Trendsetting ideas for the modern digital lifestyle, providing fun and entertainment for people on the go, are being introduced by Mercedes-Benz through its Genuine Accessories range at the IAA in Frankfurt. The Apple iPhone® can be fully integrated into the control and display system of vehicles bearing the three-pointed star, using a special app to exploit the capabilities of the hippest premium smartphone on the market. Entertainment on the move, plus access to the internet, are made possible by an ingenious head restraint mounting for the Apple iPad®. New wheel designs are a further highlight on show at the IAA. The new items from the Mercedes-Benz Collection can now also be ordered from the comfort of your own home: the Mercedes-Benz Shop is going online, just in time for the IAA.
The Apple iPhone® is synonymous with fuss-free access to the digital world and to the wide range of attractive possibilities available there. And not only is it hip, it is also considered the most multi-talented smartphone around. With its iPhone® Interface Plus concept, Mercedes-Benz is able to enhance significantly the functionality of the communication and information system already installed in the vehicle, using the iPhone® as, amongst other things, an external media centre.
At its heart is a control unit developed by Mercedes-Benz, which is neatly concealed in the glove compartment and fully integrated into the vehicle electronics. This means that the iPhone® screen can be seen on the display screen of the audio system, the audio signals are played through the car's loudspeakers and the smartphone itself can be controlled through the car's rotary pushbutton – a perfect example of successful integration. And of course all the time the iPhone® is connected to the control unit, it will automatically be recharging.
The Mercedes-Benz app for the system is designed to be used safely and without causing distraction while on the move. Developed by Mercedes-Benz specifically for the in-car user, the app features a larger display that is ideally suited for use in the car, as well as numerous functions that make the most of the many capabilities of the trendy smartphone. The app offers:
- Holistic integration of social networking throughout the product with features including "Like currently playing media" and "Share your current destination via Facebook and Twitter"
- Ability to route to a destination with a click of a button, be it a Facebook event or a Google - Local Search result or your Friends-on-Map
- Always be on top of latest posts from Facebook and Twitter via text-to-speech
- Seamless selection from on-board media using Cover Art and intuitive access to Personalized Radio or thousands of Internet Radio channels
- Easy access to all contacts from phonebook and other social media sources including Facebook and Twitter
- Access on-board media and your personal playlists
- "Car Finder", which guides you back to where your car is parked, even in an unfamiliar town
The Mercedes-Benz iPhone® Interface Plus can be retrofitted from summer 2012. The free app will be available for download from the App Store at the same time.
On-the-road entertainment
Rear seat passengers will in future have a very easy way of using the Apple iPad® as an entertainment centre with internet access. Watching films, whiling away the time by playing computer games or simply browsing the web will all be possible thanks to a crash-proof holder for the Apple iPad®, mounted on the back of the front head restraints. The iPad Integration Plus system for rear seat passengers can be tilted, or turned through 90°. This convenient docking station is an ergonomic solution that makes it possible to use the Apple iPad®, with all its familiar functions, in your Mercedes-Benz. All connection points are easily accessible. The battery can also be recharged, using a separate Apple data cable that links into the vehicle's on-board electricity supply via an integrated USB interface.
Available from 28 September for the iPad or iPad 2. The price: 329 euros* (plus fitting, incl. 19% VAT).
Wheel appeal
Also being shown at the IAA are the new wheel designs from the Mercedes-Benz Genuine Accessories range. For the M-Class, Mercedes-Benz is showing at the IAA a 5-twin-spoke wheel in palladium silver with high-sheen elements. The contrast between the bare metal surface and the painted finish gives the vehicle a stylishly distinctive and highly individual flair. Available from autumn 2011, 434 euros* (incl. 19% VAT) per wheel.
Fine miniatures
There'll be a gleam in the eye of every collector when they spot the new model cars being sold exclusively at the IAA and through the IAA Shop. The special limited-edition models of the new SLS AMG Roadster are available in a scale of 1:87 (limited to just 500 pieces) or 1:18 (limited to 125 pieces). Both miniature models are painted matt black with applications in pure orange (wheels, fins, brake callipers, roll-over bar and various interior details). A few discreet touches of silver are added by the three-pointed star on the radiator grille and boot lid, the slats of the radiator grille and the fuel filler cap. 25 euros* (incl. 19% VAT) for the scale 1:87, 249 euros* (incl. 19% VAT) for the scale 1:18 model.
Online ordering
Just in time for the IAA, the Mercedes-Benz Shop will be opening online on 13 September 2011. It provides an attractive platform for the presentation of a selection of items from the Mercedes-Benz Collection, with changing highlights. Alongside model cars, covering a spectrum from the very latest models like the SLS AMG through to spectacular classic models such as the 300 SL Gullwing, in a variety of different scale versions, there are all sorts of interesting accessories and items for classic car aficionados, the trend-conscious, motorsport enthusiasts and cyclists, plus collectors' items for all fans of Mercedes-Benz. Website address: http://shop.mercedes-benz.de
Sporty luxury – INSPIRED BY MOTOR RACING
Mercedes-Benz and TAG Heuer - an unbeatable pairing of two pioneers of design. TAG Heuer remains to this day the first watch manufacturer to have succeeded in developing luxury chronographs with unrivalled precision to a tenth, hundredth and thousandth of a second. In recognition of the values shared by the two brands – innovation, elegance and sportiness – and of the many years of cooperation between them, TAG Heuer and Mercedes-Benz Style have developed an exclusive watch, available in a limited edition, which reflects the high design standards of both partners.
At the heart of the meticulously thought-through design and sophisticated technology of this chronograph, characterised by its sleek and elegant lines, is ensconced a sophisticated TAG Heuer Cal. 16 (ETA 7750) automatic movement, set in a stainless steel case with a diameter of 43 millimetres. The Arrow Silver finish of the dial is particularly eye-catching and features the logos of both Mercedes-Benz and TAG Heuer. The tachymeter scale and start/stop button pick up on the jade green shade used as the special anniversary highlight colour to mark 125! years of innovation. The hands are in polished steel.
The back of the watch is made of glass, allowing one to see into the automatic movement, and shows the Mercedes-Benz star as well as the Mercedes-Benz Style name. The chronograph is water-resistant up to a depth of 100 metres and features a scratch-resistant, specially treated anti-reflective sapphire glass face. An anthracite-coloured crocodile leather strap with a stainless steel folding clasp gives the final touch to a true collectors' item, produced in a limited edition of 125. Available from specialist stores from March 2012. Price 3950 euros* (incl. 19% VAT).
Engineering skill par excellence: design concept spectacles to mark 125th anniversary
As the global franchise partner for Mercedes-Benz Style spectacles, Rodenstock brings more than 130 years of experience and expertise in the field of spectacle lenses and frames to the partnership – so adding yet another facet to one of the world's most well-known brands.
At the International Motor Show in Frankfurt (IAA), Rodenstock and Mercedes-Benz are presenting a unique design study as a highlight of their successful cooperation: an exceptionally light pair of sunglasses in an unusual design, hand-made in pure titanium as a one-off exclusively for this occasion.
Inspired by the design of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, this is a very special addition to the Mercedes-Benz Style Eyewear Collection. The defining stylistic feature of the sunglasses is the Mercedes-Benz star mounted on the sidepiece, produced in an elaborate coin-minting process. This characteristic is to be found on all spectacles in the Mercedes-Benz Eyewear Collection. The earpieces are finished in jade green, the special anniversary colour to mark 125! years of innovation.
In addition to this stunning design study, six further pairs of sunglasses and correction-lens spectacles from the current Mercedes-Benz Style Eyewear Collection are being shown at the IAA. From a pair of sporty, curved-look sunglasses and some very stylish aviator shades with screw detailing, to an exclusive half-rimmed pair of spectacles in pure titanium, the range on display demonstrates the unique quality, at the very highest level, of this successful premium cooperation.
A pair of sunglasses based on the design study should be available from specialist stores from the autumn of 2012.
Further information about the Eyewear Collection from Mercedes-Benz Style
is available online: www.rodenstock.de/Mercedes-Benz
*all prices valid for Germany
Source: Daimler AG
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