designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue.The term
usually does not include industries dedicated to automobiles after delivery to the customer, such as repair shops and motor fuel filling stations.
The first practical automobile with a petrol engine was built by Karl Benz in 1885 in Mannheim, Germany. Benz was granted a patent for his automobile on 29 January 1886, and began the first production of automobiles in 1888, after Bertha Benz, his wife, had proved with the first long-distance trip in August 1888 that the horseless coach was absolutely suitable for daily use. Since 2008 a Bertha Benz Memorial Route commemorates this event.
Soon after, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Stuttgart in 1889 designed a vehicle from scratch to be an automobile, rather than a horse-drawn carriage fitted with an engine. Until 2005, the U.S.A. was leading the world in total automobile production. In 1929 before the Great Depression, the world had 32,028,500 automobiles in use, and the US automobile industry produced over 90% of the automobiles in the world, ie 28,551,500. And over one half the cars in foreign lands were of U.S. make. At that time the U.S. had one car per 4.87 persons. In 2006, Japan narrowly passed the U.S. in production and held this rank until 2008. In 2009, China took the top spot with 13.78 million units produced. With 18.3 million units produced 2010, China produced nearly twice the amount of second place Japan (9.6 million units), the U.S. trailed in place 3 with 7.8 million units.
Mercedes-Benz USA will promote marketing chief Steve Cannon to president and CEO, effective Jan. 1.
Cannon, 50, has been vice president of marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA since June 2007. He will replace Ernst Lieb, 56, who was fired abruptly in October for alleged misuse of company funds.Cannon is only the second American to become CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, according to a company spokeswoman. The first was Mike Jackson, who is now CEO of
AutoNation Inc.Herbert Werner, 56, vice president of finance at Mercedes-Benz USA and the only German on the automaker's U.S. executive team, has been serving as interim CEO.Cannon will oversee responsibility for the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach, Sprinter and smart brands in the United States.
He will report to Joachim Schmidt, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Mercedes-Benz Cars.Cannon began his automotive career in 1991 as executive assistant to the president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz of North America.He later relocated to the automaker's global headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, and joined a small team assigned with the development, manufacturing and launch of the M-Class.It was the first Mercedes-Benz SUV ever made in and for the U.S. market.
Dealers applauded Cannon's appointment."We're excited and we're pleased," said Michael Cantanucci, president of New Country Motor Car Group based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and chairman of the Mercedes-Benz dealer board.
Cantanucci said Cannon has "in-depth knowledge of Mercedes USA, the dealer body, the market and the products," and "he has been part of the success.""It's a good decision."Cannon, an amicable executive who is fluent in German, is the father of nine children.He is a former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger and was stationed in Germany for three years where he served as a 1
st Lieutenant before the fall of the Iron Curtain.
Raising the bar
The military's focus on precision and discipline has remained with Cannon throughout his career.
He starts most days -- hours before employees arrive -- working out in the company gym.
He said in an interview with
Automotive News that his top focus will be "to continue to raise the bar of what is a high performing organization – you could not say that five years ago."Cannon was part of the new management team under Lieb that turned Mercedes-Benz around by improving its tarnished image, quality, and dealer and customer relations.Cannon said Mercedes-Benz relations with its dealers -- based partially on its improved results in NADA dealer attitude surveys -- is at a 20-year high."With this appointment Germany has validated the strength of this team in that they believe we have the talent from within. It wasn't necessary to take someone from the global organization or Stuttgart and parachute them in to run this show," Cannon said.
Luxury race
The United States is the second-biggest market worldwide for Mercedes-Benz. But the brand is facing enormous pressure from BMW, Audi and to a lesser degree, Lexus and even Porsche, here and in other regions, notably China."I feel like I really understand the Mercedes-Benz brand," Cannon said. "For the last four years we have been focusing our communication on the things that make us different – safety, innovation, design, performance and craftsmanship."Those are the strengths that I will build on while I am getting comfortable in parts of the business that I have spent less time in."Mercedes-Benz is jostling with BMW for the U.S. luxury brand crown this year, which it lost to Lexus in 1999.Mercedes' U.S. sales, excluding Sprinter and Maybach, have climbed 12 percent to 219,443 units this year through November. During the same period, BMW's U.S. vehicle sales were up 12 percent to 221,073 units.Cannon said although Mercedes has narrowed the gap with BMW to about 1,600 units, he'll be content it "if happens naturally."
"We will not go crazy chasing a luxury crown."
How To Choose A Good Car Body Rotisserie
A car body rotisserie is essential to carry on the process of repairing and restoration of vehicles in a better and safer way. If you are thinking of buying one for your garage, then there are certain things, which you need to take care of. The metal frame is easily available in the local market as well as online shop. However, not all of them would be good hence; you need to be very careful while buying the item. The first thing that you need to check is whether the seller is giving you a branded product or a non-branded product.
It is always advisable to go for branded products especially when you are buying machinery, which you are going to use for a long time. Before buying this item, you must read all the specification properly to ensure that you are getting what you want. You can also order a custom-made car door brace as well as per your requirement. These are generally made up of steel, which rust and corrode very easily. Hence, you should buy a painted item and not a bare metal one. You must ensure that it is sent in removable casters for easy transport.
The rotisserie should be strong enough to hold weight at least 3000 lbs or more. If you are buying from an online store, always check the shipping and return policy. This is required in order to send back the product to the store in case of any defect. You must check the price of rotisserie in different store and ensure that you are getting the best deal. Once you buy the product, you must read the user manual properly in order to know the mechanism of the product and in case you find any difficulty, you can always call the support guide.A car body rotisserie is essential to carry on the process of repairing and restoration of vehicles in a better and safer way. If you are thinking of buying one for your garage, then there are certain things, which you need to take care of. The metal frame is easily available in the local market as well as online shop. However, not all of them would be good hence; you need to be very careful while buying the item. The first thing that you need to check is whether the seller is giving you a branded product or a non-branded product.
It is always advisable to go for branded products especially when you are buying machinery, which you are going to use for a long time. Before buying this item, you must read all the specification properly to ensure that you are getting what you want. You can also order a custom-made car door brace as well as per your requirement. These are generally made up of steel, which rust and corrode very easily. Hence, you should buy a painted item and not a bare metal one. You must ensure that it is sent in removable casters for easy transport.
The rotisserie should be strong enough to hold weight at least 3000 lbs or more. If you are buying from an online store, always check the shipping and return policy. This is required in order to send back the product to the store in case of any defect. You must check the price of rotisserie in different store and ensure that you are getting the best deal. Once you buy the product, you must read the user manual properly in order to know the mechanism of the product and in case you find any difficulty, you can always call the support guide.
How To Choose And Maintain A Car Battery
If your battery is dead, your car also gets damaged at the same time. It is very important that you choose your battery that does not harm your car and at the same time works nicely for you.
There many minor things that are needed to be given a thought while purchasing your battery. If you just look for quality, it is not enough for you. You must go far the battery which is not less than six months old. Before buying your battery is essential that you consult your car manual and read it very carefully. This will help you understand what type of battery will be best suited for your car. Always keep this manual with you as it defines and illustrates each and every requirement for your car. Never go for second hand batteries they can damage your car very badly.
It is important that you choose a battery with a longer life. Generally good brands symbolize good quality. They may be expensive but will do complete justice to your money. If you buy a battery which is not branded just because of lesser money it can do more damage to your car and that will prove to be more expensive for your car. Always see the warranty period of your battery so that if it has some problem you have full right of returning it. If you have got a new car you must change your battery within three or four months. Maintenance is something that you have to do and take care of. If you will care and maintain your car it will also care for you, its always the vice-versa.
Always check the size of the battery before purchasing it. A large sized battery will not fit your car tray and there is no use of purchasing a battery which is just too short for your car tray. When you have brought the battery for your car it becomes completely your responsibility to see to it that when there is a need for servicing and when it is required to be changed. You also need to keep the track of amount of water in your battery. If there is less water you can always add distilled water in it to make your car working smoothly. If there is no water in your car battery, your car can stop working at any time. It entirely your duty to continuously check this.
It is very common that you can charge your battery with a battery charger but improper charging can be dangerous therefore you need to be careful about that. Also keep the terminal, cables and connectors clean for its longer life. There are many batteries in the market that claim to be maintenance free but this is not the exact case. No matter you buy how much costly or maintenance free battery it is always better to keep full control on your car battery and check it at appropriate regular intervals.
Up Coming Cars In Future:-
