Mercedes-Benz B-Class Offers Intelligent IPod Integration

Shortly after the Europe-wide launch in the B-Class, the iPod Interface Kit will also be available from July for the current A-Class, C-Class, E-Class and M-Class models as well as for the CLK-Class, CLS-Class and SLK-Class model series. The price in Germany is EUR 183 plus fitting. The user-friendly system will also be available for forthcoming new models such as the R-Class. The intelligent system is compatible with all current Apple MP3 players, such as iPod (Generation 3 or higher), iPod mini, iPod photo and iPod U2. From May, the accessory will be available for the B-Class from all Mercedes-Benz sales outlets. Depending on the iPod model, the Mercedes-Benz driver can access up to 60 gigabytes of storage via the Interface Kit - sufficient for 15,000 MP3 songs. It would take up to five standard trolley cases to store what is the equivalent content on just under 1,000 CDs. While the spacious boot in the B-Class will easily accommodate this extra complement of luggage, it is much easier to store your own music collection in the glove compartment by using the iPod Interface Kit. Connecting up the vehicle and iPod could not be simpler thanks to plug-and-play technology .

Once a specialist workshop has fitted the adapter kit, there is no need to install any other hardware or software. As soon as the iPod is connected up to the interface port in the glove compartment, the vehicle’s onboard electronics communicate with the iPod via the interface. All the music functions on the MP3 player can be accessed via the multifunction steering wheel. The driver can navigate using the buttons on the steering wheel through the playlists, scroll up through the menu, set the volume, fast-forward or rewind, skip or repeat a track. The multifunction display on the dashboard indicates for example the song title and artist as well as the play mode of the MP3 player. Drivers can either choose tracks themselves or leave it to the MP3 player to select tracks at random. The iPod shuffle function, your 'virtual disk jockey’, selects songs and puts together a surprising mixture of tunes from your personal music collection in the glove compartment. And, of course, you can also store and play talking books, language courses or stories and fairytales for children for those longer journeys.

The iPod Interface Kit offers Mercedes-Benz drivers another advantage: the MP3 player battery automatically recharges using the vehicle’s electrical system as soon as the player is connected up. However, power is only supplied to the unit when the ignition is on. If you take the iPod out of the glove compartment after a long journey, the battery is fully charged, offering up to 18 hours of entertainment. Mercedes-Benz offers free Mixed Tape music downloads on the internet as an additional service for MP3 owners. To date - with the sixth compilation already available - there have been more than 7.8 million downloads. Over 90,000 hits on the search engine "Google" are further testimony to the tremendous popularity of this service and the growing fan community on the internet. Mercedes-Benz is using Mixed Tape to promote musical talent on its international internet platform. The songs can be accessed using data streaming or downloaded, and they can be burned onto a CD-ROM free of charge or copied to an MP3 player. The music download service also offers a wealth of additional functions such as a cover or title generator, an e-mail newsletter with details of each compilation and an eCard facility.

In contrast to other premium manufacturers, Mercedes-Benz has the advantage of being able to use synergies from within the Daimler Group. One example of technology transfer between the commercial vehicle and passenger car divisions is the multiple award-winning BLUETEC exhaust gas treatment system. More Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC passenger cars are set to follow this year. The GL, M and R-Class BlueTEC SUVs, which were already successfully introduced in the U.S. 2008, will also come to the European market in autumn - along with the new E 350 BlueTEC. Also in 2006, and in parallel to the optimisation of the diesel engine, Mercedes-Benz was the first vehicle maker to introduce extremely fuel-efficient piezo petrol direct injection with jet-guided combustion - in the CLS 350 CGI. This technology represents a milestone in fuel efficiency and also brings considerable reductions in emissions. Mercedes-Benz has since introduced petrol direct injection into 4 and 6-cylinder engine versions of the C and E-Class. Progress is particularly evident in the newly introduced four-cylinder direct injection petrol engines in the latest E-Class. Despite their significantly smaller displacements, they generate more power than the preceding six-cylinder engines, yet consume up to 21 percent less fuel.

This technology is being introduced successively across all petrol engines. Highly efficient CGI engines are now also available in the C-Class. The results speak for themselves - the new C 250 CGI boasts a fuel consumption of only 7.2 litres, at a power output of 150 kW/240 hp. Diesel versions start with fuel consumption as low as 4.8 litres per 100 kilometres. With a peak power output of 125 kW/170 hp and a maximum torque of 400 Nm, the most frugal C-Class of all time sets a new benchmark in fuel efficiency. The objective of making petrol engines as fuel-efficient as diesels and diesels as clean as petrol engines, has already been achieved in many Mercedes-Benz models. In particular, the technology for the world’s cleanest diesels has laid the foundation for the future of economical, high-torque diesel engines in the U.S. Right now, state-of-the-art diesel technology is delivering its best fuel-consumption figures in large saloon cars and non-hybrid SUVs in particular. This is evidenced by the success of the E 320 BlueTEC, with which Mercedes-Benz kicked off the renaissance of diesel power for passenger cars on the U.S.