Friday, October 14, 2011

Aristocrat Motors Hosts October Ride & Drive for The Social Media Club of Kansas City


On October 26th, 2011 Aristocrat Motors invites members of the Social Media Club of Kansas City to join us at 4:00pm at our Porsche showroom for our first ever SMCKC Ride and Drive Event. Members will be invited to come drive the latest vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Land Rover, smart, and Jaguar on our private test track.


Guests are asked to RSVP at http://smckcaristocrat.eventbrite.com/ as spaces are limited. Please bring a valid Driver’s License and proof of insurance. Sign in will be at 4:00, and vehicle testing will go until dusk, as we wish to make this safe and fun for everyone.

We encourage guests to check in on Foursquare on their arrival, and to mention us as you comment on our lineup of vehicles. Our twitter handle is @AristocratKC. We look forward to seeing you here!

Aristocrat Motors is located at 9400 w. 65th st. Merriam, KS 66203. We are a Merriam, KS based automobile dealership specializing in Mercedes-Benz, smart, Porsche, Saab, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Maserati products. You can visit us on the web at www.AristocratMotors.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AristocratMotors , or on twitter at www.Twitter.com/AristocratKC.

Event information can be found at:

Aristocrat Motors Brings iPads to the Customer Experience


In an effort to enhance the customer experience at Aristocrat Motors, we have distributed Apple iPad2s to all of our Mercedes-Benz sales consultants. These iPads are loaded with state of the art Mercedes-Benz applications, allowing sales consultants to:
  • Build and price a vehicle with options.
  • Show vehicle interior and exterior colors, options, and accessories.
  • Receive customer information digitally; enhancing security and reducing wasted paper.
  • Display new and pre-owned inventory, and send specific vehicle information to a customer for    viewing later.
  • Download and share owner’s manuals, and to email a customer a PDF copy for their vehicle.
  •  Pull up current lease and purchase offers from Mercedes-Benz.
  • Engage in online Mercedes-Benz training from anywhere in the world.
  • Show videos that explain current technical features such as advanced cruise control, or how-to videos explaining basic operating tasks.
One of the Mercedes-Benz Vehicle Design Applications

We believe that these devices are changing the ways businesses operate, and paired with the right applications can be a perfect tool for enhancing how we deliver information to customers, improve the delivery process, and ensure safe and secure collection of customer information.

As more applications of this technology become available, we are confident that it will only continue to improve the way we do business in Kansas City.

Aristocrat Motors is a Merriam, KS based automobile dealership specializing in Mercedes-Benz, smart, Porsche, Saab, Land Rover, Jaguar, and Maserati vehicles. Located on the web at www.AristocratMotors.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/AristocratMotors, or on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/AristocratKC.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

An Open Letter to Our Customers, Partners, and Supporters

We write this letter as a sincere thank you to all of our customers, partners, and supporters that have helped us in the last month.

At the beginning of September, we sat down with Monica Starr, a Fairway, KS native, who ran a very small but powerful organization called Sleepyhead Beds. Their purpose? To raise and deliver beds for the kids of Kansas City who don't have their own place to sleep at night, whether they are sleeping on the floor, a couch, or are sharing a bed with siblings.

Meeting Monica is a pretty powerful experience because she is so passionate about her cause. She started Sleepyhead Beds after working with several other charities and recognizing an enormous need in our area. Currently 1 in 42 kids in the KC area needs somewhere to sleep, and she has already helped thousands.

It just so happens that 2011 is the 125th anniversary of Mercedes-Benz, the world's oldest standing automobile manufacturer. Rather than hold a huge gala, or concert at the store, we asked ourselves how we could celebrate this achievement by helping others.

Mercedes-Benz has always prided itself to creating the best products in the world, and despite being the oldest manufacturer, it always seems to have the freshest products and innovations. With two Mercedes-Benz dealers in Kansas City, we decided to celebrate the oldest manufacturer by helping the youngest generation.

Instead of giving our customers and employees a big party for the milestone, we reached out and issued a challenge. We challenged them to help us raise 125 beds for Sleepyhead Beds at both of our stores. The outpouring of support from our employees and customers was so astonishing, that we accomplished this task in just two weeks.

We also wish to thank our advertising partners, the local media, and all of the vendors that came out, providing everything from signage to breakfast at the events. With support from so many, 250 kids in Kansas City will now have a place to sleep at night.

We aren't done yet.

When we held the two bed drives, there was a camera crew on site. They were filming a video for Sleepyhead Beds to enter a recently announced national contest from Mercedes-Benz USA, named the Community Stars Program. This competition was designed to award $25,000 in grant money to 5 charities in the United States.

Hundreds of charities across the country entered this contest, but only 15 finalists were chosen. We are happy to announce that Sleepyhead Beds is in the hunt.

So, once again, we need your help.

The 15 finalists are now listed on the Mercedes-Benz USA Facebook page, where anyone with a Facebook account can vote for their favorite charity. On October 21st, voting is over, and the top 5 with the most votes will win the grant. Simple as that.

We ask that you visit www.Facebook.com/MercedesBenzUSA and cast your vote for Sleepyhead Beds on the "Community Stars" tab on the left side of the screen.You may vote once a day, and we hope that you vote as often as possible.A grant of this magnitude would be a game-changer for this organization.

From all of us at Aristocrat Motors and Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City, we thank you.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Race Across Missouri - Post #2



Wow, just wow. With just two weeks to go, it is amazing how many people have joined the conversation regarding our little Race Across Missouri. Social media influencers from every industry have added to the debate on whether it is faster to get to St. Louis in a car, or through air travel.

Here is an update of the race timing on Monday:

At. 8:30, Jake from @Garmin will meet me at my apartment just a couple blocks from One Kansas City Place, our starting point. He will be equipping my vehicle with several devices, the most important being a Garmin GTU tracking unit.This will follow my progress across Missouri, as well as alerting users to my average speed and location.

At 9:00 my co-pilot, Vanessa, will arrive at One Kansas City Place. As a representative of INK magazine, she will be live tweeting progress, in car video, and updates through an in-car mobile hotspot, since I will be driving.

At 9:30, the race is on! Justin and I will be leaving One Kansas City Place on foot, Justin will be racing to make an airport bus, and I will be running the 2 blocks to my parking garage at 9th and Walnut, where the Panamera will be parked. From there, we will be hopping on I-70, bound for the arch.

Justin will complete a series of transitions from bus to airport, airport to airport via plane, and try to get a cab to the arch before I arrive. This can not happen.

I would like to thank a couple of our sponsors, INK magazine, Porsche North America, and Garmin to name a few. I would also like to thank the management team at Aristocrat Motors, without whom this would not be possible.

I will tweet some images of the prepped vehicle tomorrow night, and look forward to the challenge on Monday!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Race Across Missouri - Post #1




In five days time, I will be in a competition that spans the state of Missouri. At 9:30am local time, I will depart One Kansas City Place downtown for the St. Louis Arch in a 2011 Porsche Panamera. Justin Meyer, from the Kansas City International Airport will be headed to the same destination, but in a slightly different way. He will be taking a city bus to KCI, a Southwest Airlines flight to St. Louis, and then a city cab to the arch.

I don’t need to detract from air travel to extol the merits of driving. Simply put, I will be in a vehicle that has been designed to be luxurious, fun to drive, and above all, comfortable. These advantages all will be overshadowed by the fact that I am going to beat Justin, despite his ability to travel at speeds exceeding 400 miles per hour for a (small) part of the race. [Note- for those following along, I will be tracked by the good folks at Garmin to make sure I don’t break the speed limit, which would disqualify me]

Public transportation has its place, but at the heart of my win will be a victory for grand touring vehicles and the age old American road trip. We have the freedom to pack it all up and go wherever we want, without schedules and hassle is a spirit this country embodies.

Getting behind the wheel of a car of this caliber is an event in itself. Dr. Ferry Porsche, the founder of the company is famously quoted as saying “I could not buy the car of my dreams, so I decided to build it.” This is what the Porsche represents, dreams. Since a young boy I have dreamed about taking a cross country road trip in a car like this, with the sound of the engine and the open road. Win or lose (unlikely), this will be an experience that I will remember forever.

Can that be said for a bus, a coach class ticket, and a cab ride? I doubt it.

With due diligence, I write this post from a Chilis in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport, en route to a training session in Newport Beach, CA. Obviously I am taking to the friendly skies in an effort to get their quickly, but I can’t stop but wonder how many more memories I would gain if I was in the Porsche.

Expect more posts of the smack-talk variety in the coming days, but I will end the post with a single question: Despite the final result of the competition, have I already won?

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Aristocrat Motors and Sleepyhead Beds


Our Mercedes-Benz dealerships,  in conjunction with Sleepyhead Beds, a Kansas City based nonprofit organization,  will be holding back to back weekend Bed Drives to benefit children in the metro area that do not have a bed to sleep in at night. Currently, this represents 1 in every 42 of our area kids.

We NEED any and all of the following:
  1. Volunteers! We need help loading and unloading beds, sterilization of donations, and drivers.
  2. Beds! We will be accepting full and twin size mattress and box spring combos.
  3. Bedding! We need sheets and bedding for twin and full size beds.
  4. Pillows! We need them, but they must be NEW IN THE PACKAGE pillows.
  5. Monetary Donations! Every $40 donated is a bed-equivalent.
Bed Drive #1:
Saturday, September 10th, 2011
Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City
13851 Madison Avenue (1/4 mile east of 135th and State Line, on Hwy 150)
Kansas City, Missouri 64145
8:00 AM – 12 NOON

Bed Drive #2:
Saturday, September 17th, 2011
Aristocrat Motors
9400 w. 65th St.  (Exit I35 on 67th Street go west to Carter, north on Carter and East on 65th (follow signs)
Merriam, KS 66203
8:00 AM – 12 NOON

For more information on the bed drive, to volunteer, or schedule a drop-off or pickup of a donation, contact:
Monica Starr
816.547.9965

For more information on how the Kansas City Area Mercedes-Benz Dealers are participating, contact:
Robert Hellweg
913.677.7414

Some other Questions you might be asked…..

How does a child get a bed?: We have no formal application process. If a child needs a bed and we have it, the child gets the bed.

Delivery?: We will pick up and deliver beds and bedding in the Kansas City metro area.

Sanitation: Each mattress is fully sanitized before it leaves our facility. We use SteriFab, a non-residual, biodegradable sanitizer that is effective against fungus, mold, mildew, bed bugs, dust mites, fleas, lice, ticks and more. It is one of the only non-residual sanitizers labeled for use on mattresses. We also clean each mattress with a special UV vacuum.

Tax Deductions: All donations to Sleepyhead Beds are tax deductible.