There's No Place Like Dome

There's No Place Like Dome

Mercedes is a name that is recognized and admired around the world as one of the most famous and successful manufacturers of luxury automobiles. Now it will also be recognized as one of the most prominent names in American sports. Mercedes recently purchased the naming rights to one of America's most iconic stadiums, the Louisiana Superdome. Starting soon, the building that became famous both for the athletic competitions it has hosted as well as the tragic tales of its time as a shelter for victims of Hurricane Katrina will be known as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. So what is the popular German company gaining from the money it will spend to have its name plastered on the structure that dominates its city's skyline from all directions? In 2012, the National Collegiate Athletic Association will host its Bowl Championship Series championship game in football at the facility. A few months later, the NCAA will host Men's Basketball Championship - popularly known as the Final Four - there as well. Then in 2013, the NFL's Super Bowl will take to the Superdome and will focus the world's largest television audience on the building.

10%), despite the ongoing weakness of the USeconomy. Revenue increased from 鈧?.9 billion to 鈧?.4 billion. The Daimler Trucks division posted EBIT of 鈧?08 million, thus slightly exceeding its earnings in the second quarter of last year (鈧?01 million). The result for the prior-year quarter was favorably affected by a special gain of 鈧?8 million realized on the sale of real-estate properties in Japan. The division鈥檚 improved earnings are mainly the result of the good development of unit sales in Europe, Latin America and some other markets, a positive product mix, and efficiency improvements. There were negative effects on earnings, however, from the continued difficult economic environment in the United Statesand higher raw-material prices. Trucks Europe/Latin America (Mercedes-Benz) increased its unit sales by a further 17% to 46,500 vehicles, thus setting another record. Trucks NAFTA (Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses) increased its unit sales by 11%. The figure for the prior-year quarter had been impacted by a drop in demand due to stricter emission regulations in the United States and Canada. The unit sales attained by Trucks Asia (Mitsubishi Fuso) increased from 47,800 to 49,200 vehicles. Daimler Buses also expect to match the high level of unit sales achieved in the prior year once again. The Daimler Group anticipates a slight increase in the total revenue in full-year 2008 (2007: 鈧?9.4 billion). On the basis of the divisions鈥?projections, the Daimler Group expects to post EBIT from ongoing operations of more than 鈧? billion in 2008. Effects related to Chrysler are not included therein. Daimler had previously anticipated EBIT from ongoing operations of significantly above the prior year鈥檚 level (鈧?.7 billion).

Brits love a Mercedes A-Class. Last year 43,000 of them found homes in the UK, continuing a pattern going back several years. Naturally some of those earlier buyers will be looking to replace their A-Class soon, and the new, significantly more upmarket A-Class would be an obvious place to start. You鈥檇 of course look at a VW Golf too, it being the eternal benchmark for classy hatches. And what else would you look at? How about a Volvo XC40? That might jar if your instincts are to compare hatch with hatch, saloon with saloon and crossover with crossover. But all the sales stats show that more and more buyers are leaping into the welcoming embrace of the crossover, and that many of them are leaving hatch land in order to do so. And how are they buying their crossover? The majority of new car deals are on finance, and the majority of finance deals are PCPs - typically a three-year lease. It鈥檚 a way of running a car that encourages lateral thinking and modest risk taking, with most costs known up front.

So the new A-Class arrives at a time when being a nicely turned out hatchback from an admired brand is no guarantee of sales success. Mercedes has risen to the challenge by making the new car smarter looking, better to drive, more efficient and as swanky inside as many bigger Mercs. The engine line-up has one diesel (A180d) and two petrols (A200 and A250) and all come with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, until a six-speed manual arrives by the end of 2018 for the A200. Three trims are available, SE, Sport and AMG Line, but the only way to get a basic SE is to pick the A180d; petrols are Sport or AMG Line. Our test A-Class in Cosmos Black is an A200 AMG Line, so it鈥檚 the sportiest trim paired with the smallest petrol engine. It鈥檚 an all-new, all-aluminium, 1332cc turbocharged four-cylinder (codenamed M282, engine geeks) and replaces the 1.6-litre four used in the previous A200.