1996 Mercedes-benz Sl-class on 2040-cars

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Boston bombers were tracked using Mercedes mbrace [w/video]

We now know Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the two brothers said to be behind the Boston Marathon bombings, planned to head for New York City to detonate more improvised explosive devices. As it turns out, that plan was foiled by the quick thinking of one Mercedes-Benz owner, diligent police work and the Mercedes-Benz mbrace system. When the brothers carjacked a 26-year-old Chinese entrepreneur identified only as "Danny," they didn't realize his Mercedes-Benz M-Class was equipped with the mbrace system, which can call for help in the event of an accident or track the vehicle in the event of a theft.
According to reports, the Tsarnaev brothers held Danny hostage for nearly 90 minutes while they drove around Boston forming a plan until they had to stop for fuel. When one of the brothers went inside to pay, the other put his gun down for a moment. Danny took the opportunity to unlatch his seat belt, open the door and run to another nearby gas station, where he told the owner to call the police.
When police arrived, they used the mbrace system to track the SUV after receiving Danny's permission, and it wasn't long before a shootout between police and the brothers ensued. When it was over, the eldest brother lay dead in the street. For more on the story, view the video report available below.

Mercedes' CEO says Google should study car use, not car building

Google is rapidly throwing its massive weight into many facets of the auto business. Not only does the search behemoth want to take on Uber, offer car insurance quotes and run a specific version of Android on future infotainment systems, but the company is also at least toying with the idea of constructing its own completely autonomous vehicles. Such a powerful corporation entering the industry could frighten some automakers, but Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche isn't worried. The mustachioed executive doesn't believe that Google actually means to become an automaker but is instead just studying how people use cars. "Google and the likes want to get involved, I don't think in the first place to build vehicles," he told analysts, according to Reuters. Zetsche sees future collaboration with the technology giant in a quite nuanced way in that there are some things they can be partners on and other places where the two corporations might be competitors. One area where Zetsche potentially predicts an antagonistic relationship with Google regards data privacy, a concern is becoming a hot topic in the auto industry at the moment. Zetsche foresees the future of safety in Mercedes-Benz vehicles as protecting occupants not just physically but also safeguarding their personal information. "To be able to provide that, we have to keep control, and we can't do that when it is collected by Google," Zetsche said to Reuters. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Gero Breloer / AP Photo Mercedes-Benz Technology Emerging Technologies Infotainment Autonomous Vehicles

2016 Italian Grand Prix race recap

The Italian Grand Prix at Monza is called the Temple of Power. Furthermore, the winning driver in Italy started on pole in 13 of the last 16 years, and only one driver in that time has won the Italian GP from behind the front row of the grid: Rubens Barrichello in 2002 and 2009. By this point in the current Formula 1 season (era?) we know what it means when a track emphasizes both power and pole position: Mercedes-AMG Petronas. The Silver Arrows locked out the front row with Lewis Hamilton on pole. A poor start prevented the Briton from capitalizing on the advantage, so teammate Nico Rosberg and four other drivers swept by him before the end of the second turn. Mercedes would later say a clutch issue caused Hamilton's botched start, but that didn't help the man who'd just fallen to sixth place. Rosberg got about two laps of television coverage on his way to an unbothered victory ahead of Hamilton. Ferrari made Hamilton's second-place finish easier by sticking to a two-stop strategy; both Mercedes drivers pitted once. We aren't sure why Ferrari didn't at least attempt a one-stopper once Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen had been gifted second and third on track. A pit stop took about 23 seconds from entry to exit and Vettel finished third, six seconds behind Hamilton. Raikkonen finished fourth, another seven seconds behind Vettel. Perhaps the Scuderia's tire usage wouldn't allow longer stints, but we'll never know. Daniel Ricciardo wielded his Red Bull like a scalpel to make an impeccable pass on Valtteri Bottas in the Williams and take fifth place. Ricciardo, trailing another Italian province behind, somehow closed the gap on Bottas in just the braking zone of Turn 1, pulling alongside near the apex without locking a wheel on entry nor running wide on exit. Bottas claimed sixth ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez in the Force India, Felipe Massa in the second Williams, and Nico Hulkenberg in the second Force India sealing the top ten. Monza did spring a few on-track surprises. Esteban Gutierrez drove Haas F1 into Q3 for the first time this season, the Mexican setting the sixth-best time in Q2. Manor Racing planned for Monza all season, Pascal Wehrlein repaying the effort by qualifying 13th. Fernando Alonso pitted his McLaren on Lap 50 of the 53-lap race for a set of super soft Pirellis, then set the fastest lap. It's Honda's first fastest lap since 1992. The biggest moments happened off the track.