Sunday, July 31, 2016

Mercedes Benz Of Arcadia Is Previewed By MercedesBenzTechTalk.Com

Victoria Rusnak, president and CEO of Rusnak Group (right) describes the AMG Performance Center concept to members of the press as Rusnak Group founder Paul Rusnak (L) and Mercedes Benz of Arcadia general manager Brian Beatt look on. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2016)

Mercedes Benz Of Arcadia Is Previewed By MercedesBenzTechTalk.Com 

Mercedes-Benz Of Arcadia is the redesigned new dealership of the Rusnak Auto Group which had its first preview to the press on July 11, 2016 after opening its doors in June. Mercedes-Benz of Arcadia replaces a smaller facility at an adjacent site.

This hallmark luxury dealership is the first LA Basin location to utilize the latest Mercedes-Benz facility image program, known as AutoHaus2.

Alysha Webb, editor and publisher of Automotive Buy Sell Report, shakes hands with Rusnak Auto Group founder, Paul Rusnak, as general manager Brian Beatt (R) looks on during the Press Day tour of the newly opened Mercedes Benz of Arcadia. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2016)

This excerpted and edited from Automotive Buy Sell Report -

New Arcadia facility opens new business opportunities for Rusnak Group’s Mercedes-Benz dealership
Posted By Alysha Webb, Editor and Publisher - July 20, 2016

The Rusnak Auto Group in June opened a huge new Mercedes-Benz dealership in Arcadia, in the San Gabriel Valley northeast of Los Angeles.

The showcase facility took more than a decade to realize, but now Rusnak has new product lines and much more space. That should mean a nice bump in the group’s business.



“It was hard to get the full potential out of the market [in the old dealership],” Brian Beatt, general manager of Mercedes-Benz of Arcadia tells Automotive Buy Sell Report. “We will have opportunities to grow considerably in the next 24 months.”
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The new dealership covers over 241,000 square feet, including 40,000 sq. ft. of indoor showroom space and a bit less than 43,000 sq. ft. of service area. It has ten times more showroom space than the former building and seven to eight times more total space, says Beatt.

The new building will have 64 service bays when completed, and will stock over $1 million in parts. “We just keep growing,” he says.

Construction took several years, but getting the project off the ground was 15 years in the making, Victoria Rusnak, president and CEO of Rusnak Group tells Automotive Buy Sell Report.
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With the additional space, Rusnak has brought in two new business lines — a Mercedes AMG Performance Center and Sprinter vans.
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According to the Mercedes-Benz USA website, there are fewer than a dozen of the AMG Performance Centers — which offer a personalized retail experience – in the U.S.


Museum grade space of the Mercedes Benz of Arcadia showroom floor. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2016)

Adding the Sprinter brand did add construction costs to the new facility, however. To accommodate the tall vans in the service center, the entire building’s ceiling had to be raised by three feet at a cost of $1.4 million, says Beatt.

The facility cost $40 million to build, not including the cost of the land, says Paul Rusnak, the Group’s founder.
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Rusnak was able to use local vendors for some of the materials, but other materials, such as the tile, could only be sourced from Mercedes-Benz-approved suppliers [as per Mercedes-Benz corporate Autohaus2 template], says Victoria Rusnak.
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Rusnak wants to maximize business at her existing dealerships before adding more, she says. They are “a lot to manage with the cash intensity of the facilities right now.”

For example, the Mercedes-Benz of Arcadia hasn’t begun to realize the full sales potential in the area, says Beatt. For the past two years, as the new facility was being built, the old dealership operated out of around 40 percent of its original footprint, he says.

“This created severe operating conditions, with a severe shortage of space for over two years for new vehicle display, pre-owned display, service parking, and customer parking,” says Beatt.

In 2015, Rusnak’s old Arcadia dealership sold 2,270 new cars and light trucks, and 636 pre-owned used cars and light trucks. This year it aims to sell between 2,500 and 2,700 new and 700 pre-owned.
[Reference Here]

The Rusnak Group was founded in 1961 when Paul Rusnak opened a Triumph dealership (British) in Pasadena. The Rusnak Group now includes 14 makes at 15 locations.  It is primarily a foreign car luxury automotive sales and service group (Germany, Great Britain, Italy, & Korea) with locations that feature Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Audi, Jaguar, BMW, Bentley, Land Rover, Rolls Royce, Maserati, Volvo, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Sprinter, and Hyundai franchises.

Mercedes-Benz Of Arcadia will become known as the museum display showcase in Southern California for current and newly released automobiles of Mercedes-Benz which is a global automobile manufacturer and a division of the German company Daimler AG headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Mercedes Benz Of Arcadia, Mercedes Benz, Arcadia, Rusnak, Alysha Webb, automotivebuysellreport.com, MercedesBenzTechTalk, The Rusnak Group, AMG Performance Centers, Sprinter, Mercedes-Benz facility image program, AutoHaus2, Paul Rusnak, Victoria Rusnak, Brian Beatt, The EDJE 

Monday, July 25, 2016

Justin Bell's Cheeky Drive In The New Audi R8 V10 At Lime Rock's WeatherTech Northeast Grand Prix

Justin Bell's Cheeky Drive In The New Audi R8 V10 At Lime Rock's WeatherTech Northeast Grand Prix

I love this car like a bikini model with a trust fund!


Here for the IMSA race at Lime Rock I got to drive the new Audi R8 Plus for our Fox Sports Show! Just a quickie but a fun one!

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Audi Tech Talk, Audi R8 V10, WeatherTech Northeast Grand Prix, FOX Sports, Justin Bell, The EDJE

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

BMW Moments Captured In 2016 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Poster

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca via Bill Patterson

BMW Moments Captured In 2016 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Poster

MONTEREY, Calif., July 19, 2016 —This year’s Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion celebrates the distinguished racing history and centennial of BMW with a full array of racing machines and personalities Aug. 18-21 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. To illustrate some of the action, artist Bill Patterson skillfully captures four moments in time with key cars that will be present at the gathering.

Patterson led with a big moment in BMW’s illustrious racing history, the winning of the 12 Hours of Sebring with Hans Stuck, Sam Posey, Allan Moffat and Brian Redman in the 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL. Following behind is the 1938 Mille Miglia-winning BMW 328 and the BMW V12 LMR that captured the overall win at the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans. Cresting the Corkscrew is the Jeff Koons BMW Art Car that raced at the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans. As a tribute to the Warhol Art Car, Koons selected number 79 - the year Warhol created his BMW Art Car for his M3 GT2.

Jim Busby built, drove, and now has restored this Cory Muensterman owned 1979 #3 Coors/Ocean Motors BMW/COX NEWSPAPERS BMW 320 L4 2000 cc Turbo for the 2016 Rolex Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Cory Muensterman via Facebook 

“We are thrilled with seeing these four iconic BMWs powering through The Corkscrew in Bill’s fantastic painting,” said Gill Campbell, CEO and general manager of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. “But just wait until these cars make their actual descent during the weekend where enthusiasts can enjoy their true sights and sounds.”

Rear-angle view of the Busby built, restored 1979 #3 Coors/Ocean Motors BMW/COX NEWSPAPERS BMW 320 L4 2000 cc Turbo for the 2016 Rolex Motorsports Reunion at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Cory Muensterman via Facebook 

As the official artist of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Patterson gets to see and paint some amazing cars, but it was especially satisfying to paint this year’s cover art. “Thanks BMW for the inspiration, and for building such great cars. I’m proud to have a part in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the brand. Here’s to the next 100,” Patterson said.

The full-size 24” x 36” poster is $25 (tubed) and will be available at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Souvenir Store in the paddock and its satellite store in the Marketplace during the event.

For more information on the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion or to view the full array of ticketing and hospitality packages, contact the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Ticket Office at 831-242-8200 or visit www.MazdaRaceway.com.

... notes from The EDJE




TAGS: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Bill Patterson, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Souvenir Store, 1975 BMW 3.0 CSL, 1938 Mille Miglia-winning BMW 328, BMW V12 LMR, Jeff Koons BMW Art Car, 1979 #3 BMW 320, Jim Busby, Cory Muensterman, The EDJE

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

The New Audi R8 Spyder V10 Is In The European Market Starting Blocks

Audi R8 V10 topdowning. Image Credit: AutoEvolution.com

The New Audi R8 Spyder V10 Is In The European Market Starting Blocks
Audi MediaCenter - 07/13/16 - Ingolstadt - Models

Audi unveiled the new R8 Spyder V10 at the 2016 New York International Auto Show in March. Pre-sales are starting in Europe tomorrow. The base price in Germany is €179,000/$198,799.00.
The new Audi R8 Spyder V10 combines breathtaking performance with the thrill of open-top driving. Its freely aspirated 5.2 FSI engine serves up 397 kW (540 hp) of power and delivers 540 newton meters (398.3 lb-ft) of torque to accelerate the high-performance supercar from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.6 seconds and bring it up to an impressive top speed of 318 km/h (197.6 mph). This means the R8 Spyder isn’t just more powerful, but also faster than its predecessor. Its driving performance is supported by the brilliant and typical sound of the aspirated

V10 engine – an intensively palpable experience when driving with the soft top folded back. The newly developed Audi Space Frame also makes its own contribution to the improved performance. It features a combination of interconnected components manufactured from aluminum and structurally-integrated carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. Its torsional rigidity has been improved by 50 percent in comparison to the predecessor model. The curb weight of the mid-engined supercar is just 1,720 kilograms (3,792.0 lb), whilst its dry weight comes in at a mere 1,612 kilograms (3,553.9 lb). Both the intelligent lightweight construction and the freewheeling mode reduce consumption: compared to the previous model, the new Audi R8 Spyder V10 is content with using ten percent less fuel.


With lightning-fast shifting, the seven-speed S tronic transmission transfers power to the newly developed quattro drive system. The electrohydraulic multi-plate clutch distributes drive torque fully variably depending on the driving situation – up to 100 percent of it can even be directed to either the front or rear wheels in extreme situations. The result is particularly dynamic and precise handling.

The various driving modes of the Audi drive select system influence the character of the R8 Spyder. They turn this top-level athlete from a superior motorway cruiser to a cornering hotshot on mountain passes.

The driving dynamics system is controlled using the standard satellite buttons on the R8 sport leather steering wheel with multifunction plus, which is also where the driver can start or stop the engine. Two additional control satellites are optionally available – one for the performance mode, and one for controlling the exhaust flaps. All functions are driver-oriented and thus the driver’s hands remain firmly on the steering wheel whilst their eyes stay focused on the road. The 12.3-inch fully digital Audi virtual cockpit displays all relevant information in elaborate 3D graphics.

A special performance view delivers information on torque, power, oil and tire temperatures, as well as lap times and G-force. The R8 Spyder is the first model in which selected mobile phone content can also be displayed directly on the Audi virtual cockpit via the Audi smartphone interface – just one of many infotainment features available. The best possible visibility and thus an increase in night-time safety comes in the form of the LED headlights with newly developed laser technology. They are recognizable by a blue anodized band which is also illuminated. An impressive range of personalization options for the interior and exterior round off the extensive product offer.

The Audi R8 Spyder V10 is almost entirely hand-built at the “Audi Böllinger Höfe” purpose-built production plant near Neckarsulm. The pre-sales of the high-performance sports car bearing the Audi Sport label begin on July 14, 2016 in Europe with a base price of €179,000/$198,799.00 for Germany.

Audi R8 Spyder V10:
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 11.7 (20.1 US mpg);
Combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 277 (445.8 g/mi)

... notes from The EDJE



TAGS: Audi Tech Talk, R8 Spyder V10, 2017, New York International Auto Show, European Market, The EDJE