* Thabo Mbeki visits production facility of Mercedes-Benz in East London
* Rainer Schmückle, COO Mercedes Car Group: “South Africa is an important part of our global production network.”

East London/ Stuttgart - Mercedes-Benz has launched series production of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan in its plant in East London, South Africa. Thabo Mbeki, President of the Republic of South Africa, visited the plant on Thursday to celebrate the production start and investments into the new facility. Together with the President, Rainer Schmückle, Chief Operating Officer of the Mercedes Car Group, Dr. Hansgeorg Niefer, Chairman of the Management Board of DaimlerChrysler South , Joachim Follmann, East London Plant Manager and numerous stakeholders gathered at the plant to commemorate the occasion.
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We are very pleased to introduce the evolved all-new 2nd generation Mazda6 at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

As programme manager of the first generation Mazda6, the first embodiment of the Zoom-Zoom initiative, I devoted myself to the development of a “global car” that would define how Mazda’s unique character should develop. It was a challenge to create a car that would stand out even on Germany’s autobahns, which are the ultimate test for cars, in terms of beauty, enjoyment, practicality and comfort. To achieve this, we aimed at comprehensive innovation covering design, packaging, platform and powertrain. Developed with this determination, the original Mazda6 significantly raised the bar for CD car design and boosted Mazda’s evolving brand image.
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The new Audi RS 6 Avant will be unveiled to the public for the first time at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) on 11 September 2007. The Audi press conference will be held at 12 noon (CET) on 11 September 2007.

Key features of this newly developed model include a V10 engine with FSI direct injection and twin turbochargers, permanent quattro four-wheel drive and sports suspension with Dynamic Ride Control. At the same time, the new Audi RS 6 Avant offers a high standard of comfort with excellent suitability for everyday use.
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Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is proud to introduce three concept cars at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show. Each car is a different expression of the three pillars of Mitsubishi Motor’s vehicle strategy: driving pleasure, reassuring safety and environmental responsibility. Held at Makuhari Messe, the 40th Tokyo Motor Show is open to the public from October 27 through November 11, with press and media days October 24, 25 and 26.

World Premiere: i MiEV SPORT

Based on the i MiEV,*1 the pinnacle of Mitsubishi Motors’s environmental technology, the i MiEV SPORT maximizes the sporty possibilities of the zero-emissions electric vehicle. The high power and environmental performance of its electric motors make it an exhilarating drive that delivers superior environmental performance.
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Mercedes-Benz Airport Express in Melbourne has been presented with the Award for Service Excellence in The Australian Business Awards.

This unique Mercedes-Benz sales and service facility was recognised for its consistent exceptional customer service and professionalism, demonstrating benchmark standards in the management, monitoring and measurement of the expectations, satisfaction and retention of their customers.

“It’s wonderful that our dedicated team at Mercedes-Benz Airport Express in Melbourne have been recognised with this award,” said Horst von Sanden, managing director for the Mercedes Car Group in Australia.
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Renault has chosen to exhibit New Laguna and Koleos Concept at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. The event will also see Renault showcase its strategy on matters relating to the environment, safety and quality.

New Laguna: driving pleasure and peace of mind
Created with quality in mind

Laguna was first marketed in January 1994. Since then, over 2.3 million cars from generations one and two have been sold. New Laguna is being manufactured at the Sandouville plant in France to stringent, unprecedented quality requirements. Paving the way for Renault’s return to the high end of the range, New Laguna is designed to be robust and reliable. Its target is to rank among the top three cars in its segment for product and service quality.
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Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton finished first and second in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza; the fourth 1-2 victory for the team this year.

After 53 laps, 306.720 km and a total race time of 1:18:37.806 hrs, Fernando came home six seconds ahead of Lewis; Kimi Räikkönen ended up third 27.3 seconds behind the winner.

Fernando, who also set the fastest lap of the race with 1m22.871 on lap 15, and Lewis were both on two-stop strategies. Fernando came in on laps 20 (9.1 seconds) and 43 (5.8 seconds) whilst Lewis pitted on laps 18 (8.3 seconds) and 40 (6.0 seconds).
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Since the second generation of the A-Class was first introduced to the European market in September 2004, Mercedes-Benz has delivered 500,000 units of this compact and versatile model to customers.

“Ten years ago, Mercedes-Benz created the premium compact class by introducing the A-Class,” said Dr. Klaus Maier, Executive Vice President Mercedes Car Group, responsible for Sales and Marketing.

“Since then, the A-Class has become an integral part of our product range and laid the cornerstone for Mercedes-Benz’ leading position in this segment.”
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Chrysler LLC Chairman and CEO Robert Nardelli today announced the appointment of James Press as Vice Chairman and President. Press, who was President and Chief Operating Officer of Toyota Motors North America and a Director of the parent company, will now be responsible for North American Sales, International Sales, Global Marketing, Product Strategy, and Service and Parts for Chrysler LLC.

“Tom LaSorda and I are thrilled that one of the most successful executives in the history of the auto industry has joined our leadership team at the New Chrysler,” said Nardelli. “Our top team now consists of a world-class ‘supply’ leader in Tom and an equally world-class ‘demand’ leader in Jim.”
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Stuttgart - Scientists have scientifically analysed the driving pleasure experienced by motorists for the first time. Experts from the Fraunhofer Institute in Rostock, Munich Technical University and Mercedes Customer Research collaborated in the unique pilot study which involved testing various methods for measuring drivers’ emotions. They were able to ascertain what drivers feel and which aspects affect driving pleasure by means of voice analysis, facial-expression recognition and psychological questioning.

In order to measure and evaluate the drivers’ emotional reactions, Mercedes-Benz used two models featuring different equipment and appointments for the field tests: the new C-Class and the Mercedes-Benz 190 E from 1983. Eight drivers aged between 33 and 53, a mix of men and women, drove the two saloons at a proving ground and negotiated different types of route including country roads, motorway stretches and a winding handling course. A data recorder also logged details such as road speed, longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration as well as the cars’ precise positioning data.
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Under the motto “Fascination and Responsibility” Mercedes-Benz will be showcasing a unique range of new, extremely economical and clean models based on intelligently combined drive technologies at the 2007 International Motor Show in Frankfurt.

“Our customers can rest assured that their Mercedes will also in future meet the most stringent requirements in terms of safety, comfort and effortless superiority, and that they will do so with exemplary green credentials”, explains Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of DaimlerChrysler AG.
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Hyundai Motor Co will unveil three new vehicles on 13 September at the IAA 2007:

* The i-Blue Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle
* Veloster concept car
* i30 Crossover Wagon (CW)

Reflecting Hyundai’s growing commitment to the development of environmentally responsible transportation is the new hydrogen-powered, zero-emission concept, the i-Blue Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV). Developed at Hyundai’s Design and Technical Centre in Chiba, Japan, the all-new i-Blue platform is tailored to incorporate Hyundai’s third-generation fuel cell technology; which is currently being developed at Hyundai’s Eco-Technology Research Institute in Mabuk, Korea.
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Earlier this year, just in time for the June US market launch, the BMW Group was the first automobile manufacturer in the world to offer full integration of the innovative Apple iPhone in the vehicle’s operating systems in most BMW models.

In addition to the BMW models, all MINI models will now also be equipped for the Apple iPhone in time for its European premiere which is expected at the end of 2007.

On the press days of the IAA in Frankfurt, the BMW Group will be presenting full integration of the mobile phone with music capabilities for all MINI models as well as for the BMW 6 Series, BMW 5 Series, BMW 3 Series, BMW 1 Series and BMW X5.
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Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and its European unit Mitsubishi Motors Europe B.V. will unveil the European market version of the new Lancer sports sedan at the 62nd Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA; commonly known as the Frankfurt Motor Show). In addition to the Lancer, the Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle ( i MiEV*1) will be shown to the European public for the first time (press day only) and the MITSUBISHI Concept-cX*2 compact SUV will have its global unveiling. In total, 19 models (17 during press pre-viewing) will be on display. Held at the Frankfurt Messe Complex, the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show will be open to the public from September 15 through 23, with press and media pre-viewing September 11 through 14.

The new Lancer sedan has already been launched in North America, Russia and Japan (Japan-market name: Galant Fortis) and has been well-received as a “global standard sporty sedan” that achieves the optimum balance between quality of ride, road performance, safety, environmental and comfort performance.
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With no less than seven world premieres at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, including five new production cars and two concepts, Renault will be one of the busiest manufacturers at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Details of the products are being kept firmly under wraps, but will include a number of attention-grabbing concept cars.

Two of the new production models to be revealed in Frankfurt will be launched in Australia in 2008.
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