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Mercedes-Benz Drive & Seek action movie stars C-Class, scantily clad bank robbers

Filed under: Coupe, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz Drive&Seek video

Mercedes-Benz Drive & Seek – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Part of what made the The Driver, the series of BMW films with Clive Owen, so compelling was that it was well written, it was underplayed, and as far as action films went it didn’t obliterate believability. The laconic Owen was able to sell hopped-up adventures with his relaxed delivery of cutting lines, and it was credulous that a driver-for-hire made his living in a 5 Series.

The Mercedes-Benz movie Drive & Seek, however, throws all of that away. A promotional piece for the C-Class Coupe, it’s slick, utterly good looking, outrageously over-the-top, and goofy in every way possible. The only reason we know it’s not a Michael Bay film is that nothing explodes, otherwise it prays at his altar: a hot woman in a bathing suit (Kate Nauta, from The Transporter 2), hot women in white skinsuits robbing a bank, gunfire in an expensive suit, an absurd car chase… and some other stuff. If that’s your bag, there’s 9:25 of it in the video after the jump.

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Mercedes-Benz Drive & Seek action movie stars C-Class, scantily clad bank robbers originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 May 2011 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China denies involvement in Renault EV spy case; over $841k found in secret bank accounts?

Renault’s zero-emissions lineup

The industrial espionage case involving three top Renault execs and electric vehicle secrets (and maybe China) continues, as the French carmaker has officially filed an accusation against a foreign private company. The company involved was not made public, but the filing does not cite a foreign power, according to Jean-Claude Marin, a Paris prosecutor, in Reuters. In fact, the French government began stepping away from rumors that China is involved with this industrial espionage case. Even still, a member of the conservative UMP party told France-Info radio that, “There are in effect several sources that are typically thought to be serious who consider that a Chinese buyer is in fact behind this operation.” That buyer might be a Chinese power company, which French newspaper Le Figaro reported laundered at least 630,000 Euros (around $841,800 U.S.) into bank accounts in Switzerland and Liechtenstein opened by the executives. For its part, China has denied any involvement.

Prosecutor Marin must now make a decision to either oversee his own investigation or to open a judicial inquiry that will go before an independent magistrate. The French intelligence service, Direction Centrale du Renseignement Intérieur (DCRI), has also been looking into the case.

We still don’t know the details of what was allegedly stolen, but Renault Chief Operating Officer Patrick Pelata tells Reuters that the company’s key technology for electric vehicles is still safe. Nissan executive Carlos Tavares said he “completely trusts” Renault in handling the matter. The Renault-Nissan alliance has invested 4 billion euros ($5.17 billion) in electric vehicles.

The three senior Renault executives who have been suspended are denying their guilt. A lawyer for the highest-ranking of the three defendants notes, “He’s shocked by it, let’s be clear about it… He’s going to clear his name.” Another described his suspension as Kafkaesque, and that the men are reportedly still trying to figure out what they are being accused of. So are we.

[Sources: Reuters, Independent, Economic Times, The Wall Street Journal, Plug In Cars]

China denies involvement in Renault EV spy case; over $841k found in secret bank accounts? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chrysler Financial purchased by TD Bank for $6.3B

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Chrysler, Earnings/Financials

Toronto Dominion Bank has officially agreed to acquire Chrysler Financial. Cerberus Capital Management, the current owner of the Pentastar’s lending arm, will receive $6.3 billion from TD Bank in the deal. That figure marks a $900 million loss compared to the $7.4 billion that Cerberus paid for Chrysler financial in 2007 as part of the automaker’s takeover. Since then, Cerberus has been forced to hand the reins to the federal government as part of the bailout of 2008, and analysts from The Washington Post and Reuters feel that the capital firm is simply looking to be able to return some of the money that it lost on the Chrysler adventure to investors.

Meanwhile, Toronto-Dominion Bank continues to push its way into the American market. The bank already has 1,300 branches on our shores, and the new acquisition of Chrysler Financial will make the company one of America’s largest auto lenders overnight. TD Bank says that it anticipates auto lending to grow from a $700 billion business right now to over $900 billion in just three short years. With Chrysler’s ever-improving stable of products, if true, that likely means that the bank will see cash start rolling through its doors in a big way. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Sources: The Washington Post, Reuters]

Report: Chrysler Financial purchased by TD Bank for $6.3B originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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