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Mercedes-Benz has its origins in Karl Benz's creation of the first petrol-powered motorcycle in January 1886, and by Gottlieb Daimler and engineer Wilhelm Maybach's conversion of a 1873 Bollée steam-engine automobile by the addition of a petrol engine the same year. Mercedes Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. It is currently a division of the parent company, Daimler AG (formerly DaimlerChrysler AG), after previously being owned by Daimler-Benz. The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benz's and Gottlieb Daimler's companies into the Daimler-Benz company. Mercedes-Benz has introduced many technological and safety innovations that have become common in other vehicles several years later.


Mercedes-Benz A-Class W169 The car is designed according to Mercedes-Benz concept of 'Touch And Feel' (TAF).

The multi-function steering wheel places controls for the radio, telephone, and other systems conveniently within reach of the thumbs of the driver. Power steering (standard feature) aids control of the automobile, with its behaviour varying according to the vehicle's speed.

The Mercedes COMAND APS is a navigation system which provides directions via GPS. The radio unit also provides DVD and telephone functionality, with various versions available (standard Audio 20 radio/single CD, Audio 50 APS or COMAND APS).

The Parktronic system provides audio and visual signals to indicate how far the car is from an obstacle.

The A-class optionally includes a "Light & Sight" package which includes bi-xenon HID headlamps with gas-discharge bulbs; cornering lights (main-beam headlamps at road junctions and tight corners); "Headlamp Assist, which automatically turns on the lights when needed; and a rain sensor that adjusts wiper speed depending on rainfall intensity.

As a standard feature, when entering a tunnel or an underground garage the car goes into "tunnel mode", where all windows and the panoramic sliding sunroof are closed.

Safety

A number of new features were made available in the W169 model.

The biggest was the immediate fitment of a newly invented device, Electronic Stability Control. ESP is standard on every Mercedes-Benz (produced after 1999).

The car is constructed with high-strength steel alloys with bonded joints. It has a large number of airbags including optional rear side airbags (for side-impacts in the backseats), optional side-curtain airbags, and standard head and thorax-protection side airbags. The front airbags are adaptive with two-stage gas generators operating according to the severity of accident.

The force exerted by the seat belt system during a collision adapts dynamically depending upon the collision characteristics. The 'active' head restraints (standard for driver and front passenger) give enhanced protection from neck injury, especially during rear collisions.

The angle of the A-pillar is flatter than the windshield angle.

In 1997 the journalist Robert Collin from the motor magazine Teknikens Värld overturned the new Mercedes-Benz A-Class in the moose test, while a Trabant — a much older, and widely mocked car from the former German Democratic Republic — managed it perfectly.

Temperature control

The standard temperature control system has separate temperature settings for driver and front passenger sides, and includes a "Heater Booster System" that can flood the interior of the car with hot air.

The optional Themotronic system maintains and regulates the temperature in accordance with a set of sensors that measure temperature, sunlight, humidity and pollutant levels in the ambient air.






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