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David Coulthard, DTM driver for Mercedes-Benz and the 2001 runner up of the Formula 1 World Championship, has been made a new brand ambassador for AMG. From now on, the 40 year-old Scot will be active as a discussion partner during customer and press events, and also support the AMG development team in their test driving activities. David Coulthard is currently involved in the marketing campaign for the new Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG.
The first tangible result of the cooperation between David Coulthard and AMG is the marketing campaign for the new E 63 AMG, where the DTM racing driver demonstrates the qualities of this high-performance saloon both in racing attire and in a business outfit. With a fuel consumption of 9.8 litres per 100 kilometres (NEDC combined), the E 63 AMG developing up to 410 kW (557 hp) is the most efficient car in its class.
Ola Källenius, Chairman of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: "We are very pleased to welcome David Coulthard as a new member of the AMG family. As a fair sportsman and well-liked personality, David is perfectly suited to AMG and its more than 40 years of motorsports history. As an active DTM driver and Formula 1 driver of many years standing, David Coulthard has very extensive know-how which makes him a very knowledgeable partner for our engineers when configuring new AMG high-performance models."
David Coulthard: "I have been a member of the Mercedes-Benz family since 1996, and now I am also joining AMG as an exciting high-performance brand. This is without doubt the perfect complement to my job as a DTM driver, where I already drive an AMG C-Class of course."
Impressive Formula 1 career, DTM driver for Mercedes-Benz since 2010
David Coulthard began his career in kart racing, becoming Scottish Junior Kart Champion from 1983 to 1985. Absolving various stages in Formula racing, he joined the Williams Formula 1 team in 1994. In 1995 David Coulthard achieved third place in the Formula 1 World Championship. At the start of the 1996 season he moved to McLaren Mercedes, becoming a team colleague of Mika Häkkinen (Finland). In 2001 Coulthard became runner up of World Champion ship behind Michael Schumacher. From 2005 to 2008 he drove for Red Bull Racing, ending his Formula 1 career in 2008. Between 1994 and 2008 David Coulthard took part in a total of 246 Grand Prix races, 150 of them for McLaren-Mercedes, achieving 13 victories of which 12 were for McLaren-Mercedes.
Since 2010 David Coulthard has competed in the DTM series for the Mücke Motorsport team, in a 2008-version Mercedes-Benz C-Class. At the end of the last season in Shanghai, he won his first championship point with an eighth place, also driving the fastest lap in the race. In the 2011 DTM season, Coulthard's best result to date has been eighth place in the fourth race at Norisring. With one championship point, the 40 year-old is in 14th place in the overall ranking.
Record-setting DTM Champion Bernd Schneider as an AMG brand ambassador
Another DTM driver active as an AMG brand ambassador is Bernd Schneider. With five championship titles in the DTM, one in the ITC and one in the FIA GT Championship, Schneider is one of the most successful German racing drivers ever. Since his retirement from active racing in 2008, Bernd Schneider has been a highly popular discussion partner at AMG's customer and press events, and is also active as an expert instructor at the AMG Driving Academy. Now 47 years old, he also supports the AMG development team as a test driver. Schneider was not only involved in the configuration testing for the SLS AMG Coupé and Roadster, but also made a decisive contribution to the development of the GT3 racing version.
* Official photos and details courtesy of Mercedes-AMG GmbH *
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
After the latest inside rumors revealed, the big conclusion that rises is there's some hope for the Maybach-Manufaktur as officials have produced another variant to save the dying luxury firm. If at the beginning methods included the discontinuation process beginning with this year and a strategic alliance with Aston Martin, now we found out that Maybach could be converted into a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz. In this position, the uber-premium brand would be in charge of creating unique and exquisite variants for the upscale models in the portfolio of the Stuttgart-based manufacturer, such as the S-Class (Limousine and future Coupe model), the GL-Class and the SL-Class. However, the outcome is still in doubt at the moment, as a final decision on the subject is to be taken by the end of July, appearantly (not June, as previously claimed). If you want our (unbiased) opinion, we say Maybach will live on after that crucial date. It would be very sad if it didn't...
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
- Mercedes-Benz takes first place in the Safety category and overall
- Significant improvement in the CO2-ranking: Star brand moves up 11 places
- Mercedes-Benz the most successful brand since the introduction of AutomarxX, capturing first place a total of 13 times
Stuttgart, Germany, May 26, 2011 – Mercedes-Benz has once again defended the top position in the ADAC AutomarxX study, making it Germany’s strongest automotive brand. Mercedes-Benz is the most successful brand since AutomarxX was introduced in 2001, capturing first place a total of 13 times and beating its competitors in more than half of all the rankings. The ADAC AutomarxX study assesses the automotive brands sold in Germany in six categories: Brand Image, Market Strength, Customer Satisfaction, Product Strength/Vehicle Quality, Environment, and Safety. The results reflect the current capabilities of all automakers that are of relevance in Germany. A winner is ascertained for each category and out of this the overall winner is determined.
“We’re very pleased that we once again are ranked first in the ADAC AutomarxX study,” says Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Cars. “The result confirms our ambition to deliver our customers the very best. Our first place finish demonstrates that Mercedes-Benz continues to be the strongest brand. This also includes Mercedes-Benz being a pioneer in the development of active and passive safety systems. We also want to set benchmarks when it comes to continuous improvement of our vehicles’ efficiency. The significant improvement in the CO2-ranking shows we are successful in this as well.”
Taking the number four slot, Mercedes-Benz moved up 11 places in the CO2-ranking, far ahead of its competitors in the premium segment. The improvement was mainly due to the introduction of new, highly efficient engine variants in high-volume models such as the new-generation C-Class. The new engines, the enhanced 7G TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission, and the ECO start-stop function reduce fuel consumption by up to 31 percent compared to the figure for the predecessor model.
The main factors in the Safety category are availability of active and passive safety systems and the fact that the systems are fitted as standard. The new-generation C-Class, for example, impresses not only as a result of its greater efficiency, but also because of its many new assistance systems. Thanks to features ranging from the ATTENTION ASSIST fatigue detection system to DISTRONIC PLUS proximity control, the C-Class reaches a new level of safety.
The evaluation for the Brand Image category incorporates the results of the ADAC Motorwelt image survey of 4,000 German respondents as well as an assessment of vehicle residual values. In the image survey, the participants were primarily interested in maximum quality and the highest-possible safety standards. Not only did Mercedes-Benz take first place in both of these areas; the people surveyed also ranked the brand at the top with regard to automotive research and development.
Copyright © 2011, Mercedes-Benz-Blog. All rights reserved.
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