Latest news with #Mercedes-Benz
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Hindustan Times
Mercedes-Benz S-Class, EQS, GLC, & SL 55 AMG recalled in India for potential fire risk
This is sixth recall from Mercedes-Benz in India this year and third related to a potential fire risk Check Offers Mercedes-Benz India has issued a voluntary recall for the S-Class, S-Class Maybach, SL 55 AMG, GLC and EQS models for a potential fire risk. The recall involves an issue with the fuse boxes on each of the vehicles, which may not have been correctly reworked. The voluntary recalls affect 30 vehicles and are the brand's sixth recall in the country this year. The recall details shared with the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) read, 'It has been identified that the fuse boxes might not have been reworked correctly. As a result, systems connected to the fuse might fail, and the vehicle might lose its propulsion without prior warning, and the restraint functions or the instrument cluster might also be impaired, increasing the risk of a crash and injuries. Under such specific circumstances, a potential risk of a thermal incident in the vehicle cannot be excluded." Also Read : Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro and AMG GT 63 to launch on June 27 in India The vehicles affected by the recall were manufactured between June 22, 2023 and August 8, 2024, depending on the model Mercedes-Benz Recall: Vehicles Affected The voluntary recall affects 16 units of the EQS electric sedan, nine units of the S-Class and S-Class Maybach, three units of the GLC SUV, and two SL 55 AMGs. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class range affected was manufactured between June 22, 2023, and March 20, 2024. The SL 55 AMGs were manufactured July 5, 2023, and August 28, 2024. Both the petrol and diesel versions of the GLC have been affected and were manufactured between September 9 and December 4, 2023. Lastly, the Mercedes EQS manufactured between July 19, 2023, and April 8, 2024, comes under the recall. Mercedes-Benz recalls in 2025 Mercedes-Benz India is expected to reach out to customers individually to address the concerns and carry out the necessary repairs, free of charge. Previously, the automaker recalled seven AMG S 63 E Performance and three AMG GT 63S 4MATIC+ E models over a processor overload issue. The other recalls issued on March 12 and March 29 this year, respectively, were linked to potential fire risks. Mercedes also recalled vehicles for ECU software issues and missing warning labels for the automatic front passenger airbag shutoff system. Check out Upcoming Cars in India 2024, Best SUVs in India. First Published Date: 20 Jun 2025, 19:08 PM IST
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
AI Impact Awards 2025: Mercedes-Benz Redefines Luxury in Its New Vehicles
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new generation of Mercedes-Benz vehicles allows owners to experience the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) as part of their daily life. Starting with the CLA-Class model, Mercedes-Benz's next-generation infotainment operating system will incorporate AI search results, customizations and recommendations. "We will excite our customers with a full rollout of uncompromising cars. They will be an intelligent part of their life. All of them come with a fully integrated tech stack and leverage the latest developments in AI," Markus Schäfer, member of the board of management at Mercedes-Benz Group AG and chief technology officer for development and procurement at Mercedes-Benz, said during the company's Capital Markets Day presentation earlier this year. "The CLA represents our first software-defined vehicle – the cleverest car we've ever made, so it made perfect sense to showcase what's possible when AI is built into the foundation rather than added afterward. We're not just launching a new car – we're introducing a new category of vehicle that learns, adapts, and grows with you. The CLA gives us the perfect platform to demonstrate that luxury isn't just about materials and craftsmanship anymore – it's now also about intelligence that understands you," Magnus Östberg, chief software officer at Mercedes-Benz AG, told Newsweek. Mercedes-Benz has been utilizing AI in various projects for decades, dating back to 1996 when machine learning was first introduced into vehicles. "We actually have been building toward this moment since we established our Silicon Valley R&D hub in 1994 – 30 years of preparation. The technology has finally caught up to our vision. We're not chasing AI trends; we're delivering capabilities we've been developing for decades. Plus, with over 3 million vehicles already using our AI features (ChatGPT), we've proven that we can deploy this technology at scale, not just in concept cars," Östberg said. AI Impact Winner: Mercedes-Benz AI Impact Winner: Mercedes-Benz Newsweek Illustration Mercedes-Benz is the winner of Newsweek's AI Impact award in the category of Best Outcomes, Automotive/Transportation UX Systems for the luxury experience it offers owners by utilizing AI to transform vehicles into empathetic, hyper-personalized assistants. It was recognized as one of 38 winners of Newsweek's AI Impact Awards 2025 across more than a dozen categories recognizing excellent across a number of industries. "Luxury used to be about what your car had – now it's what it can do for you. True luxury means technology that disappears into the background until the exact moment you need it, then delivers precisely what you want. The process is invisible, seamless, and secure, providing fast and accurate answers every time. It's the difference between owning a sophisticated machine and having an intelligent and empathetic companion," a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson said. Modern Mercedes-Benz vehicles are a combination of intelligence and emotion. They are created with quality, safety, comfort and design in focus. Three types of AI carry the baton from that point: conversational, behavioral and agentic. Interior of the Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan with artificial intelligence-enabled infotainment system shown. Interior of the Mercedes-Benz CLA sedan with artificial intelligence-enabled infotainment system shown. Mercedes-Benz Conversational AI allows to have natural conversations with users. Behavioral AI delivers a proactive user interface experience with personalized recommendations and next-level automated driving. Agentic AI takes it a step further with hyper-personalized user experience. As more AI-enabled functionalities are brought to market, Mercedes-Benz vehicle owners can rest assured that the company has put privacy and safety at the forefront, keeping full control over all data, customer interfaces, sensors and actuators. The hyper-personalized and immersive experience that allows comes courtesy of the implementation of ChatGPT and Google Gemini. ChatGPT powers the natural dialogue functionality of the system, while Gemini provides conversational navigation about location details like restaurant ratings and popular dishes. selects the best agent based on the voice prompt given by the user, in the back end. MBUX Surround Navigation includes spatially aware navigation details that are technologically layered on top of conversational navigation information. It offers best-in-class Google and AMAP routing and is also updatable in nearly real-time. AI allows users to have conversations with their car's computing system, with contextual memory. The software has an awareness of previous exchanges in order to refine query results. Further, AI enables an owner's car to learn their preferences and generate query results based on those. Unlike many competitors' AI-enhanced technologies, provides a seamless connection between an AI assistant and the vehicles' complex systems. Users can utilize the technology to adjust climate control, interact via voice and control ambient lighting, among other functions. "Mercedes-Benz sees artificial intelligence (AI) as a groundbreaking technology and an opportunity for even more innovative products, processes and services. We have been using AI for many years in various projects along the entire value chain to improve products and processes as well as to automate repetitive routine tasks or support creative tasks. The goal: to continuously offer better solutions for our customers, to make the everyday work of our employees easier and to strengthen our competitiveness," Östberg said. Other Places Where Mercedes Is Using AI The company plans to utilize AI more extensively in its manufacturing operations in the future. By adopting a digital-first approach, the company will use digital twins to allow greater production plan flexibility, easing obstacles in production ramp-up times and retooling ahead of implementation, lessening the interruption of real-world production. AI will be used to streamline processes, building on the 19 percent reduction in fixed costs that the company achieved between 2019 and 2024. An additional 10 percent reduction is expected in the next three years. Additionally, Mercedes has adopted AI-enhanced Apptronik Apollo humanoid robots to perform some manufacturing tasks. Initial testing with Apollo focuses on production, with the robots performing repetitive tasks within internal logistics operations, transporting components or modules to the production line. The company's skilled human workers then assemble and conduct initial quality checks on the transported items. To see the full list of AI Impact winners, visit the official page for Newsweek's AI Impact Awards. Newsweek will continue the conversation on meaningful AI innovations at our AI Impact Summit from June 23 to 25 in Sonoma, California. Click here for more information and to register for the event.
The Citizen
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Mkhize's luxury cars to go under the hammer
Mkhize's luxury cars to go under the hammer A TOTAL of 13 luxury cars and a tour bus belonging to Shauwn Mkhize will go on auction next week from June 27 to July 2. Mkhize, who was the owner of Royal AM Football Club, was investigated by SARS. Her La Lucia home was searched in August last year, after SARS was granted a preservation order by the Durban High Court. She allegedly owes the revenue services R37m in taxes. Related story: SARS confirms raid of La Lucia businesswoman's home Among the vehicles set to go under the hammer on Bidder's Choice are a 2020 Bentley Continental GTC, five BMWs, four Mercedes-Benz, two Toyota Hilux, a Nissan Hardbody and a Volkswagen Crafter. One of the Mercedes-Benz is a Maybach S680 limited edition – only 100 were made in the world – retailing at about R5m according to The football club is also back on the market after a deal between Global Investments and SARS fell through after the company failed to meet the three-day payment deadline. The reserve is R50 000 and the vehicles can be viewed in Johannesburg. For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook , X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Mercedes-Benz India issues sixth recall of 2025 over fire risk
Mercedes-Benz has issued yet another voluntary recall in India—the sixth so far in 2025—flagging a serious safety concern in select high-end models including the EQS, S-Class (including Maybach), GLC and AMG SL 55. The recall affects 30 units in total, as per the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), and stems from faulty fuse boxes that may not have been reworked correctly. Model Fuel type Manufactured from Manufactured untilS Class/ Maybach S ClassPetrolJune 22, 2023March 20, 2024AMG SL PetrolJuly 5, 2023August 28, 2023GLCPetrol, Diesel September 9, 2023December 4, 2023 EQSElectricJuly 19, 2023 April 8, 2024 'It has been identified that the fuse boxes might not have been reworked correctly. As a result, systems connected to the fuse might fail, and the vehicle might lose its propulsion without prior warning, and the restraint functions or the instrument cluster might also be impaired, increasing the risk of a crash and injuries. Under such specific circumstances, a potential risk of a thermal incident in the vehicle cannot be excluded,' noted the recall listing on SIAM's website. Model-wise, the breakdown includes 16 EQS sedans, nine S-Class vehicles, three GLCs, and two AMG SLs. Affected owners will be contacted directly, with repairs offered free of cost. Past recalls in 2025 With six recalls already in just the first half of 2025, the frequency is unusually high for a marquee brand like Mercedes-Benz. Globally, Mercedes has recalled nearly 93,000 vehicles in the US this week alone. Recall date Affected models Total vehicles recalled January 14 GLC, AMG GT, S Class, G Class, AMG E Class96February 3 C Class, E Class2546February 21 C Class, CLE60March 12AMG E 53 70March 29 AMG GT 63S, AMG S 63 E10
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
China floods Brazil with cheap EVs triggering backlash
The world's largest car-carrying ship, with the equivalent of 20 football fields of vehicles - completed its maiden journey late last month to dock in Brazil 's Itajai port. But not everyone is cheering its arrival. BYD , China 's top producer of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, is offering Brazilian car shoppers relatively low-priced options in a market where the green-car movement is still in its infancy. Brazilian auto-industry officials and labor leaders worry that the vast influx of cars from BYD and other Chinese automakers will set back domestic auto production and hurt jobs. BYD has deployed a growing fleet of cargo ships to accelerate its expansion overseas, with Brazil becoming its top target, according to Reuters analysis of shipping data and company statements. The late-May shipment was the fourth of the Chinese carmaker's ships to dock in Brazil this year, totaling around 22,000 vehicles, according to Reuters calculations. BYD, the world's top producer of electric and plug-in hybrid cars, is the largest among several Chinese brands targeting Brazil for growth. China-built vehicle imports are expected to grow nearly 40 per cent this year, to about 200,000, according to Brazil's main auto association. That would account for roughly 8 per cent of total light-vehicle registrations. Industry and labor groups say China is taking advantage of Brazil's temporarily low tariff barriers to ramp up its exports rather than investing to build Brazilian factories and create jobs. They are lobbying Brazil's government to accelerate by a year a plan to increase Brazil's tariff on all EV imports to 35 per cent from 10 per cent, rather than gradually phasing in higher levies. "Countries around the world started closing their doors to the Chinese, but Brazil didn't," said Aroaldo da Silva, a Mercedes-Benz production worker and president of IndustriALL Brasil, a confederation of unions across six industrial sectors. "China made use of that." BYD did not respond to a request for comment on the industry's concerns. SURPLUS CARS Brazil has emerged as a flashpoint in the China auto industry's torrid global expansion. A growing surplus of new cars being pumped out of Chinese factories has led to an export boom over the past five years, helping China pass Japan in 2023 to become the world's top vehicle exporter. Much of this excess is being shipped overseas, to markets like Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Brazil offers an enticing destination due to its large market - it is the sixth-largest car market by volume - where established players including Volkswagen , General Motors and Jeep-maker Stellantis have been building cars domestically for decades. The Brazilian government has set policies aimed at growing sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars, BYD's specialty. Meanwhile, BYD's path for growth elsewhere has narrowed, both domestically and overseas. At home, the company is mired in a bruising price war that has seen it slash the price of its entry-level Seagull to below $10,000, squeezing profit margins. Abroad, governments have erected stiff trade barriers for Chinese cars, including a 45.3 per cent duty in Europe and a tariff of more than 100 per cent in the United States, along with a ban on Chinese software in cars. For years, Brazilian officials have taken steps to protect the market from unfettered access by Chinese car companies. But it has been slower to react and less aggressive than other nations. In 2015, Brazil eliminated tariffs on manufacturers like BYD to spur electric vehicle adoption, but last year it reintroduced a 10 per cent tariff on electric cars to encourage investment in the domestic auto industry. The tariff is scheduled to increase every six months before hitting 35 per cent in 2026. Brazil's Ministry of Development, Industry & Foreign Trade told Reuters that a request by Brazil's auto association, ANFAVEA, and others to pull forward the higher tariff was under review. "The schedule for the gradual resumption of tariffs, with decreasing quotas, was established to allow companies to continue with their development plans and respect the maturity of manufacturing in the country," a ministry spokesperson added. BYD and other Chinese companies also are taking advantage of a policy in Brazil that allows them to import toll-free up to $169 million for plug-in hybrids imported by July 2025 and $226 million for battery-electric cars. That incentivizes front loading of vehicle shipments to fully benefit from the toll-free quotas before they expire, analysts said. 'EXCESS OF IMPORTS' BYD's export strategy hinges on the carmaker being able to continue growing shipments without triggering resistance from local authorities. But industry representatives in Brazil have grown increasingly worried that BYD's plans to begin domestic vehicle production are being pushed off. In 2023, government officials cheered BYD's plan to purchase a former Ford plant in the state of Bahia, viewing it as a way to create manufacturing jobs and spur the country's green transition. But an investigation into labor abuses on the construction site pushed back its timeline for "fully functional" production to December 2026, local officials said in May. Another Chinese automaker, GWM, also delayed by more than a year its plan to start making cars at a former Mercedes-Benz plant. The Brazilian government expects the plant to begin operating this year. "We support the arrival of new brands in Brazil to produce, promote the components sector, create jobs and bring new technologies," Igor Calvet , president of ANFAVEA, told Reuters. "But from the moment that an excess of imports causes lower investment in production in Brazil, that worries us." Da Silva of IndustriALL said his confederation of unions had not heard of any local supplier relationships being developed or contracts being signed for the BYD plant, as would normally be expected 18 months from the start of production. "Even if the factory is here - what value is it really adding if the components, development, and technology is all from abroad?" da Silva said. BYD did not respond to a request for comment on its supplier network. President Lula da Silva 's left-wing Workers Party government is scrambling to protect jobs and the environment as it aims to both revive Brazil's industrial economy and restore its green credentials ahead of hosting the COP30 global climate summit this November. Still, the country's nascent green-car movement leans on Chinese imports, which account for more than 80 per cent of Brazil's electric-car sales, according to Brazil's EV association, ABVE. The country has abundant mineral resources including lithium and other key ingredients to make EV batteries. But the infrastructure to produce all the necessary components for electric cars does not exist yet, said Ricardo Bastos , director of government relations at GWM Brazil and president of ABVE. GWM, which bought a factory in Brazil in 2021 with capacity for 50,000 cars a year and is due to start producing its Haval H6 SUV there this July, is in talks with around 100 Brazil-based suppliers on setting up contracts, Bastos told Reuters. "This year, imported cars will coexist alongside cars produced in Brazil," Bastos said.
