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OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 16, 2009 · 18 Production Milestone: One Millionth Mercedes-Benz Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine The only Mercedes-Benz plant in North America celebrated a significant milestone recently with the production of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant's one millionth M-Class. West Coast Mercedes-Benz dealership. The milestone vehicle is a fuel-efficient Initially, the M-Class was the only vehicle produced ML 350 BlueTEC diesel, destined for a at the Alabama plant. More than 570,000 vehicles were built during the original M-Class' eight-year lifecycle, from 1997 to 2004. That success led to a $600-million plant expansion. Today, three vehicles are built at the Tuscaloosa facility ­ the second-generation M-Class, the R-Class SUV Tourer, and the GL-Class luxury SUV. In total, MBUSI has built more than 1.2 million vehicles and MBUSI is the sole production location for these three products. In October 2006, Mercedes-Benz was the first manufacturer to begin a BlueTEC offensive within the U.S. passenger vehicle segment to coincide with the introduction of ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel. The E320 BlueTEC was a huge success right from the beginning and was voted "2007 World Green Car of the Year". Mercedes-Benz is now pushing forward with this initiative with the R, ML and GL 350 BlueTEC, the world's first three diesel SUVs that not only meet the particularly demanding targets specified in the U.S. BIN5 (50state) standards, but which also have the potential to fulfill the stringent EU6 standards due in the future, thus also significantly exceeding all current emission standards for diesel passenger cars worldwide. In addition to the innovative clean BlueTEC diesel technology, MBUSI will begin building the new ML 450 HYBRID, which goes on sale fall of 2009. MBUSI currently has more than 3,000 Team Members who are building the M-, R- and GL-class SUVs for all global markets. 2010 MAZDA3 awarded IIHS top safety pic Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine Mazda has announced its all-new 2010 Mazda3 has been awarded a prestigious Top Safety Pick by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). To qualify for Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn the highest rating of good in the Institute's front, side, and rear tests and be equipped with Electronic Stability Control. Criteria to win are tough because the award is intended to drive continued safety improvements such as top crash test ratings and the rapid addition of electronic stability control, which is standard on most trim levels of the Mazda3. Combined with the top five-star ratings in the U.S. government's NHTSA frontal and side driver crash tests, Mazda3 is one of the safest choices in a small car. The all-new Mazda3 comes standard with frontal and side airbags and roof mounted side air curtains, in addition to active head restraints that move closer to the driver's head in the event of a rear impact. Coupled with available Dynamic Stability Control, tire pressure monitors, strong Triple-H body construction and anti-lock brakes, the Mazda3 offers a comprehensive safety package.