Mercedes Launches Mobile App

Add Mercedes-Benz to the growing number of companies using mobile devices to integrate their products into daily life. The automaker has launched mbrace, a new service for its owners that will allow a car to be locked, unlocked and located — whether stolen or lost in a parking lot. It also has collision notification and roadside assistance notification.

You can use the service via an iPhone or BlackBerry, and there is a full brochure detailing everything offered here.

The cool tech is not free, of course. New buyers get six months of the mbrace package free, and then it costs $280 a year. There is also an mbrace Plus package, which you can get for free for three months and then it’s $520 a year. It adds weather, traffic and route assistance for navigation.

$15,000 Off a Mercedes SL and Other Deals

Incentives haven’t been big news since the Cash for Clunkers program wiped out a large chunk of dealers’ inventory nationwide. That doesn’t mean all automakers have stopped offering incentives — even large ones — this month. Before the Halloween sugar rush fades, you’ll be able to find some huge cash-back deals, especially at Mercedes-Benz.

• 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class: $15,000
• 2009 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class: $10,000
• 2010 Cadillac STS: $7,400
• 2010 Land Rover Range Rover: $6,000
• 2010 Mazda RX-8: $5,000
• 2010 Nissan Titan: $5,000
• 2009 Nissan Titan: $5,000

You can find more deals on our incentives page. All incentives above end Nov. 2.

2009|Mercedes-Benz|SL-Class

2009|Mercedes-Benz|CLS-Class

2010|Cadillac|STS

2010|Mazda|RX-8

2009|Nissan|Titan

2010|Nissan|Titan

Bernie Madoff’s Mercedes Wagon to be Auctioned

It might not look like much, but this 2001 Mercedes-Benz E320 wagon is quite a car. It has only 41,000 miles on it, features a Manhattan Black paint job and has a black leather interior. It was also owned — until very recently — by one of the most despised men in America.

Tomorrow, convicted Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff’s wagon hits the auction block and is expected to sell for $13,000-$19,000, right around its Kelley Blue Book value.

If you’re in the New York area on Friday and have some time and money to spare, it might be worth the effort to grab this gem. Talk about a cocktail-party story.

Splash Flash Not Included: Bernie Madoff's E320 Wagon Gets Auctioned Tomorrow! (DaddyTypes)

2001|Mercedes-Benz|E320

Cars.com Podcast: Quick Drives

The editors drove a ton of upcoming new models at a recent rally, including the 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid, the 2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed3, 2010 Kia Forte Koup and the 2009 Infiniti G37 convertible. That’s a lot of new metal to test out and Joe Bruzek, Mike Hanley and Joe Wiesenfelder give the details in this week’s podcast.

You can download the podcast via iTunes here or simply hit the play button below to listen in your browser.

Cars.com Podcast #28

Upscale Restaurant Opens Inside Mercedes-Benz Dealership

When buying a car, all that haggling can work up quite an appetite. If you’re shopping for a Mercedes-Benz at George Grinzewitsch Jr.’s dealership in Rocklin, Calif., and you’ve just sent the salesman to find a manager, you can have a quick appetizer at the Bistro 33 restaurant that just opened inside the dealership.

The dealership says it’s the nation’s first independently operated restaurant located in an independently operated car dealership.

A dealership with a restaurant is a fine idea as long as you don’t go in to get the ribs and walk out with an unplanned E-Class coupe.

Bistro 33 Opens Up in Mercedes-Benz Dealership in Rocklin (Sacramento Bee)

Mercedes-Benz System Stops Car at Red Light

Mercedes-Benz is working on a Smart Stop system that would automatically halt a car at a red light if the driver fails to see it. The wireless safety system would coordinate with intersections and other vehicles using wireless receivers.

The vehicle’s “conversation” would include a network that shares real-time local traffic data; it also would give a warning if a driver is accelerating when coming to a red light.

Don’t count on seeing this technology any time soon, though. It will require the installation of smart intersections that can communicate with the vehicle. This will mean a fundamental reinvention of German or U.S. intersections, which would require action on the federal, state and local levels as well as a ton of dough.

Smart Stop builds on current driver-assist systems like lane departure warning and proximity detectors, but a car stopping itself for a red light is a substantial leap forward for safety systems that correct driver behavior.

Mercedes-Benz will rely on a handful of trial installations. The automaker hopes the technology will become standardized in the next decade and appear at intersections across the country.

In Future America, Car Stops You (BoingBoing.net)

Luxury Car Sales Rebound in September

Do you ever watch the business news and wonder who’s making money in the stock market when most people you know are cutting back? Inexplicably, luxury automakers saw sales bounce back in September.

While sales of Toyota were down 19% in September, Lexus saw sales go up 7%; that’s mostly because of the new RX crossover, which had an uptick of 70%.

Ford sales were down 6%, but sales at its Swedish Volvo brand were up 16%, thanks largely to the new XC60 crossover.

With relatively no new models in its lineup, BMW sales were up 3%.

Even at GM where sales were down 45%, Cadillac sales were down just 8% because of swift sales of the redesigned SRX crossover.

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe Video

Cars.com’s Joe Wiesenfelder has a fully rounded view of the Mercedes-Benz E550, having driven the sedan and coupe. Surprisingly, the coupe gives up less in terms of space than you might think from looking at it, but a few compromises have been made. Wiesenfelder takes you through the E550 for a tour of what works and what you might miss in this smaller two-door version.

Cars.com Reviews the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Cars.com’s Joe Wiesenfelder reviews the completely redesigned 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and in this review he’s looking at the two-door coupe. It’s a snug vehicle without a lot of standard features included. Still, shopping for a car in this class is all about how much you’re willing to spend; the competitions’ prices range from the mid-$30k all the way to $80k. Find out if the Benz E-Class coupe could be the perfect fit for you.

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Review

Custom Mercedes-Benz Van Packed With Obscene Luxury, Tech

Opulence is all well and good, but the Brabus Mercedes-Benz Viano Lounge does opulence with a distinctly geeky twist. The van looks fairly standard from the outside, but claw the door open and suddenly you might not be able to tell what you’re even looking at.

The Viano Lounge comes with a 32-inch electrically deployed LCD, a Sony Vaio laptop, PS3, an espresso maker and Wi-Fi to connect all of the high-tech gear. The truly decadent can opt for the Vertu Constellation luxury phone, which is covered in either satin steel or 18-karat gold.

Since it’s a concept, the 426-horsepower van has no price tag, but our guess is, well, not cheap.

Check out more pictures of the van’s interior after the jump.

Brabus Mercedes-Benz Viano Lounge, the Incredibly Rich Techie’s Van of Choice (Gizmodo)