AMG PERFORMANCE CENTRES READY TO GO

AMG, the performance brand within Mercedes-Benz Cars, is establishing 175 new AMG Performance Centres worldwide by the end of next year thus offering a more personalised service to customers.

A commitment to first-class service quality at every stage in the customer relationship is one of the key elements of the AMG brand promise of “Performance”. This focus on developing an even closer relationship with customers extends to a total of 15 countries. A very special brand experience is also delivered by the AMG Performance roadshow.

The redesigned sales showrooms of the AMG Performance Centres are characterised by a consistently applied and unique AMG brand identity. High quality materials, exclusive furnishings and a palette of colours that is representative of AMG create an exclusive atmosphere for sales discussions. An oversized AMG engine badge serves to remind visitors of the company’s philosophy of “One Man – One Engine”: The assembly of each powerful AMG engine by just one engineer. The individualisation options available through the designo programme are also reflected at the AMG Performance Centres in the form of paintwork and leather samples.

The targeted training of AMG Sales and Service experts all over the world through a uniform coaching partner ensures first-class service delivery at every touch-point throughout the customer relationship. A ‘hotline’ to the home of AMG in Affalterbach also guarantees that the high standards of service expected by AMG customers can be met: Every AMG Performance Centre can make direct contact with an AMG expert, should they have any questions about the product or specific co

nfiguration possibilities.

“We are currently looking at five Performance Centres nationwide which will be launched to the market during the first quarter of 2009,” says Maretha Gerber, Marketing Manager, Mercedes-Benz Cars. “Considering the fact that South Africa is one of the largest AMG markets in the world we feel the Performance Centre concept is a perfect representation of the AMG brand and an ideal fit for our brand centres. These centres will have dedicated specialised AMG sales and service staff to give our AMG clients a truly unique experience.” concluded Gerber.

CONCEPT VOLVO S60 IN MZANSI BY 2010

Volvo Cars has given the world a glimpse of its new Volvo S60 by publishing the first photos of the Volvo S60 Concept that will be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show early in January 2009.

The dynamic design of the Volvo S60 Concept – with its unique crystal floating centre stack hand-made by world-famous Swedish glassworks Orrefors – gives a clear indication of what the all-new Volvo S60 will look like.

Good news for South Africans is that the all-new Volvo S60, which will provide Volvo with a fresh new challenger in the very competitive compact premium sedan segment, should reach our shores early in 2010.

NEED FOR SPEED UNDERCOVER IN MZANSI

Black Box, a studio of Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that Need for Speed Undercover is available at retailers today in South Africa. Need for Speed Undercover is an action-packed game whose story of pursuit and betrayal takes players back to the series’ roots with break-neck cop chases, spectacular highway battles and an expansive open-world.

Need for Speed Undercover features stunning Hollywood-style live-action in-game movies in which the player is recruited by Federal Agent Chase Linh, played by Maggie Q (Mission Impossible III and Live Free or Die Hard), to go deep undercover in order to infiltrate and takedown a ruthless international crime syndicate. Posing as a wheelman, the player will be required to prove themselves by completing jobs, racing through speedways, dodging cops and chasing rivals.

Need for Speed Undercover also features its signature real-world damage and car customisation for over 55 of the hottest licensed vehicles including the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG, Audi R8, Porsche 911 GT2 and the all-new unreleased 2009 Nissan 370Z.

The all-new Heroic Driving Engine delivers an unprecedented level of control allowing the player to execute incredible high-performance moves at 290km/h. The player will need to master the Heroic Driving Engine in order to evade the cops and take out opponents while navigating over 100 miles of open roads, including an expansive highway system.

These causeways are the setting for the high-speed, high-stake chase sequences that will push the player to the limit. An enhanced new Artificial Intelligence mechanic delivers a realistic high-energy action driving experience with ultra-aggressive and intelligent cops using actual high-speed pursuit techniques to take the player down.

Need for Speed Undercover is developed by Black Box in Vancouver, B.C. The game will be available for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system for a Recommended Retail Price RRP of R699.99. For gamers on the go, they can download the mobile platform for a RRP of R40.00 exclusive to Vodacom subscribers through to 01 January 2009, thereafter available on the mobile platform across all South African networks.

YOUTUBE WELCOMES VOLVO CARS

Do you want to see the new Volvo XC60 performing in the elk test? Or how Volvo’s “green” C30 racing car performs in the Gothenburg City Race in the Swedish Touring Car Championship? Simply log in to YouTube.

In response to the phenomenal growth of film and video communication on the internet, the Volvo Car Corporation has launched its own YouTube channel.

"The general media power shift we are seeing today is making it more and more essential to get our message across to all of the people with an interest in our cars - you could call them publicists - who pass it on to others in turn, via their blogs and online communities," says Peter Ganjbar, manager, public affairs working with new online channels at the Volvo Car Corporation.

“We are also seeing the world's major media groups forging links with new forums on the internet to maintain the flow of traffic to their sites. This is a very interesting development for customers, dealers and everyone else with an interest in Volvo Cars,” says Ganjbar.

There has been a sea-change in the way that people “consume” televisual media since the breakthrough of YouTube only two or so years ago. Using YouTube as a strategic communication partner was the obvious next move in adapting to true globalisation - a world in which speed and simplicity can easily get a step ahead of quality. Here you find amateurs, professional TV productions and commercials all in cheerful coexistence. The phenomenon has made many companies and organisations think very hard about the way they should approach a seemingly chaotic media landscape.

“Viewers are never fooled. It is important to say who you are. YouTube is, in effect, a ‘self-policing' medium. So we will be making it perfectly clear that everything published on ‘Volvo Cars News’ is official and authentic material, produced by the Volvo Car Corporation,” says Ganjbar.

The “Volvo Cars News” channel will carry everything from commercials and PR productions to television documentary material. The aim is to offer visitors worthwhile, enjoyable films about the latest products, and also to take them behind the scenes at Volvo Cars.

“And we will definitely be carrying breaking news here too,” says Ganjbar.

Among the material on Volvo Cars YouTube channel are video clips showing the XC60 going through the “elk test” at the hands of a test driver; the Gothenburg City Race featuring, among others, Volvo’s C30 that is racing in the Swedish Touring Car Championships with bio-ethanol fuel; and a unique Volvo XC60 advertisement.

· You can find Volvo Cars News on YouTube at www.youtube.com/volvocarsnews

JAGUAR XF DESIGNER WINS AWARD

Jaguar's Design Director, Ian Callum has won 'The Walpole Award for British Luxury Design Talent' at the Walpole Awards 2008. Callum was chosen for maintaining the highest standard of British Design Talent through innovation and design, contributing to British craftsmanship in 2008.

Julia Carrick, Chief Executive of Walpole said: “Our award winners exemplify Britain's ability to produce world class talent. We are delighted to recognise Ian Callum and Jaguar's success at the Walpole Awards and Medal of Excellence 2008. Ian Callum joins a prestigious group of previous winners including fashion designers Christopher Bailey and Betty Jackson.

"It is vital that Walpole not only applauds the achievements made by successful established brands, but that it also continues to support the younger, emerging British brands that will help shape the future of the British luxury industry.”

Commenting on his award, Ian Callum said: “I feel honoured to have won this award, particularly from Walpole, which wholly represents the British luxury industry. It is even more gratifying when Jaguar design receives such acknowledgment from outside the car industry.”

After his design stint at Aston Martin, during which he penned the DB7, Ian Callum joined Jaguar in 1999 as Design Director and is responsible for the award-winning XK sports car, voted Top Gear magazine's Car of the Year in 2006 – and the latest addition to the Jaguar model line-up, the Jaguar XF, voted. Ian also led the design teams responsible for Jaguar concept cars including R-Coupe, RD-6, Advanced Lightweight Coupe and the C-XF which was named 'Best in Show' concept by Autoweek at the Detroit Motor Show, 2007.

Every year Walpole hosts an awards ceremony honouring exemplary Luxury Brands and commitment to British Excellence. The prestigious awards ceremony is attended by leading industry experts, high net worth individuals and celebrities.

Walpole is a not-for-profit trade organisation that develops and represents the British Luxury Industry in partnership with over 100 of Britain's most prestigious brands including Claridge's, Jimmy Choo, Burberry and cultural bodies such as the BAFTA, V&A, National Portrait Gallery and VisitBritain.