mercedes

Why you should invest in a luxury car

The luxury car market is growing and changing every day to suit the needs of prospective clientele. Where once before you could only dream of owning one, now luxury car manufacturers are looking at ways to make their brands open to more people.

Sales of luxury vehicles will continue to grow for many years to come, according to Jaguar and Land Rover.

The group marketing director for the British brands, Phil Popham, says there is plenty of growth potential for brands that produce premium vehicles and sell them at a premium price.

“We believe that the premium segments have got significant growth in future,” said Popham, who was in Australia this week as part of a visit to the Asia Pacific region.

“The world has and is becoming a more affluent place, there’s more and more affluent people. They are becoming increasingly brand savvy.”

He said success relied on the desirability of the brand being matched by unique and attractive products.

Popham said the growth would be a mix the arrival of new models and organic growth as buyers aspired to owning a luxury vehicle and wealth increased.

He also said emerging markets such as China and India brought potential for significant growth, while markets such as South Korea presented opportunities due to the greater acceptance of imported vehicles.

Sales of luxury cars have been steadily growing for more than a decade, with most manufacturers selling in market segments they haven’t traditionally competed in.

The bulk of that growth has been from intense competition from German brands Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi.

Whereas in the 1990s they produced a selection of luxury sedans and a sports car or two each now produces dozens of body styles covering SUVs, hatchbacks, coupes and the traditional luxury fare.

Much of the sales growth for those German brands has been at the lower end of the market, with each now selling city cars priced below many mainstream offerings.

But Jaguar says it will not follow the German brands as far down the price scale, saying it was too difficult to compete.

“We have no aspirations to be a volume brand, because that’s not our experience, that’s not our expertise.

Popham said the margins and investments required meant it did not make sense.

“[We’re not going to be] getting down into the smaller segments, where we haven’t got the economies of scale, we haven’t got the expertise, it would cost an incredible amount to invest,” he said.

“We’re not going to be a 2 million car company like BMW.”

“But we do want to be seen as a benchmark, we do want to be considered as one of the big players in the premium segment, a benchmark in terms of a our product attributes, in terms of our credibility and in terms of our geographical coverage.

“We have got ambitions to be a substantial player in the segments in which we compete, which is the premium segment.”

Popham said that could mean producing small cars.

“I wouldn’t say we would never introduce smaller cars … it really depends upon the trends,” said Popham.

“We’ll always look around our portfolio of products in terms of trends, where are the growth segments, where do we think we can have a credible product that will make money.”

Source http://www.drive.com.au/motor-news/luxury-cars-have-significant-growth-potential-20140514-389ss.html

BMW and Lexus over take Mercedes-Benz in Luxury Car ranking

Lexus and BMW have showed impressive growth figures and have taken over from Mercedes-Benz in the ranking of overall Luxury Car brands in the US.

Luxury automakers have been exceptionally busy over the past year: new designs, new vehicles, new agencies, new advertising, new marketing executives. In spite of the activity, posturing and jabbing in the ring, Lexus and BMW — Floyd Mayweather-like — seem to have taken the purchase-consideration lead in the late rounds so far this year, at least among the 1,200 or so consumers polled by marketing firm YouGov BrandIndex in an online survey.

The firm says Mercedes-Benz, which has consistently ranked among the top three luxury car brands in overall brand health this year, hasn’t gotten commensurate purchase consideration and is behind among all luxury brands.

By contrast, Lexus started the year behind Infiniti, Audi and Mercedes Benz, with only 6% of U.S. car buyers saying they would consider the brand in February. That metric is up to 16% now for the Toyota Motor luxury brand.

BMW’s purchase consideration surge with potential buyers began two weeks before Lexus, rising from a 9% in early February to a virtual tie with Lexus at 16% now, per YouGov BrandIndex, which reported that the lift happened around the time of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Perhaps not coincidentally, BMW had a big presence on the U.S. Bobsled sled team, having helped design the sleds and getting branding on the sleds and racewear and gear.

Sales have been strong for both brands. In April Lexus saw a 23% gain and BMW was up 8.5%, year-over-year. Year-to-date through April, Lexus was up 20.8% for its cars and 14.3% for its trucks; and BMW was up 10.7%.

“Lexus and BMW really separate from the pack,” says YouGov BrandIndex CEO Ted Marzilli. “That’s about three full months in the lead for BMW and about five to six weeks for Lexus.”

The firm’s study suggests that Infiniti, which has totally revamped its marketing and product, has the opposite challenge as Mercedes: while Infiniti is beginning to see a resurgence of purchase consideration, which has taken them from the bottom of the YouGov ranking to around the middle, their brand health has been near or at the bottom of the luxury car group for the year so far.

Marzilli tells Marketing Daily that BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz all scored well in advertising awareness, and that this awareness metric also indexes strongly (no surprise) for people who are in the market to buy a car.

But advertising alone doesn’t account for BMW and Lexus’ pole position. Perceived value, he says, plays a major role. He says that metric boils down to “A preconceived notion that it’s either too expensive or reasonable for what you get. Or they could be responding to a TV ad they saw this weekend, or new models. That may be what resonates.”

In the study, whose data is garnered from a poll of consumers who are in market to purchase a car over the next 12 months, Acura, Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz were measured on “Index,” the research firm’s score of brand health based on the firm’s component scores of quality, value, impression, satisfaction, reputation, and willingness to recommend; and on purchase consideration.

Source – http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/225119/bmw-lexus-lead-in-luxury-auto-consideration.html

The right image for SME’s could start with the right company car

Image and style mean everything to any business, but SMEs, who want to portray themselves to be professional and capable, are using fleet cars to send the message.

Choosing the right company car for your SME can prove a difficult balancing act between portraying the right level of professionalism and minimising running costs.This is particularly the case for SMEs who have tighter budgets and yet want to put forward a positive image of their company and its employees.

What do the experts rate as the top three best value prestige company cars?

 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Saloon – £26,855-£32,855

Mercedes-Benz is a brand synonymous with high-end luxury, and is a popular choice of company car for businesses of all shapes and sizes. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Saloon is no exception.

Offering a combination of the typical luxury and performance you’d expect from a Mercedes with low CO2 emissions and reasonable running costs, the C-Class is an ideal company car for any SME that wants to give a great first impression without breaking the bank.

The lower-end engine has CO2 emissions of just 103g/km ensuring company car tax bills that are pleasing on the eye, while fuel economy is also impressive. Performance doesn’t suffer as a result either, and the C220 Bluetec engine pulls strongly from low revs – complemented by quick acceleration beyond the 4000rpm mark.

BMW 3-Series – £23,555-£43,685

Winner of the 2014 CarBuyer Best Executive Car Award, the BMW 3-Series is an impressive car for all kinds of reasons.

Impressive engine performance? Check. Expert engineering that delivers genuine reliability? Check. Plenty of interior and boot space to provide that all-important practicality? Check and check.

With this much power under the bonnet, you might expect the 3-Series to fall down in terms of fuel efficiency, however the 320d 181bhp 2.0-litre returns an impressive 61.4mpg, while BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology restricts CO2 emissions to no more than 120g/km.

CarBuyer described the 3-Series as “one of the best compact executive cars money can buy” – and we’d have to say we agree.

Audi A3 Saloon – £22,825-£33,245

Unsurprisingly the third and final car in our round-up of the best value prestige company cars comes from yet another German automotive giant.

The Audi A3 Saloon offers strong and efficient engines, providing some of the lowest CO2 emissions for its class as well as impressive fuel efficiency.

Reliability is also an important issue for business car owners, and this is an area in which the A3 excels having been manufactured with the very best high-grade materials.

The combination of aluminium and high-strength steel helps to keep weight down to a minimum without compromising on durability, while the cabin is also built to an exceptionally high standard to deliver the kind of interior you’d expect to find in a luxury vehicle from one of the world’s leading brands.

source http://www.businesscarmanager.co.uk/best-value-prestige-company-cars-smes/3/

15 Classic cars that everyone should know about

The last couple of weeks we have shown you the luxury cars that are coming out in the future and the ones that are hitting the market now.

Today we thought we would take you back in time and look at the classic cars that define cool, style and speed!

We’ve overheard people say they don’t care what kind of car they drive as long as it gets them from Point A to Point B. Those people are liars. Who wouldn’t want to own a car that turns more heads than a bikini car wash? Maybe these guys have only driven used jalopies and don’t know anything else. Well, these are the cars they should know.

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1966 Shelby 427 Cobra

Anything attached to Carroll Shelby’s name is immediately worth your time. With an insane power-to-weight ratio, the Shelby 427 Cobra has a bit more giddyup than your Corolla. Plus, the hundreds of thousands of dollars you’d pay for one will seem like chump change compared to the $5.5 million shelled out for the ’66 Shelby 427 Cobra Super Snake.

1961 Jaguar E-Type

Whether you pronounce it Jagwar or Jag-u-ar, everyone agrees the brand oozes style. The E-Type was released in 1961 to some pretty heavy praise. If Enzo Ferrari referred to it as, “The most beautiful car ever made,” well, that’s good enough for us.

1969 Maserati Ghibli 4.7

The aggressive shark-shaped nose on the Maserati Ghibli is enough to place it firmly on this list. Plus, the Maserati name earns it plenty of clout. Basically, this car is what the Mazda Miata dreams of becoming as it falls asleep at night.

1964 Aston Martin DB5

If it’s cool enough for Bond, it’s cool enough for us. If you had to pick one vehicle that James Bond relied on the most, you’d be hard-pressed not to go with the DB5, and the one from Goldfinger would look pretty sweet in our garage next to the cans of beer and lawn care products.

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1957 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing

The doors are only part of the reason this is one of the coolest cars to ever hit the pavement. The fact that the 300SL was the fastest production car at the time, means driving to your ad meetings in Manhattan wouldn’t be a bore.

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1969 Boss 429 Mustang

You know you’re getting some sick power when they have to change the body of a Mustang just to accommodate your freakishly large engine. How could you not want to roll down the windows and listen to that sucker as you were cruising around? (Which would be a good idea since, due to the size of the engine, they couldn’t fit in any air conditioning.)

1963 Corvette Sting Ray

While nothing was wrong with the Corvette prior to ’63, when the Sting Ray rolled out it made the previous models look like chopped liver (fast & still somewhat attractive chopped liver). Besides the new look, the C2 Corvette was a bit lighter and handled far better than its predecessors. While some nice stylistic changes would be made in the coming years, there’s something about being first.

1969 Ferrari Dino 246 GT

Far too often cars are rigid. The lines and angles are harsh and, unless there’s something crazy under the hood, they become a complete clone of something else. The soft lines on the Ferrari Dino 246 GT tells us this car is meant to be driven fast and playfully. If we had one, we’d oblige.

1966 Alfa Romeo Spider Duetto

Something about this car just makes us want to drive the Italian countryside while occasionally stopping to drink local wines. Plus, any time you can get a car with style AND storage space, well you just hit the jackpot my friend. It’s perfect for storing all the sheets of paper with phone numbers on them.

1969 Dodge Charger

If there’s one thing we know about the ’69 Charger, it’s aerodynamic. At least that’s what we learned from Bo and Luke Duke. The ’69 Charger is a thing of beauty whether it’s a General Lee or not. It may never get the billing its Mustang counterparts always do, but the fastback look and all American style will never go out of fashion.

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1966 Lamborghini Miura

We don’t know if it’s the most stylish car on the list, but as far as cred goes, well it inspired the whole “Let’s toss a couple of seats on a rocket” sports car idea. It also became a new and different Italian sports car option outside of the Ferrari’s of the world for auto enthusiasts at the time.

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1969 Toyota 2000GT

If you’re noticing a small Bond theme here, you’re totally right. While Bond got a drop-top, the ’69 Toyota 2000GT was stylish enough without one being offered up from the factory. The elongated front, along with the design in general, makes it feel much more like an Italian roadster than something you would picture purchasing for its “dependable gas mileage.”

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1962 Ferrari 250 GTE

The Ferrari 250 GTE was the sports car for the family man. It was for the guy who wanted a Ferrari but also wanted to get little Timmy to hockey practice with all his gear. As Road & Track said, “A not only grand, but glorious, touring car.” We’d tack on cool as well.

1970 Datsun 240Z

The Jaguar E-Type’s Asian doppelgänger has the same beautiful look as the Jag with perhaps more brains underneath. The thought that went into the car became the hallmark of Japanese sports cars. See, being cool doesn’t just mean looking good (but it mostly means looking good).

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1969 Chevrolet Camaro

It was pretty much a foregone conclusion that this list would include at least one Mustang and one Camaro. What can we say, we like old-school American muscle power. Seeing those white stripes on a blue Z28 just strikes us as quintessentially cool.

Source http://coolmaterial.com/roundup/classic-cars-that-define-cool/

Mercedes S350 Bluetec: Is this the best luxury car in the world?

The Mercedes S350 Bluetec is in the running for the title of  World Luxury Car in the World Car of the Year awards. Not only is it a beautiful car to look at, with many talents, it is also a turbo diesel which makes the above statement even more surprising.

Now almost 90 per cent of all S-Classes leaving British showrooms are the S350 Bluetec, otherwise known as a turbo-diesel. Today sales of diesel cars outpace their petrol counterparts accounting for more than half of all new car sales.

Not so long ago, the idea of a car with all the luxury of a new Mercedes S-Class but with something as agricultural as a diesel engine under the bonnet would have been laughable. It’s a measure of how things have changed that not only is this far from being the case but that petrol-powered S-Class sales are now the minority option.

It is not difficult to see why either. Under the long bonnet of the S350 Bluetec is a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine with 258bhp, capable of 0 to 60mph in just 6.8 seconds and top speed of 155mph. Neither of these are exactly embarrassing considering the Mercedes is close to nudging two tonnes on the scales.

What is really impressive, however, is the 50.4mpg average fuel economy and the 148g/km emissions. There are 1.6-litre Ford Focuses that are thirstier and dirtier than that and this is a full-blown luxury limousine. Those on-paper figures are only underlined by your experience out on the road too.

While there is a little bit of diesel rattle detectable from the roadside when you start up, the cabin is so well-insulated that it is hard to tell from inside. The same is true on the move as well. The seven-speed automatic gearbox is very well-matched to the grunt of the turbo-diesel engine and it makes for smooth progress.

The arrival of a new nine-speed gearbox being fitted to the S-Class later this year almost suggests that the current seven-speed is somehow a short straw but the reality could not be more different. In fact, the S-Class’s biggest compliment is that you often barely notice its driving experience at all.

Every element of the big Mercedes is so unobtrusive that it’s only on longer journeys that you realise the depth of the car’s talents. Every element from its cosseting ride to its sheer lack of engine, wind or road noise on the move makes it a supremely comfortable long-distance companion. We cannot imagine any car this side of a Rolls-Royce Phantom that would be better motorway transport than this and that will cost you four times more.

Add in the extra length of the long wheelbase version and there is no shortage of space for rear passengers, either. Make no mistake, the S-Class is easily one of the most comfortable real-world cars on sale and arguably represents the best package. The only downside is that, competent though the S-Class is, it’s not the kind of car you will want to throw around a country lane with any kind of enthusiasm.

A Jaguar XJ might reward that kind of behaviour but while the big Mercedes does shrink around you to a certain extent, there is no fully escaping its dimensions. The good news continues with the interior, however. While having been widely copied for the smaller C-Class, it is little short of immaculate. Some of the myriad controls may need a bit of familiarity but the dashboard screens are clear and easy to read and the build quality cannot be faulted on any level.

Nobody would pretend that the S-Class is an affordable car by any means (except compared to a £300,000-plus Rolls-Royce) but it is easy to see where all the money has been spent.

It is no surprise that this latest Mercedes S-Class is so good, though: the German firm has been leading the luxury car sector with its various generations of S-Class for generations. That it can also do that with a turbo-diesel engine is testament to just how good it is. The bar for the best luxury saloons on the market just got a lot higher.

Source http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/471377/Mercedes-S350-Bluetec-A-three-litre-miracle-luxury-car

What luxury cars are celebrities driving?

Everyone envy’s the cars that celebrities both sides of the pond can afford to drive. whether you like the classic Ferraris that Chris Evans owns or the Eco friendly cars that the likes of Cameron Diaz and Diane Kruger drive, you are sure to find some little gems in the list below!

Audi: David Beckham (S8), Sandra Bullock (A6), Daniel Craig (S6), Vanessa Hudgens (A7), John Mayer (R8), Jason Statham (R8), Dwyane Wade (R8), Robert Downey Jr. (A7), Cristiano Ronaldo (RS6), Justin Timberlake (S8), Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (S5), Chris Brown (R8), Taylor Lautner (R8), Sienna Miller (TT), Kevin Costner (S8), Zooey Deschanel (A5), Michael Bloomberg (R8), Phil Knight (R8), Taylor Swift (Q7), Zac Efron (S5), Zoe Saldana (A8), Miranda Kerr (A8), Harry Styles (R8)

Aston Martin: Dwyane Wade (Vanquish Volante), Jason Statham (DBS), Olivier Martinez (V8 Vantage), Ice-T (Vantage), Eddie Murphy (Vanquish), Ryan Seacrest (DB9), Pierce Brosnan (Vanquish), Adam Carolla (DB9), Jonathan Ives (DB9 and Vanquish), Lil Wayne (Vantage), Sylvester Stallone (DBS), Prince Charles (DB6), David Beckham (AMV8), Janet Jackson (Vanquish), Marc Anthony (DB7), Missy Elliott (Vanquish), Jamie Oliver (Vantage)

Bentley: Drake (Supersports), Jennifer Lopez (Continental), Prince William (Flying Spur), Bruce Willis (Continental), Eva Longoria (Continental), Jonathan Ives (Brooklands), Simon Cowell (Azure), Sylvester Stallone (Continental), Arnold Schwarzenegger (Supersports), Paris Hilton (Continental), Floyd Mayweather (Mulsanne), David Beckham (Supersports and Mulsanne), Cristiano Ronaldo (Continental), Ryan Seacrest (Flying Spur), The Game (Continental), Lil Wayne (Mulsanne), Sharon Stone (Continental), Scott Disick (Mulsanne), Queen of England (State Limousine), Carlos Slim (Flying Spur)

BMW: Brad Pitt (Hydrogen 7), Jessica Alba (750iL), Anne Hathaway (i3), Reese Witherspoon (Alpina B7), Heidi Klum (M6), Selena Gomez (X5), Cristiano Ronaldo (M6), Taylor Lautner (Z4), Will Ferrell (Hydrogen 7), Alanis Morissette (X5), Samantha Ronson (750iL), Sean Penn (Z3), Taye Diggs (X6)

Bugatti: Drake, Birdman, Flo Rida, Floyd Mayweather, The Game, Chris Brown

Ferrari: Pharrell (Enzo), Justin Bieber (458 Italia), Harry Styles (California), Kim Kardashian (F430), Jermaine Jackson (California), Eddie Murphy (599 GTB), Dwyane Wade (F12 Berlinetta), Rick Ross (458 Italia), Gordon Ramsay (F12 Berlinetta), Paris Hilton (F430), Adam Levine (365 GTC), 50 Cent (FF), Cristiano Ronaldo (599 GTO), John Mayer (599 GTB), LeBron James (F430 Spider), Ozzy Osbourne (458 Italia), Tommy Hilfiger (Enzo), Alex Rodriguez (575 Maranello), Hugh Grant (California), The Game (F430 Spider), Ashton Kutcher (California), Tyga (California), Seal (F430 Spider), Kobe Bryant (458 Italia Spider), Flo Rida (California), Ralph Lauren (F430 Scuderia), Keith Urban (F360), Usher (F430 Spider), Gucci Mane (458 Italia), Wyclef Jean (360 Spider), Adrien Brody (F430), Rod Stewart (599 GTB)

Ford: Shia LaBeouf (F150), John Mayer (Raptor), Heidi Klum (Raptor), Dwayne Johnson (F150), Simon Cowell (Bronco), Christina Aguilera (Mustang), Amber Heard (Mustang), Nick Jonas (Mustang), Shaquille O’Neal (Mustang), Benji Madden (Galaxie), Ken Block (Raptor)

Jaguar: Victoria Beckham (XJ), Kelly Rowland (F-Type), Lana Del Rey (XKF), Patrick Dempsey (XK120), Harrison Ford (XK140), Miranda Kerr (XJL), Danny Aiello (XJL), Jay Leno (E-Type), Kristin Davis (XF)

Lamborghini:  Kanye West (Aventador), Swizz Beatz (Aventador), Chris Brown (Gallardo and Aventador), Scott Disick (Aventador), Cristiano Ronaldo (Aventador), 50 Cent (Murcielago), Rick Ross (Murcielago), Missy Elliot (Gallardo), Robinho (Gallardo), Kobe Bryant (Aventador)

Lexus: Natalie Portman (RX), Paris Hilton (LFA), Paul McCartney (LS600h), Gisele Bündchen (RX), Owen Wilson (ES), Sarah Michelle Gellar (RX), Halle Berry (RX)

Maserati: Pierce Brosnan (GranTurismo), Miley Cyrus (Quattroporte), Lapo Elkann (Ghibli), Gwen Stefani (Quattroporte), Barry Diller (GranCabrio), Britney Spears (GranCabrio), Kylie Minogue (Gran Turismo), Katy Perry (GranCabrio)

Maybach: Madonna, Will Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Birdman, Lil Wayne, Jay Z, Sean Combs, Kanye West, Rick Ross

McLaren: Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, David Beckham, Ludacris, Larry Ellison, Swizz Beatz, Dwayne Wade, Jay Leno, Will.i.am

Mercedes-Benz: Liev Schreiber (E350 wagon), Harry Styles (190 SL), Hilary Duff (G-Wagen), Jon Hamm (SLS AMG), Ashley Tisdale (G55), Tom Ford (G-Wagen), Ashley Olsen (G-Wagen), Kylie Jenner (G-Wagen), David Hasselhoff (CLS), Khloe Kardashian (G-Wagen), Gwen Stefani (G-Wagen), Bradley Cooper (G-Wagen), Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai (G63 AMG), Jay Z (S-Class), Patrick Dempsey (SLS AMG and G-Wagen), Sandra Bullock (GL550), Eddie Murphy (SLS AMG), Tom Cruise (SLK), Justin Theroux (S550), Rick Ross (CLS and S550), Nigo (300 SL), Russell Crowe (S550), Usher (CLS), Jim Carrey (S550), Wyclef Jean (G-Wagen), Jensen Button (C63 AMG DR250), Britney Spears (G55 AMG), Selma Blair (ML 350), Shakira (SL 550), Shaquille O’Neal (S-Class), Jared Leto (SLS AMG), Tiger Woods (S65 AMG), Tobey Maguire (S400), Alec Baldwin (M-Class), Megan Fox (G-Wagen), Mark Wahlberg (SLS AMG)

Porsche: Kate Moss (vintage 911), David Beckham (911 Turbo Cabriolet), Dustin Hoffman (911 Cabriolet), Kanye West (Panamera Turbo), Patrick Dempsey (GT3), Hilary Duff (911), Keith Urban (Cayenne), Kiefer Sutherland (Panamera), Jonah Hill (911), Miley Cyrus (Cayenne GTS), Adam Levine (356 Speedster), Maria Sharapova (Panamera GTS), Cristiano Ronaldo (Cayenne Turbo), Ellen DeGeneres (911), LeBron James (911), The Game (Panamera), Jerry Seinfeld (various 911s), Keanu Reeves (911), Zach Braff (911), Adriana Lima (Cayenne), Lindsay Lohan (911 Cabriolet), Rihanna (911 Turbo), Chris Brown (Panamera), Samantha Ronson (911 Targa), Bruce Willis (911 GTS), Sylvester Stallone (Panamera), Pharrell (550 Spyder), Steven Tyler (911 Turbo), Matthew Perry (911 Cabriolet), LeAnn Rimes (Panamera), Ashley Tisdale (Boxster), Bill Gates (959), Michael Dell (Boxster), Robert Pattinson (Boxster)

Range Rover: Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron, Russell Brand, Kate Moss, David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Robin Thicke, Sofia Vergara, Pippa Middleton, Jay-Z, John Mayer, Ryan Seacrest, Sharon Osbourne, Chris Brown, Shannen Doherty, Prince Harry, Queen of England, Courtney Cox, Alessandra Ambrosio, Richard Branson, Tim Burton, Hugh Jackman

Rolls-Royce: Swizz Beatz (Wraith), Jaime Foxx (Ghost), Ice-T (Ghost), Rick Ross (Wraith), Simon Cowell (Phantom), David Beckham (Phantom and Ghost), 50 Cent (Ghost), Snoop Dogg (Phantom), The Game (Ghost), Tom Brady (Ghost), Eddie Murphy (Phantom), Ryan Phillippe (Ghost), Shaquille O’Neal (Phantom), Missy Elliott (Phantom), Sean Combs (Phantom), Guy Ritchie (Ghost)

Tesla: Matt Damon, Eva Longoria, Jack Osbourne, Jeremy Renner, Shakira, Ashton Kutcher, Rachel Zoe, Laurence Fishburne

Toyota: Leonardo DiCaprio (Prius), Adrien Grenier (Prius), Ryan Gosling (Prius), Julia Roberts (Prius), Kirsten Dunst (Prius), Eric Schmidt (Prius), Sarah Jessica Parker (Prius)

Sources: Zimbio, X17 Online, Celebrity Cars Blog, Flickr, London Daily Mail, Autoevolution, UrbanDaddy’s DRIVEN, GT Spirit, Just Jared, Celebritycarz,

http://www.justluxe.com/lifestyle/luxury-cars/feature-1953959.php

 

Jaguar shows British humour in the latest ad.

This has to be one of the funniest adverts we have seen in a long time, please watch this and we guarantee it will bring a smile to your face.

Mercedes-Benz should have known what it was getting itself into.

The German carmaker recently launched an ad using chickens to demonstrate the whimsically-named Magic Body Control system on the 2014 S-Class, one of many new high-tech features on Mercedes’ recently-reinvigorated flagship luxury sedan. Jaguar was not amused.

Magic Body Control uses the S-Class’ array of cameras and sensors to scan the road ahead and preemptively adjust the suspension to minimize harshness. That’s very clever, but the chickens seemed a bit too silly for the makers of the 2014 XJR.

So, the Brits apparently thought, why not fight fire with fire? Jaguar’s communications boffins decided to make an animal ad of their own, and guess which animal they chose.

Jaguar’s rebuttal ad is a face-off between the Mercedes chicken and an actual Jaguar. It ends exactly how one would expect it to.

“We prefer cat-like reflexes,” the tagline reads. Well played, Jaguar.

The rebuttal doesn’t quite convey any specific quality of a car the way the original Mercedes ad did, but it will probably be just as memorable. It’s good to know that, even in the hyper-competitive luxury car business, someone still has a sense of humour.

First watch the original Mercedes Benz advert, then the Jaguar come back and let us know which advert and which car your prefer and why.

http://youtu.be/nLwML2PagbY

Thank you  to Stephen Edelstein and www.motorauthority.com and thank you to Jaguar too.

Thanks also to www.joe.ie.com  who has found the video, below,  which shows where the original Mercedes Benz idea may have come from.

Both Jaguar and Mercedes Benz really are great ads as they both manage to their messages across without ever showing the final product. We wonder if they took an inspiration from the 1962 scientific study, ‘The Vestibular System of the Owl’, better known as the ‘Ro-ro-rotate Your Owl’ video…