14-year old Matthew James was born without a left hand. He dreamed of having a sophisticated bionic hand, but his family couldn’t afford the £30,000. But a chance meeting with Ross Brawn gave Matthew a life-changing experience: a new hand, for free.

And Matthew didn’t have to find out any uncomfortable truths about his father, either. He wrote to Ross Brawn, the man in charge of the Mercedes GP Petronas team, after Brawn visited his school in Berkshire, England. Matthew asked the F1 team to help his family raise the money, and even offered to have the hand sponsored by Mercedes-Benz to compensate.

A member of the team reached out to Touch Bionics, a Scottish company specializing in advanced medical devices. They waived the cost of installing the hand and training Matthew on how to use it, while Mercedes was kind enough to cover the rest. And the hand is advanced enough for an F1 team: it features five individual motors, allowing each finger to move independently. The F1 team and Touch Bionics have agreed to share technology that could benefit both organizations.

Matthew, who also received a free tour of the Mercedes factory, is already getting used to his new hand—he can already open jars and make tea—but laments the fact that now, he has to do more chores.

[Source: BBC News]

#10 Mercedes Goes Green With New Hybrids

Slow to adapt hybrid technology, German automakers began to take on the Japanese luxury hybrids in 2009. Mercedes launched two important hybrid models, the S400 Hybrid and the ML450 Hybrid. The S400 Hybrid was the first Mercedes hybrid to go on sale and is also the first mass production automobile to use a lithium-ion battery. Priced at $87,950 it uses an electric motor and 3.5-liter gasoline V6 to produce 295-hp, while getting mileage of 19/26 mpg – an improvement of 26 percent over the S550 in the city. Despite its high-tech battery pack, the S400 Hybrid is a mild-hybrid, which limits its fuel economy.

The second hybrid model from Mercedes is the ML450 Hybrid 4MATIC. A lease-only model, for either 36 or 60 months, at either $659 or $549 per month, the ML450 is the first two-mode hybrid (like the Toyota Prius) from Mercedes. The ML450 uses a 3.5-liter V6 engine and two electric motors to make 335-hp and 381 ft-lbs of torque. Unlike the S400 Hybrid, it will be able to operate exclusively on electric power for short periods of time. Its fuel economy is rated at 21/24 mpg (city/highway), which is roughly the same as the ML350 Bluetec diesel at 18/25 mpg. This is also a 46 percent improvement over the fuel economy rating of the similarly-powerful ML550.

The next step for Mercedes in the field of hybrids comes with the Vision S500 Plug-In Hybrid, which debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show and foreshadows a plug-in hybrid version of the next generation S-Class. Thanks to a direct-injection 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a 60-hp/184 ft-lb electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack, the car is capable of getting an amazing 73.5 mpg! Possibly more shocking is that the car doesn’t sacrifice performance, with a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds. Additionally, the electric motor will be able to power the car emissions-free for 18 miles.

#9 Electric Car Concepts, Electric Investments and Promises of an Electric Supercar

In terms of electric cars, Mercedes was busy in 2009, right from the start. At a private event held the night before the Detroit Auto Show in January, the automaker displayed the first of three alternative energy concept cars. The fully-electric BlueZero E-Cell, with a fully electric range of 120 miles, paved the way for the E-Cell Plus, which debuted later in the year at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Using technology similar to the Chevy Volt, the E-Cell Plus is a form of plug-in hybrid where the gasoline engine powers the battery, which moves the car. It can travel up to 62 miles on electric power alone, with a full range of 373 miles. The engine is a turbocharged 1.0-liter 3-cylinder powerplant producing 67-hp. The electric motor which actually powers the car makes 134hp and 236 ft-lbs of torque, enabling the plug-in hybrid to hit 62 mph in 11 seconds.

A third version, called the The F-Cell, is powered by fuel cell with a hydrogen gas tank. It has a range of 248 miles and produces water vapor as a by-product.

Underpinned by Mercedes’ B-Class architecture, these concepts, especially with their similar names, wound up being ignored by many, but are likely to play a huge part in the future of Mercedes as an automaker. Two other big electric car developments will also play into this.

Party way through the year Mercedes parent company Daimler announced it had purchased a 10 percent stake in American electric car maker Tesla. The full result of the partnership has yet to be realized, but Tesla’s advancements in battery technology are sure to find their way into future Smart and Mercedes small car and city car models.

Finally, what was easily the biggest electric car story to come out of Mercedes in 2009 was news that the automaker would bring to market an electric supercar based on the newly unveiled SLS. Called the SLS eDrive, this green version of the SLS will make use of lithium-ion battery packs, powering an electric motor that will make 392 kW (or 526-hp) and 649 ft-lbs of torque. The SLS eDrive will offer serious performance with a 0-60 mph time of under four seconds and a top speed of 120 mph – all with zero emissions. Range is expected to be between 93 and 112 miles.

The SLS eDrive is still a long way off from production, especially as the standard gasoline-powered SLS won’t make it to market until late 2010 as a 2011 model. It is tentatively scheduled as a 2015 model.

#8 McLaren SLR 722 GT Competes in SPEED World Challenge Series

Sadly the news that an incredible SLR 722 GT would compete in the SPEED World Challenge GT series didn’t make many headlines, but it does make our Top 10 list. Never intended to run in the World Challenge series, the ultra-raw SLR had to be homolgated to meet the series standards and was then restricted severely in order to dilute its performance potential. In its untouched form the car makes 680-hp and 612 ft-lbs of torque and weights just 3,200 lbs, meaning it can accelerate to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds. Thanks to some serious aerodynamics and a significantly lowered ride height, the 722 GT is also capable of hitting 2 Gs in the corners.

Had this been a official Mercedes effort and not side project for the team at The Racers Group, we would surely have heard a lot more about this amazing car in 2009. Sadly we didn’t and with the car only making it out to a select few races, it didn’t prove competitive and never landed on the podium.

#7 New Small Premium Model Destined for U.S.

Like many luxury automakers, Mercedes was hit hard in 2009 and so it announced a plan to diversify its product offerings and introduce a new small car to the U.S. in 2012. The car would compete with vehicles like the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3, Volvo C30 and MINI Cooper – as well as a possible compact luxury vehicle from Lexus based on the LF-Ch concept.

Analysts have suggested the move is the result of lessons learned from the recent economic downturn, with sales of larger luxury vehicles and SUVs taking a significant hit, while the share of the market made up by compact and subcompact vehicles has grown. The introduction of a smaller and more fuel efficient model in the Mercedes lineup in the U.S. would also help the manufacturer meet increasingly strict CAFE regulations.

In the past Mercedes had decided to introduce the B-Class to the U.S. market but canceled plans when an unfavorable Euro-to-dollar exchange rate made the car’s business plan unsound. (The B-Class was, however, introduced in Canada, where vehicles are sold for significantly more).

The new Mercedes small car will be based on an all new platform that Mercedes says is much cheaper to manufacture, making the Euro-to-dollar exchange rate less of a factor. It is not yet known if the car will follow in the B-Class’s layout of being a premium-people mover or if Mercedes will opt to build a more sporty offering to better compete with cars like the 1 Series or MINI Cooper.

Over the past two years, Mercedes has introduced three concepts based on the B-Class architecture, including a hydrogen fuel-cell concept, a hybrid concept and an electric car concept. It’s likely that the future Mercedes small car platform will bring one of more of these concept car technologies into production.

#6 AMG 6.2-Liter V8 Wins Best Performance Engine Award

2009 proved a rewarding year for engineers at Mercedes’ high performance AMG division, with the 6.2-liter V8 found in everything from the C63 to the SLS supercar taking home the Best Performance Engine award at the International Engine of the Year Awards.

An incredible naturally-aspirated power plant, the 6.2 is the first ground-up engine built by AMG and makes as much as 563-hp and 479 ft-lbs of torque in the SLS AMG.

The International Engine of the Year Awards celebrate engine technology, giving honors to engines in 12 specific categories and are chosen by a jury of 65 automotive journalists from 30 countries.

#5 Mercedes Axes Award-Winning 6.2-Liter V8

It came as a shock when Mercedes announced it would eliminate AMG’s 6.2-liter V8 engine from the company’s lineup, particularly after it took home the hardware for the Best Performance Engine in 2009. Starting next year, the high-performance AMG division at Mercedes-Benz will begin to replace all 6.2-liter V8 engines with smaller, twin-turbo units. The replacement motor will be a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 that is expected to make just as much (if not more) power, but reduce fuel consumption significantly. This move follows in the footsteps of other automakers to move away from naturally aspirated motors, to forced induction ones. Interestingly, the 6.2-liter V8, the first ground-up engine built by AMG, only recently joined the company’s lineup after it ended a long run with the supercharged 5.5-liter V8.

#4 Mercedes Announces End of Partnership with McLaren With Debut of SLR Stirling Moss

More a piece of art than a high performance car, the SLR Stirling Moss is the final special edition version of the SLR and marks the end of a production car partnership between McLaren and Mercedes. Designed to celebrate Moss’s many Mille Miglia victories during the 1950s, the SLR Stirling Moss has a distinctively retro look, while under the hood there’s a supercharged V8 pumping out 650-hp.

The SLR Stirling Moss edition will also be priced like a piece of fine art at 750,00 Euros ($1.5 million). Only 75 units will be made.

#3 Mercedes Debuts New Retro-Styled SLS AMG Supercar

With more than just inspiration from the classic 300SL Gullwing, Mercedes introduced its latest supercar in 2009. Called the SLS AMG, it is the first ground-up vehicle build by AMG and uses the performance brand’s first from-scratch engine, the 6.2-liter V8 found in the rest of the AMG 63 lineup. With reworked internals the V8 makes an amazing 563-hp and 479 ft-lbs of torque – enough to propel the supercar all the way to 62 mph in 3.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 196 mph.

The engine uses a dry-sump lubrication system (great for serious abuse), as well as a transaxle and a double-clutch seven speed transmission. That transaxle layout means that the tranny is located out back (for an ideal weight balance of 48/52) and it attached to the engine by a carbon fiber driveshaft.

The projected curb weight is just 3,571 lbs, due mostly to the fact that this is the first model Mercedes has ever produced with an all aluminum chassis and body.

Weight is also saved by using carbon ceramic brakes and light weight wheels, that measure 19×9.5-inches up front and 20×11-inches in the rear.

Along with news of an electric version of the SLS due out in 2015, the car again made headlines in 2009 when Mercedes debuted a special AMG Desert Gold paint scheme at the Dubai Auto Show.

#2 Michael Schumacher Returns to Formula 1, in a Mercedes

Arguably the number one Mercedes news story for 2009 came only recently when it was announced that Michael Schumacher would come out of retirement to race in the 2010 Formula One season, in a Mercedes-Benz.

The chips began to fall into place earlier in the year when Mercedes broke off its partnership with McLaren and purchased the Brawn GP team, which won the championship the year before using Mercedes engines. Mercedes kept on team principal Ross Brawn, leading to the speculation that Schumacher might sign on.

After all, Brawn was in charge of the Ferrari team when Schumacher won his five World Championships there, and wa also in charge of the Benetton team when Schumacher took home his other two World Championships.

“It is a new chapter in my racing career and I am really looking forward to working with my old friend Ross Brawn and my companions from my days with the Mercedes Junior Programme,” said Schumacher in an interview. “I am convinced that together we will be involved in the fight for the Formula One World Championship next year and I am already looking forward to getting back onto the race track. For me, this partnership closes the circle. Mercedes supported me for so many years when I began my Formula One career and now I can hopefully give something back to the brand with the star.”

Schumacher, age 41, returns to the sport after a planned comeback last year failed. He had intended to race in place of injured teammate Filipe Massa, but injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident prevented that from happening.  Schumacher now says he is fully recovered.

When asked about Schumacher’s accomplishments, Norbert Haug, Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports said that, “Michael has more of everything than every other driver.”

#1 Mercedes Launches 2010 E-Class, in All its Many Forms

While it might not be nearly as sexy a story as Michael Schumacher’s return to motorsports, but for Mercedes as a company that relies on car sales, the launch of the 2010 E-Class is a very big deal. A volume model for the brand, but also a near-flagship luxury sedan, the 2010 E-Class marks the first complete overall of the model since 2002.

Previewed to select media on the eve of the Detroit Auto Show, the car certainly has a bold and edgy design, with gobs of safety features. The interior of the new E-Class is absolutely stunning. What isn’t new for 2010 are the engines, with two carryover powerplants for North American in 2010. These include a 268-hp 3.5-liter V6 in the E350 and a 382-hp 5.5-liter V8 in the E550. In Europe and other markets, the E-Class is offered with 4-cylinder and diesel engines, as well as direct-injection gasoline engines.

New technology highlights include Agility Control adaptive shock absorbers and Attention Assist drowsiness detection. High beam assist, which adjusts the vehicle’s headlights based on the distance to a vehicle ahead or one in the oncoming lane, is also standard.

With the car’s official introduction at the Geneva Auto Show, it had to share the stage with the 2010 E-Class Coupe. Using the same engines, the E-Class Coupe replaces the CLK in Merc’s lineup. Standard equipment includes a leather interior with sport seats, a Panorama Sunroof, Mercedes’s Command System and automatic dual-zone climate control. Impressively, this car is actually the most aerodynamic shape of any production vehicle with a coefficient of drag of just 0.24.

Just a few weeks after the coupe debuted, Mercedes announced the high-powered E63 AMG at the New York Auto Show. With an aggressive stance, the E63 delivers with a 6.2-liter V8 making 518-hp and 465 ft-lbs of torque, enabling a sprint to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds.

Later in the Fall, Mercedes took the wraps off the E-Class Wagon (or Estate) and ended the year by announcing the E-Class Cabriolet will debut at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, capping-off the year of the E-Class.

See our 2010 E-Class Reviews, as well as more reviews of 2010 Mercedes-Benz models below, or click here for full specifications on the entire 2010 Mercedes-Benz lineup.

REVIEWS:

2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 4MATIC Review

2010 Mercedes-Benz E350 Coupe Review

2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG First Drive

2010 Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTec Review

2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK350 First Drive

He’s back! That’s right, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher will make his return to the pinnacle of motorsports next year, driving for Mercedes-Benz. The German will join fellow countryman Nico Rosberg in representing Mercedes on the grid, starting March 12th at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

“It is a new chapter in my racing career and I am really looking forward to working with my old friend Ross Brawn and my companions from my days with the Mercedes Junior Programme,” said Schumacher in an interview. “I am convinced that together we will be involved in the fight for the Formula One World Championship next year and I am already looking forward to getting back onto the race track. For me, this partnership closes the circle. Mercedes supported me for so many years when I began my Formula One career and now I can hopefully give something back to the brand with the star.”

Schumacher returns to the sport after a planned comeback last year failed. He had intended to race in place of injured teammate Filipe Massa, but injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident prevented that from happening.  Schumacher now says he is fully recovered.

Schumacher retired from Formula 1 in 2006 after seven world championships and 91 overall wins. At the first race of the season, Schumacher will be 41, almost double the age of many just entering the sport.

The Mercedes team that he joins is actually the Brawn GP team (headed former Ferrari and Benetton technical director Ross Brawn), which was purchased by Mercedes in the off-season, after clinching the championship in its first year. The connection with Brawn has always been a strong one – and a successful one. Along with Schumacher’s five wins at Ferrari under the leadership of Brawn, his two other World Championships came at Benetton with Brawn at the helm.

When asked about Schumacher’s accomplishments, Norbert Haug, Vice-President of Mercedes-Benz Motorsports said that, “Michael has more of everything than every other driver.”

[Source: Formula1]

As rumored, Mercedes-Benz has decided to part ways with McLaren after 15 years as partners in Formula 1, opting instead to buy a majority stake in the Brawn GP team. The new team, named Mercedes Grand Prix, will run in the 2010 F1 season, keeping much of the Brawn team, including team principal Ross Brawn.

The Brawn GP team entered the 2009 Formula One World Championship as serious underdogs, using the underperforming Honda cars. And yet, the team managed to clinch both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championships.

“We look back on 15 successful years of great collaboration with McLaren; in that time, we won four world-championship titles and finished ten times as runner-up in the drivers’ and constructors’ rankings,” siad Norbert Haug, VP of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “Since the first victory in the 1997 Australian Grand Prix, the modern Silver Arrows have achieved a total of 60 victories in 223 races to ensure that our brand symbol, the star, stands for the greatest successes in Formula 1. We thank our partner and will continue to work with McLaren based on an excellent partnership.”

Daimler AG boss Dr. Dieter Zetsche thanked McLaren stating that, “For the benefit of both Mercedes and McLaren, we will continue our partnership cooperation in future. We will be rivals on-track but, off-track, we will cooperate with McLaren and the other teams in order to create the best possible product for spectators worldwide.”

The partnership between the two companies is much more strained than that, however, as Mercedes has also announced it will let McLaren buy back the 40 percent stake it now holds. That transaction should be completed by 2011, fully dissolving the Mercedes McLaren business relationship.

Official release after the jump:

PRESS RELEASE

2010 in Formula 1: Mercedes Grand Prix

Daimler AG and McLaren Group change their form of cooperation

November 16, 2009 – Stuttgart– Mercedes-Benz will enter the Formula 1 World Championship with its own team, beginning with the 2010 season, and Daimler AG and McLaren Group will change their form of cooperation with effect as of 13 November 2009. This was announced by Daimler AG today.

Daimler AG together with Aabar Investments PJSC will take over 75.1 per cent of the Brawn GP team, with Daimler taking 45.1 per cent and Aabar 30 per cent. The rest of the 24.9 per cent will remain with the current stakeholders. With 9.1 per cent, Aabar is the biggest single shareholder of Daimler AG. This transaction is subject to the approval of the EU and the Swiss cartel authorities.

The background to this decision are the new terms and conditions for Formula 1. The “Resource Restrictions” set by FOTA and FIA effectively limit expenditure for the design, construction and running of the racing cars. In addition, there will be a significantly higher income available for a Formula 1 team generated by the commercial rights of the racing series following the signing of the new Concorde Agreement.

The partnership between McLaren Mercedes has been in place since 1995 and ended its 15th joint Formula 1 season in 2009. The change to the form of cooperation is taking place by mutual agreement. Mercedes-Benz and McLaren will continue to co-operate with each other and the supply of engines could continue until 2015.

The McLaren Group have set themselves new targets, especially in the automotive sector, and Daimler understands and respects these new strategic objectives. For this reason, it has been agreed that the buy-back by the McLaren Group of the 40 per cent McLaren share owned by Daimler AG will be completed by 2011.

By taking this decision, Mercedes-Benz resumes its marvellous motor racing history on the 75th anniversary of the Silver Arrows, the world’s most unique racing cars. Mercedes wants to continue the tradition in the style of these flawless Silver Arrows, which put their stamp on each era by winning the majority of the races they competed in.

“Mercedes-Benz is the most valued and best-known premium automotive brand in the world. This brand looks for competition of the utmost quality in all relevant fields in order to continually improve its performance in the face of such new challenges”, explains Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
“Due to the new Formula 1 environment, we will face the competition in future on the most important motor sports stage with our own Silver Arrow works team.

“Our new Silver Arrow Formula 1 team is a great sporting and technical challenge and we will tackle this with sporting spirit and full of enthusiasm.”

Mercedes-Benz will restructure their Formula 1 programme and work hard to achieve further savings, going beyond the already completed steps for significant cost reductions and improved efficiency.

Since 1995, the beginning of the partnership, McLaren and Mercedes-Benz have competed in 256 Grand Prix events and have achieved 60 victories. In 1998, 1999 and 2008, the British-German team won the drivers’ World Championships, as well as the World Constructors’ Championship in 1998. The McLaren Mercedes team became runner-up in the World Championships ten times, with five times in the drivers’ and constructors’ rankings respectively.

After winning the drivers’ title with Lewis Hamilton last year, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes finished third in the World Constructors’ Championships this year. The 2008 World Champion won two races with his current car, the MP4-24, achieving a first historic victory with the brake energy-recovery system, KERS Hybrid. No other driver scored more points in the last eight races from the season’s total of 17 races than Lewis Hamilton.

“I want to thank McLaren for a successful collaboration over the last decade and a half”, says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “For the benefit of both Mercedes and McLaren, we will continue our partnership cooperation in future. We will be rivals on-track but, off-track, we will cooperate with McLaren and the other teams in order to create the best possible product for spectators worldwide.”

“We look back on 15 successful years of great collaboration with McLaren; in that time, we won four world-championship titles and finished ten times as runner-up in the drivers’ and constructors’ rankings,” states Norbert Haug, Vice-President Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “Since the first victory in the 1997 Australian Grand Prix, the modern Silver Arrows have achieved a total of 60 victories in 223 races to ensure that our brand symbol, the star, stands for the greatest successes in Formula 1. We thank our partner and will continue to work with McLaren based on an excellent partnership.”

Mercedes Grand Prix, the management team of the former Brawn GP team, will continue to work under the leadership of Ross Brawn, who will continue in his well-known role. The Formula 1 team, as well as the engine team of Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines, will be co-ordinated by Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, headed by their Vice-President, Norbert Haug.

“Brawn GP has been through an incredible journey over the last 12 months. From fighting for our survival to forging a strong relationship with Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines, winning both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ World Championships, and now accepting Daimler and Aabar’s offer to buy our team, which will secure its future”, Team Principal Ross Brawn looks back on a difficult beginning of the year which eventually turned into an extremely successful season.

“Both I and my fellow Directors at Brawn GP are incredibly proud of our staff, drivers and everyone associated with our team and thank them for their commitment, outstanding teamwork and their focus on achieving results in sometimes difficult circumstances. The senior management group will remain in place to lead our team and on behalf of everyone at Brawn GP, we are honoured to be representing such a prestigious brand as Mercedes-Benz in Formula One next year and will be working together to do our best to reward their faith in our team.”

The new Silver Arrow team, Mercedes Grand Prix, will compete in Formula 1 as a works team in its own right. Synergies between the 100 per cent Daimler-owned subsidiary Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines in Brixworth, UK, and the Mercedes Grand Prix team based about 28 miles from there in Brackley in the UK, will create even greater efficiency.

It is our target to develop a model for our Formula 1 activities which will initially be run with significantly reduced budgets by Mercedes-Benz and which, in the foreseeable future, will be self-financing”, comments Norbert Haug. “Furthermore, we naturally want to inspire our faithful spectators and TV viewers worldwide and  maximize media coverage for our brand. With Formula 1, Mercedes-Benz can continue to clearly demonstrate its willingness to compete and win on the most important motor sports competition stage in the world.”

Khadem Al Qubaisi, Chairman, Aabar Investment PJSC comments: “Aabar is delighted to join forces with Daimler AG and its world leading brand Mercedes-Benz in order to create a new Formula One Team which follows in the footsteps of the longstanding and successful tradition of the famous ‘Silver Arrows’.

“Ever since Aabar became the largest shareholder in Daimler AG, the cooperation between our two organisations has been exemplary, and we have already co-invested in Tesla. Aabar is confident that further successes will follow in this arena.

“Bearing in mind the recent outstanding success of the Abu Dhabi GP, which brought Formula One to the United Arab Emirates for the first time, it is especially exciting to realise that next year, our own cars will be in the field, with the genius of Ross Brawn, who is still deeply involved with the team, now backed by the unrivalled excellence of Mercedes-Benz across the entire spectrum of automotive technology. It is a fantastic prospect, which makes me both pleased and proud for my country.”