Daimler
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Daimler commenced trials of a new mobility concept called the ‘car2go project’ in Ulm, Germany, on October 24 in an attempt to provide a solution for increasing traffic volume in urban areas. The company is now expanding the program to 200 cars from an initial 50, and opening the fleet up to public use. The expanded fleet will be in service by Q1 2009, and if that proves successful, electric cars could be added as well. The project is essentially a car sharing program that charges users $0.19 for each minute they use the vehicle regardless of distance traveled or fuel consumed...
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Cerberus accuses Daimler of fudging Chrysler’s numbers
Cerberus Capital Management has accused Daimler AG of misleading them about the true value of Chrysler before selling the American private equity group a majority holding in the Auburn Hills carmaker. At this point in time, Cerberus owns 80.1% of Chrysler and Daimler owns the remaining 19.9%, and...
Ralph Hanson -
Several Mercedes plant workers accused of corruption
Several employees of the Mercedes Benz plant in Sindelfinger are under investigation, following allegations of corruption and bribery, according to a number of German news sources. The beginning of a preliminary investigation was confirmed by the Stuttgart public prosecutor's office on Sunday...
James Martinez -
Daimler suspends production for 1 month
Even the upper tier of the mass-market luxury car manufacturers are facing troubled times this year. Sales are down, inventories are up and there appears to be no end in sight. In response to this situation, Daimler has decided the right move is to cut all production for at least one month...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: Chrysler to use more Mercedes diesels in Europe
Though Daimler and Chrysler split last year, cooperation between the two carmakers is ongoing, and it looks to be headed into the future as well, with the next-generation Mercedes four-cylinder diesel headed into Chrysler vehicles in Europe, according to the latest reports. A 2.1L unit will be the...
Alex Kaufmann -
Daimler values 19.9% stake in Chrysler down to zero
Both General Motors and Renault-Nissan are reportedly eying an acquisition of Chrysler, or at least some of its shares, but one carmaker that already owns a stake in the Auburn Hills-based firm has downgraded the value of its holding to zero. Daimler AG, which retained a 19.9% share in Chrysler...
Jeremy Weber -
With no new models in the pipeline and a paltry 146 units sold in all of 2007, there has been plenty of speculation that Maybach could be running at a loss and eventually dropped from Daimler’s portfolio. Considering rival brands Rolls Royce and Bentley are experiencing record sales and growth, walking away from Maybach was an idea suggested by Daimler’s CEO Dieter Zetsche as recently as March. However, in his latest interview with Automotive News, Zetsche has revealed that Maybach is not running at a loss and the brand won’t be dropped anytime soon. He revealed that there...
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Daimler and BMW engineers want common EV standards
Designing and building to a multitude of standards for each one-off or proprietary set of electric vehicle (EV) specifications is an expensive and laborious process. That's why Daimler and BMW engineers have joined together in a call for industry-wide standards for future development. The industry...
Nelson Ireson -
Tesla to partner with Daimler
Tesla has reportedly signed a technology deal with Daimler according to latest comments from the electric car company’s Chairman Elon Musk. The new deal is in its early stages but according to the Tesla exec it could potentially grow into something major. Elon Musk reportedly told Fox...
Ralph Hanson -
Daimler wants more compact cars
Mercedes-Benz has made no secret of its desire to develop a new platform for its future A and B-Class models, and has even gone so far as at arrange formal talks with both Fiat and BMW over a possible deal to share development. It’s now been revealed that Mercedes’ Smart brand also...
James Martinez -
Daimler wants to be Europe’s turbocharger leader
Turbocharging is quickly becoming the must-have technology for carmakers looking for proven methods of boosting the performance of an engine without bumping up displacement. Most diesel passenger cars come equipped with a blower, and the number of turbocharged petrol models is growing at a rapid...
Alex Kaufmann -
Daimler drops Chrysler for good, Benz name stays on at Mercedes
Shareholders of DaimlerChrysler have approved the company’s new name ‘Daimler AG’ and have also agreed to rename the car division ‘Mercedes-Benz Cars.’ Following the split of DaimlerChrysler earlier this year, shareholders were required to vote in a new name for the...
Ralph Hanson -
German weekly Der Spiegel recently sat down with Dieter Zetsche, CEO of DaimlerChrysler, to discuss hybrids, the environment, the split from Chrysler, and cooperating with BMW. No punches were pulled in this ballsy interview, and Zetsche did an admirable job of actually answering each question, rather than giving some marketing-speak non-response. SPIEGEL: Not too long ago, you said that Mercedes-Benz needed Chrysler to provide security. Costly innovations, you said, would only be worthwhile if they were first used in the luxury class and later in mass-market vehicles. Zetsche: Yes, I did say...
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Daimler CEO open to engine deal with BMW
BMW makes some of the best engines in the business so it comes as little surprise the CEO of Daimler, Dieter Zetsche, is open to jointly developing new engines with the Munich-based rival. In a recent interview, Zetsche revealed that he would be open to a partnership if it made financial sense...
Kenneth Hall -
Smart ForTwo creator plans second car
The man originally behind the concept of Smart cars, Swatch chairman Nicolas G. Hayek, has said he’s planning to build a new, greener car. Hayek's previous auto project, the Smart Fortwo, was originally designed as an all-electric vehicle. However, such technology was either not feasible or...
Nelson Ireson -
DCX in deal with Ford to win back Daimler name
The Daimler name is actually owned by a small UK carmaker owned by Ford Premier Auto Group’s Jaguar, which sells re-badged Jaguar XJ saloons as the Super Eight. Jaguar attained the rights to the company in 1960 when it bought the UK subsidiary established by Germany’s Gottfried Daimler...
Alex Kaufmann -
Warranty claims cost DCX $6.1 billion last year
One of the key challenges of turning around the misfortunes at Chrysler will be to improve the levels of warranty claims, which last year cost it and German parent Daimler a staggering $6.1 billion. Though the data didn’t separate which carmaker within the group had the highest claims...
James Martinez -
Smart Fortwo poses safety fears in US
DaimlerChrysler’s tiny Smart car is a popular model for tackling Europe’s tight inner-city streets and exorbitant fuel prices, but in the US, where it’s common to see 4,500 pound SUVs, fears are rising that the minicar won’t stand much of chance in a serious accident with...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
DaimlerChrysler’s ultra-luxury brand Maybach, suffering from poor sales and a limited lineup, could expand its range with rumored convertible and SUV models in an effort to increase profitability. Though chances of a high-end SUV are slim, the likelihood of a convertible model based on the current 57 limo is high considering that sister-brand Mercedes-Benz has confirmed production of its own four-door luxury drop-top. Sharing its underpinnings with the Maybach 57, the new cabrio will seat up to four passengers and is expected to be produced in a limited run of just 25 to 50 cars...
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Mercedes to roll out hybrid and engine stop-start tech
DaimlerChrysler is set to follow the lead of BMW by making mild hybrid and engine stop-start systems available in some of its more popular models. At an announcement in London, officials announced that the first car in the DCX fold to feature the eco-friendly tech will be the Smart Fortwo...
Ralph Hanson -
Smart unveils new hybrid concepts
Smart has just released details about a couple of hybrid variants of its new Fortwo minicar, with the ultra-efficient offerings coming in three different flavors including one of the industry’s first diesel-hybrid drivetrains. It's likely these designs will eventually lead to new production...
Kenneth Hall -
Smart cost DCX €3.9 billion over four years
DaimlerChrysler has received a ton of flak for its Smart car brand from both its shareholders and motoring journalists ever since the label was launched back in 2002, and with good reason. It has just been revealed that the minicar offshoot has lost close to €3.9 billion ($5.21 billion)...
Alex Kaufmann -
Smart Fortwo to get stop-start technology
Daimler will be testing the waters with its own automatic stop-start fuel-saving technology when it introduces an updated Fortwo minicar later this year. Already introduced in several BMW models, the system works by automatically shutting down the engine when the car stands still in traffic and...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Could Daimler suffer a hostile takeover?
Now that Daimler is on its own and no longer suffering the financial setback of the loss-making Chrysler brand, the luxury German carmaker will be very tempting as a possible takeover target in the eyes of cash-rich private equity investors. Until recently, most takeovers in the auto industry were...
Siddarth Raja