Near Birmingham in Britain, for instance, the cluster of car-industry service firms that grew up when that city was a force in the industry has become an important element in the development of Formula One and other specialist vehicle businesses.

ECONOMIST: Idea: Clustering | The

Brad Coffey, head of corporate development for the company, likens the formula to a machine: Put a dollar in at the top and the LTV:CAC ratio will tell you roughly how many dollars come out at the bottom.

FORBES: In Defense Of The Lifetime Value (LTV) Formula

Its development has made use of advanced technology from the world of Formula 1: the battery is the first result of the co-operation between Mercedes-AMG GmbH in Affalterbach and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (formerly Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines).

ENGADGET: Visualized: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell bares all