Smartphone applications have helped luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz collect about $2.5 million in lease or loan payments since they launched six months ago.

Andreas Hinrichs, the company’s vice president of marketing, told the Wall Street Journal that its Mercedes-Benz Financial Application, which allows customers to manage their accounts and performs several other functions, has been downloaded by 11,000 people.

"We wanted to be the first out there and now we have seen rapid customer adoption," Hinrichs told the news provider.

This summer, Fox Business reported that Mercedes Benz, a unit of Daimler AG, will launch two more applications for the iPhone and BlackBerry that can remotely control the car or locate it in a crowded parking lot.

The phone applications will be integrated into the car’s Mbrace system. By using the phone’s online connection, for example, one can tap their smartphones in New York to unlock a Mercedes in Washington, D.C., the report added.

The Mbrace car assistance service comes free for the first six months for new-car buyers, but it can also be purchased for older Mercedes models for $280 a year for the basic service.