2008

  • 6 - 13 January 2008
  • In a long-distance drive from Los Angeles via Chicago to the auto show in Detroit, the smart fortwo and Mercedes-Benz E 320 BLUETEC prove their economy under everyday conditions. On the 4,400-km journey across the USA, the smart fortwo mhd consumes 4.8 litres of fuel per 100 km, the smart fortwo cdi only 3.9 litres, and the E 320 BlueTEC 5.8 litres per 100 km.
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  • 9 January 2008
  • Hardly three years since the start of series production, the 100,000th Mercedes-Benz truck with environment-friendly BlueTec technology leaves the Wörth plant. The Actros 1841 LS low-frame semitrailer tractor is delivered to the haulage company Mosolf GmbH.
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  • 19 - 27 January 2008
  • The upgraded SLK models of series R 171 make their debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan/USA. The two studies, "Vision GLK FREESIDE" and "Vision GLK TOWNSIDE", also celebrate their world premiere. They preview a compact SUV model which will come out on the market in the autumn as the GLK. The hybrid vehicle studies "S 300 BLUETEC HYBRID" and "ML 450 HYBRID" have their US premiere.
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  • 27 - 31 January 2008
  • The Mercedes-Benz CLC-Class celebrates its world premiere at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin. The new coupe model series supersedes the sports coupes of the C-Class and has its market launch in June.
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  • 29 January 2008
  • On the occasion of the World Mobility Forum in Stuttgart, Daimler AG hands over a Mercedes-Benz Atego BlueTec Hybrid and a Mitsubshi Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid to Deutsche Post World Net. With that the two partners give the go-ahead for a large-scale fleet test of hybrid trucks in operative business. At the World Mobility Forum, the Mercedes-Benz Citaro G BlueTec Hybrid, a low-floor articulated regular service bus with hybrid drive, receives the first DEKRA Environmental Prize ever awarded.
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  • 22 February 2008
  • The Maybach brand adds to its model range the Landaulet, presented as a study in November 2007. The particularly exclusive variant of the 450 kW / 612 hp Maybach 62 S will be delivered from autumn 2008.
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  • 3 March 2008
  • The newly established Daimler Group Services GmbH commences operations in the Schicklerhaus in Berlin. The purpose of the company is to pool the previously decentralised invoicing functions in financial accounting.
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  • 6 - 16 March 2008
  • Mercedes-Benz presents the "Vision GLK BLUETEC HYBRID" with environment-friendly diesel-hybrid drive at the Geneva Motor Show. The upgraded models of the CLS-Class (C 219 series) and, with distinctly modified styling, the SL-Class (R 230 series) also celebrate their premiere. Also making its debut is the particularly dynamic Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG variant, which is exclusively equipped with the innovative AMG SPEEDSHIFT MCT 7-speed sports transmission. This unit uses a wet multiplate start-up clutch in place of a conventional torque converter. In conjunction with the throttle blipping function and RACE START mode, it enables a very dynamic driving experience. In the CL 500 4 MATIC Mercedes-Benz presents a first all-wheel-drive coupé. In the C-Class (204 series), particularly fuel-efficient variants of the C 180 KOMPRESSOR, the C 200 CDI and the new C 350 CGI with spray-guided petrol direct injection make their debut under the label "BlueEFFICIENCY".
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  • 10 March 2008
  • At the Carl Benz Center in Stuttgart, Mercedes-Benz presents to the press the new generation of Actros heavy-duty trucks. The new model series, which goes into production in July, has undergone further improvements to economy, comfort and design and is fitted as standard with the Mercedes-Benz PowerShift automated manual transmission.
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  • 16 March 2008
  • In the first race of the 2008 Formula One season, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, a new Safety Car and new Medical Car see service for the first time. The SL 63 AMG is the official Safety Car of the 2008 season; the C 63 AMG Estate is the official Medical Car.
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  • 19 March 2008
  • Mercedes-Benz hands over the first natural gas powered Sprinter 316 NGT to a customer. The firm, CWS-boco International GmbH, begins extensive testing of the vehicle in routine service. At the Hanover Commercial Vehicle Show in September, CWS-boco signs a framework agreement on the delivery of 150 natural gas Sprinter vans.
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  • 21 - 30 March 2008
  • Three SUVs with especially environment-friendly diesel drive units make their debut at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS): the ML 320 BlueTEC, the R 320 BlueTEC and the GL 320 BlueTEC. All three comfortably meet the stringent US BIN 5 emission standard thanks to AdBlue technology and are offered for sale in the USA starting in the autumn. The revised W 164-series M-Class models, including the top-of-the-range ML 63 AMG, also have their world premiere.
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  • 5 - 13 April 2008
  • Mercedes-Benz presents the revised models of the 169 series A-Class and the 245 series B-Class at the Auto Mobil International (AMI) show in Leipzig. The 1.5-litre and 1.7-litre petrol-engined models, as particularly economical BlueEFFICIENCY variants, are available with ECO start/stop function and reduced rolling resistance and drag. The economical A 160 CDI in the two-door version and the B 170 NGT with bivalent natural gas drive also carry the "BlueEFFICIENCY" label.
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  • 10 April 2008
  • Mercedes-Benz presents the new four-cylinder diesel engine generation OM 651. The most powerful variant of the new engine series develops 150 kW / 204 hp and obtains a maximum torque of 500 Nm. Despite these performance figures, the four-cylinder-CDI of the latest generation consumes significantly less fuel than its predecessor.
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  • 11 April 2008
  • A tenorite grey C-Class Estate from the 204 series rolls off the assembly line as the five-millionth Mercedes-Benz passenger car built by the Bremen plant. The milestone vehicle is handed over to its new owner at the end of the line.
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  • 21 April 2008
  • In Delhi, India, the Indian Hero Group and Daimler AG sign the official contract establishing their joint venture "Daimler Hero Motor Corporation Ltd.". The new company, in which Daimler holds a 60 % interest, will produce commercial vehicles under a new brand name for the Indian volume market.
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  • 22 - 28 April 2008
  • The compact SUVs of the GLK-Class (X 204 series) have their world premiere at Auto China 2008 in Beijing. The market launch of the distinctively styled off-roader with all-wheel drive takes place in October.
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  • 24 April 2008
  • Mercedes-Benz presents the environmental certificates for the A-Class and B-Class, issued by TÜV Süd in line with ISO 14062 "Design for Environment". The A-Class is the first compact car to get an environmental certificate; as for the B-Class, this is the first time a lifecycle assessment has been made for a natural gas powered vehicle.
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  • 30 April 2008
  • The fuel cell bus fleet of DaimlerChrysler sets a new record: the 36 buses have now covered a combined distance of more than two million kilometres and carried around seven million passengers.
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  • 30 April 2008
  • The Supervisory Board of Daimler AG approves the company's plans to buy 22.3 % of shares of Tognum AG to make it the new principal sharerholder. The transaction is to be completed in the third quarter of the year, once approval is obtained from the antitrust and other authorities.
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  • 14 May 2008
  • UPS, the courier and parcel service based in the United States, awards Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) the largest contract to date for trucks and delivery vans with alternative drives. On the basis of the MT45 walk-in delivery van and MT55 chassis, Freightliner will produce 200 vehicles with a hybrid drive and 300 with a natural gas drive for UPS.
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  • 19 May 2008
  • The naming ceremony for the expedition sailing ship PANGAEA at the Monaco Yacht Club marks the start of a four-year expedition by adventurer Mike Horn. As partner and main sponsor of the expedition, Mercedes-Benz, jointly with Mike Horn, pursues the objective of motivating mainly young people to protect the environment and nature and of initiating sustainable projects worldwide.
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  • 29 May 2008
  • A 40-tonne tractor-semitrailer combination with an Actros semitrailer tractor featuring BlueTec 5 technology completes a seven-day fuel consumption test run on the circuit in Nardò, southern Italy. Over the test run of 12,728 km and with with a 25-tonne payload at an average speed of 80 km/h, the Actros consumes a mere 19.44 litres of diesel fuel per 100 km, or less than 0.8 litres per 100-tonne-kilometres (tkm). This record gives the Actros the title of "Most fuel-efficient 40 ton truck" and an entry in the official "Guinness World Records" listing.
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  • 4 June 2008
  • In the Initial Quality Study carried out by the US market research company J.D. Power & Associates, Mercedes-Benz receives three awards for highest quality: the E-Class and the CLK get the J.D. Power Award in Gold for highest product quality in their respective market segments, and the Sindelfingen plant receives the Platinum Award, which is bestowed on the production facility with the world's best delivery quality.
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  • 4 - 17 June 2008
  • At the "Van Transport and Environment" workshop in Hamburg, Mercedes-Benz presents the current status of environment-friendly drive systems to the press, making allowance for the socioeconomic importance of the van. Emphasis is on the ECO start/stop system, natural gas drive and plug-in hybrid technology – environment-friendly systems which the representatives of the press can experience for themselves at first hand with appropriately equipped Sprinter vans. A premiere is the trial drive of a hybrid Sprinter of the new generation.
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  • 16 June 2008
  • In Kawasaki, Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) presents the Mitsubishi Fuso Safety Truck. The tractor-semitrailer combination based on the Super Great heavy-duty truck series is fitted with numerous assistance systems and is designed to demonstrate the potential of new safety technologies.
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  • 18 June 2008
  • Daimler AG announces its intention to expand the Mercedes-Benz model range in the compact car segment to four independent model series in future. In this connection, to improve competitiveness in the long term and open up new markets, an additional plant is planned for Kecskemét, Hungary.
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  • 18 June 2008
  • In the presence of Rhineland-Palatinate Minister President Kurz Beck and Wörth's mayor Harald Seiter, Board of Management member Andreas Renschler opens the second section of the Development and Testing Centre for Trucks in Wörth. In total the company has invested € 80 million in the centre, including € 35 million in the second construction phase.
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  • 27 June 2008
  • In London, Mercedes-Benz launches a special "black cab" London Taxi version of the Vito. The vehicle is fitted with an additional steered rear axle, which allows it to meet the authorities' requirements for a maximum turning circle of 7.62 m.
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  • 30 June 2008
  • With a ceremony at the Aksaray plant Mercedes-Benz Türk A.S. celebrates two production milestones: the 100,000th Mercedes-Benz truck manufactured in Turkey, and the 50,000th bus built by the Turkish subsidiary. The two landmark vehicles are ceremoniously handed over to the customers.
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  • 3 July 2008
  • The first A-Class F-CELL "plus" fuel cell-powered vehicle, equipped with 700-bar technology, passes its first test under everyday operating conditions on the drive from Berlin to the Magdeburg Environmental Forum. The much more highly compressed hydrogen permits a larger fill factor in the tank to offer a 70 % greater range of around 270 km.
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  • 4 July 2008
  • With the dedication of a new building, the Competence Centre for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles (KEN) in Mannheim is expanded to become the Mercedes-Benz Production Competence Centre for Natural Gas Drive. In addition to the E-Class and the Econic, the Sprinter and the B-Class are now also fitted with environment-friendly, economical drive system technology in Mannheim.
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  • 7 July 2008
  • The German-Indian Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles (DHCV) concludes a preliminary agreement with the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu concerning the construction of a future production plant. From 2010 up to 70,000 trucks annually are to be built in Chennai.
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  • 19/20 July 2008
  • Mercedes-AMG GmbH presents the SL 65 AMG Black Series, a top-flight high-performance coupé, at the Formula One race at Hockenheim. The exclusive two-seater developed in the AMG Performance Studio guarantees performance on the super sports car level thanks to its thoroughgoing lightweight design and 493 kW / 670 hp V12 biturbo engine from the M 275 series.
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  • 30 July 2008
  • A ceremony marks the official renaming of the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium in Stuttgart as the "Mercedes-Benz Arena". The sports arena, located in Mercedesstrasse directly adjacent #to the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim plant and the Mercedes-Benz Museum, is converted to a dedicated football stadium from 2009.
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  • 3 August 2008
  • Heikki Kovalainen, driving for the McLaren-Mercedes team since the departure of Fernando Alonso at the start of the season, wins his first Formula One race at the Hungarian Grand Prix on the Hungaroring in a McLaren-Mercedes MP4-23.
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  • 12 August 2008
  • In London Daimler AG hands over ten Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid vehicles to eight customers to start Europe's biggest fleet test with hybrid trucks. The aim of the three-year test series is to demonstrate the great economy of the diesel-electric drive in customer applications.
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