Mercedes-Benz sets 4,000-unit target

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sdn Bhd expects the improving market landscape and launch of new car models to drive sales of its passenger cars to over 4,000 units next year.

President and chief executive officer Peter Honegg said next year’s passenger car market was projected by the Malaysian Automotive Association to be better than this year.

“We were very fearful at the beginning of the year and would have been happy to do what we did in 2007, which was selling 3,600 passenger cars,” he said during the media launch of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class yesterday.

Florian Mueller (left) and Peter Honegg with a Mercedes-Benz EClass.

He said the company sold 4,200 passenger cars last year and planned to sell between 200 and 300 units more than its initial target of 3,600 units this year.

Honegg said Mercedes-Benz currently held about 43% in the luxury car segment and it aimed to improve its position “a little” next year.

“There are more competitors coming in but we try to maintain the leading position in this segment,” he said.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class to officially launched today would be available in three variants, with the starting retail price of RM455,888 (on-the-road without insurance).

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia vice-president of sales and marketing for passenger cars Florian Mueller said the company aimed to sell more than 1,500 units of the newly-launched E-Class sedan cars next year.

The company has received over 600 bookings for the new cars.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Mercedes-Benz E-Class AMG Sports

With immediate effect, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is also available with the AMG sports package. This new, optional package includes sporty and dynamic features, some of which are not available individually. The AMG sports package can be combined with all engine variants and all E-Class design and equipment lines.

Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss

Mercedes Benz added the all-new SLR Stirling Moss, the pure excitement and driving pleasure, to the SLR super sports car series. With 478 kW/650 hp the SLR Stirling Moss accelerates its V8 supercharged engine from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 3.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph). Check out the exotic sports car pictures after the jump.

Mercedes Benz SL 550

Mercedes Benz SL 550
The Mercedes Sport-Leicht (SL) has carved itself an enviable niche, despite being neither light nor particularly sporty. Since the launch of the original in 1957, Mercedes has sold more than 633,000 SLs.

The R230 model of the SL that Mercedes-Benz introduced in 2001 has become the best-selling SL in history, and the U.S. accounts for more than half of its total worldwide sales. There was a time when the SL existed outside Mercedes' normal model program and such sales success might lead to years of continued production. After all, the R107 version continued almost unchanged from 1971-'89.

But in today's fad-crazed world, change is an obligation, not an option, so the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL arrives with a significant face-lift. The most obvious alterations are aesthetic, but there are also subtle revisions to the interior and the mechanical package. The 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL550 and 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL600 reach U.S. showrooms in mid-May.

Back to the Future
Maybe it's a good thing the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL has changed. The understated and even slightly effeminate lines of the outgoing SL have been given a dramatic overhaul. The new nose is more aggressive and masculine, even strident. In ushering in this change, Mercedes is trying to blend styling cues from its current lineup — note the similarity of the new headlamps to those of the CLS and S-Class — with homage to the SL's past.

For example, the bold, six-point radiator grille recalls the SLs of the 1960s and '70s, while the power domes in the hood hint at the original 300SL of the 1950s. At the rear, a new aero diffuser beneath the bumper emphasizes the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL's sporting credentials, although its functional benefits are questionable. Some of the detailing, such as the gill-style air intakes in the front fenders, seems a little contrived, but there can be no denying that the new SL now has more visual presence than before.

All New 2010 Mercedes Benz E Class

The 2010 E-Class looks more dynamic than the model it replaces especially up front where it ditches the rounded headlamp theme for a distinctive new treatment with four angular headlights.

The engines available for the new E-Class include a 268 hp V6 in the E350 and a 382 hp V8 in the top-of-the-line E550.