Among the world's most renowned hood ornaments, it ranks second perhaps only to the Rolls-Royce Flying Lady in recognition. It has pointed the way for Mercedes' sedans since early last century, a symbol of the German cars' long and esteemed pedigree.

The particular three-pointed star that I see rises above the grille of a 2007 S550, the automaker's flagship sedan. The all-new 2007 S-Class is the ninth generation of the car and is a showcase of Mercedes' latest technology and design -- both of which are sure to trickle down to the automaker's other sedans, the intermediate-size E-Class and the smaller C-Class.

This Valentine's Day, Prove Your Love By Hitting the Road!

/24-7PressRelease/ - DALLAS, TX, February 07, 2007 - Forget the flowers and chuck the chocolates; this year, do something truly special for Valentine's Day! DFW Elite Auto Rental.com's innovative Couples Tour provides the perfect solution to Valentine's Day gift-giving dilemmas. The Couples Tour, part of the exclusive Drive Your Dream program offered by DFW Elite Auto Rental.com, puts drivers and their Valentines in five different cars during the course of a single day. The beautiful luxury vehicles featured on this tour include the Rolls-Royce Phantom, the Hummer H2, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the Porsche Cayenne S and the Mercedes S550 sedan. Couples will spend at least 30 minutes of driving time in each car, following a designated route through some of Texas' most scenic roads. Those carefully chosen roads lead to a five-star restaurant (determined by which route is selected), where couples will enjoy a romantic dinner to top off their unique and memorable Valentine's Day celebration.

Mercedes S550 safer and sleeker

Over the river and through the woods, to Grandma's house we went, on a sleigh that costs more than $100,000. It also puts out almost 400 horsepower, and has adjustable seats that will massage your back, expand outward to hold your torso in corners, and blow hot or cool air on your backside depending on climate demands.

But first, let's consider the look of today's test car, the 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550. The German automaker's cars were once Teutonic: square up front, square on the sides, square in the rear. That didn't seem to hurt sales until competitors like BMW, Audi and -- notably -- Lexus started to become sleeker.

So the Mercedes has now been stretched out and given a profile with softer corners. I like it.

Inside the S550, there is so much wood, so much leather, and so much stitching.

7 biggest events of 2006’s auto market

Besides Lifan, Chinese biggest automobile manufacturer Shanghai Auto is also moving ahead with its plan to conquer Vietnam's market. However, China-made cheap cars have not drawn special attention from Vietnamese customers.

Vietnam Motorshow 2006

The 3rd exhibition held by the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA) just several days before Vietnam joined WTO made a lot of records.

With more than 110,00 visitors, it was the exhibition which drew the most visitors. With 115 models on display, this was the biggest ever exhibition. In addition to the appearance of 21 completely new car models, the professional organization of the exhibition made Vietnam Motorshow 2006 a more attractive exhibition compared to the exhibitions held two years ago.

Experts say quality crucial for biodiesel

The biodiesel industry can take a lesson from ethanol and win over consumers by ensuring that biodiesel is of consistently high quality, a panel of experts said Tuesday.