daimler

"Viva la revolucion!"

Mercedes-Benz may not seem like the kind of company that would promote the social use of its vehicles, but at CES today, it was doing just that.

During the company's CES press conference, Daimler's chairman of the board of management, Dieter Zetsche, laid out a vision for car sharing that may be intimately tied to Mercedes cars in the future.

That's because future Mercedes cars will have a telematics app called CarTogether that can help drivers find people with whom to share rides. This is not quite the same thing, of course, … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Dieter Zetsche, Daimler chairman and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, took the stage here at CES this morning to talk about the interplay between automotive innovation and the digital realm.

He focused on the next generation of smart, connected cars, including those coming from Mercedes.

"Some might consider the car a mere accessory of consumer electronics. Some consider consumer electronics a mere accessory to the car," Zetsche said. "Both perspectives miss the mark. A smart vehicle can be so much more than a mode of transportation. A car is a personal declaration of independence."

He also … Read more

Telematics. It's one of the hottest terms in the auto industry these days, and just about every carmaker is rushing to offer its own version of the connected car.

At CES today in Las Vegas, it was German automaker Mercedes-Benz's turn to paint its telematics picture, and it did so, unveiling its @yourCommand system.

As the company put it in a release, "The car becomes a mobile-communications center, then enables [the] driver and passengers to access all modern media and services at any time. Uncoupling from the conventional vehicle development cycles is achieved on the one hand … Read more

Instead of plugging a cable into an electric vehicle, drivers may some day just need to park it on the right spot.

Daimler yesterday disclosed it is working on a wireless charging system for electric vehicles that uses inductive charging. Nissan is also working on an inductive charging pad, which is expected to be made available with future versions of the Leaf.

In its tests, Daimler is using a modified Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell, which includes a large coil under the car chassis. The car needs to be positioned above another coil placed on, or built into, the pavement. As … Read more

Timed almost perfectly to avoid the swarms of tourists that will descend upon the city for the weeklong SXSW, Daimler's car-sharing program Car2Go will expand its service area and add more cars to its fleet in downtown Austin.

Car2Go is a lot like ZipCar with the difference that its rental fleet consists entirely of Smart ForTwos that you can rent by the minute. Another differentiating perk is that you don't have to return vehicles to the same location where you picked them up--you can drop off a rental in any valid and publicly accessible parking space. But starting … Read more

NASHVILLE--Platform-sharing talks between Nissan Motor and Daimler AG are zeroing in on a new Infiniti model that could be slotted below the brand's entry-size G sedan and coupe sold by U.S. dealers.

While the talks are under way, Infiniti's U.S. sales and marketing head Ben Poore says a sub-G vehicle would be a welcome addition.

"Our competitors have products in what you could call the [Mercedes] sub-C class, or [BMW] sub-3 series," Poore says.

"There's a big market there, and that segment is going to grow."

Nissan Executive Vice President Colin … Read more

Boosting its activity in electric vehicles, Daimler plans to start producing an all-electric sedan for Europe this fall that uses batteries from Tesla Motors.

Daimler is expected to launch an electric version of its entry-level line called the A-Class E-Cell at the Paris Auto Show next month, according to reports.

Daimler will start manufacturing 500 units of the A-Class E-Cell this fall in Germany for the European market, according to a company representative. The company has not yet decided whether it will be offered in the U.S., she said.

The car will have a range of over 124 miles. … Read more

Today nearly all of the talk is about hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles.

But where are the fuel cell-powered vehicles that gained so much attention a few years ago? Closer to production than you might think--although in very small numbers.

"We will come to the market in 2015," says Bill Reinert, national manager of advanced vehicles at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

That time frame "is not just us," Reinert adds. "You will hear that from General Motors, Daimler-Benz and some other people."

Automakers are going ahead despite the lack of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure--the long-standing obstacle to fuel cell growth. They hope that by 2015, refueling stops will begin to sprout up around the country.

And automakers are trying to find ways to stimulate the hydrogen network.

For instance, GM is partnering in Hawaii with The Gas Co. The utility plans to tap into its 1,000-mile utility pipeline system, separate the hydrogen from the synthetic natural gas and sell the hydrogen to refueling stations in Hawaii. The cost to add hydrogen fueling equipment is expected to be $300,000 to $500,000 per pump

Two advantages

Despite the formidable challenges, automakers favor the fuel cell because there is a huge twofold benefit: no need for petroleum and no emissions from the tailpipe. A fuel cell uses hydrogen to generate electricity through a chemical reaction and emits only water vapor through the tailpipe. Hydrogen is plentiful and can be derived from natural gas, methanol and even water.

The push for fuel cells also is fueled by the realization by automakers that hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-powered vehicles collectively will be unable to meet stiffer CO2 regulations later this decade. … Read more

Daimler announced Thursday it's partnering with leading Chinese battery manufacturer BYD to produce electric cars under a new brand name.

The two companies have formed a 50-50 joint venture called Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co. and plan to invest a total of 600 million yuan (over $80 million) to develop an electric car directed at the Chinese market.

Daimler said in a statement they plan to share technology to capitalize on Daimler's automotive vehicle architecture expertise alongside BYD's know-how with regard to batteries and electric drive trains. Daimler, as it's well-known, already makes the all-electric … Read more