M-Class and R-Class. The product will also be offered for the new GLK-Class when this model is launched in October. In Germany, the Apple iPhone® cradle retails at € 249 (including VAT) and is obtainable from all Mercedes-Benz dealers.

The adaptor leads for the Media Interface or iPod® Interface are available for € 39 (including VAT) in Germany.

[eMercedesBenz]

Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid: First Planned HEV With Li-Ion Battery

Haroon Malik — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:00:00 +0000

Sure, we have heard word of lithium ion batteries being possibly implemented in a Prius before, but Mercedes-Benz is going beyond concept speculation with its S400 BlueHybrid, which promises Li-ion HEV action to be hitting the production lines by 2009. At present, that makes the S400 BlueHybrid the first Li-ion HEV with a set mass-production time frame.

Current hybrid vehicles use nickel-metal hydride batteries, but the lithium-ion alternatives are known to offer greater efficiency, as well as a better overall weight-to-power ratio. The problem with integrating the Li-ion technology was in securing their stability—they became far too hot to be a viable option in a hybrid vehicle. Fortunately, Mercedes-Benz has 25 patents it is confident solves the dilemma of battery overheating, whether they stay on target for 2009 is another matter, but we certainly wouldn’t doubt them. (N.B. The model pictured is the standard petrol engine S400. Images of the BlueHybrid have not been released as yet.)[CNET]