Archive for Mercedes Benz

For the first time in 40 years, Mercedes Benz’s performance division, AMG is presenting its first vehicle developed in-house, the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Gullwing. The auto maker has released some official details regarding the super car, including the fact that this performance car with “gullwing” styled doors is powered by a front-mid mounted M159 AMG 6.3 liter V8 with dry sump lubrication that is good for 571HP at 6,800 rpm.

This naturally aspirated power plant also produces 650Nm of torque at 4,750 rpm, which enables the SLS AMG to propel to the 100 km/h mark in 3.8 seconds and to a top speed of 315 km/h.

With its fuel consumption rated at 13 liters per 100 kilometers, the super car conforms to current and future exhaust emission standards including EU 5, LEV 2 and ULEV. The AMG engine which has a kerb weight of 206 kilograms drives the rear wheels via a carbon-fiber drive shaft that is carried over from the DTM C Class racer, and is coupled with a rear-mounted 7 speed dual clutch transmission.

With aluminium used for the construction of its chassis and body, the SLS AMG features a power-to-weight ratio of 2.84 kilograms per horse power thanks to its 1,620 kerb weight, excluding the driver.

Other features include four driving modes ranging from comfortable to extremely sporty, 3-Stage ESP that includes “ESP ON”, “ESP SPORT” and “ESP OFF”, AMG high-performance composite brakes all-round and weight-optimized AMG light-alloy wheels. The Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Gullwing is expected to be launched in spring 2010, with an estimated price tag of 140,000 Euros. Continue reading to view more official images of the prototype.

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Mercedes-Benz has released one of the first commercial videos for the new W212 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Now green-loving hippies can travel in style, it seems, cheeky video! Check it out after the jump.

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Stuttgart-based Mercedes Benz has revealed more images of the McLaren SLR Stirling Moss which was the last vehicle produced from the partnership between McLaren and Mercedes. Named after the great racing legend, the SLR Stirling Moss is powered by a supercharged 5.5 liter V8 which is good for a total of 650HP.

With a 5 speed automatic transmission from the SLR 722, it can hit the 100 km/h mark in just 3.5 seconds and can deliver a top speed of 349 km/h despite not having a wind screen. It comes with a two-piece cover that can cover the entire cockpit. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

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According to published reports by German Der Spiegel magazine, Munich and Stuttgart-based premium car makers BMW and Daimler are planning to perform a cross-ownership by swapping shares among each other. Reports suggest that both companies may exchange as much as 7% of shares among each other.

This comes as a result of the world economic turmoil, and that both BMW and Daimler are working to combine their purchasing power to save a considerable amount of money. Der Spiegel also mentioned that the Quandt family who own 46% of BMW is not very pleased with the idea, fearing that a possible take-over might occur.

Lets just keep it as a speculation for now, but we will you bring the latest updates regarding this juicy matter. To think about, it would be weird that BMW has ownership of Daimler, and vice versa.

Mercedes Benz arrived at the Geneva Motor Show with the SLK 2LOOK Edition which is essentially a regular SLK but with a number of features which sets it apart from a regular version. These include two body colour options such as calcite white or black, headlights with black surrounds, 18 inch 5-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels with mixed tire sizes (front: 225/40 R18, rear: 245/35 R18) that can ordered with titanium silver or a dark “shadow” finish, discreet emblems bearing the 2LOOK Edition logo on the wings and a drought-stop of transparent acrylic glass.

Over on the inside, the 2LOOK Edition features sports seats finished with nappa leather with seat centre panels in white and the contoured bolsters in black, contrasting black-and-white scheme on the doors and centre armrest, carefully finished decorative seams on all leather surfaces, white-painted trim in the black dashboard, black roof lining as well as white-edged floor mats with an embroidered Edition label.

Potential owners can place their orders now, with a number of engine choices including the SLK 200 KOMPRESSOR, SLK 300 and SLK 350 Sports Engine. Price wise, the 2LOOK Edition demands an extra 2,100 Euros over the standard SLK. Potential buyers can also request for an exclusive obsidian black metallic body finish or the special designo mystic white finish, which is limited to 300 vehicles worldwide. The obsidian black finish costs 580 Euros while the designo mystic white carries a 1,990 Euros price tag. Continue reading to view an image gallery.

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After recently unveiling both the 2010 Mercedes Benz E-Class sedan and its two door coupe sibling, the Stuttgart based auto maker will soon launch the wagon and convertible versions at the Frankfurt Auto Show which is set to take place in September this year. Both wagon and convertible models are expected to hit showrooms sometime after the launch.

No information yet regarding power plant options for both models, but a number of engines should be carried over from the sedan and coupe variants; ranging from a 136HP 4 cylinder diesel from the E200 CDI, to the 388HP V8 from the E500 Coupe.

Rumors are circulating that both Mercedes Benz and BMW are planning to develop mini roadsters to taken on other similar-sized roadsters such as the Mazda MX 5 / Miata. Mercedes’ hot little convertible is said to be based on the platform from the 2011/2012 Mercedes A Class and B Class, and is expected to a feature front wheel drive setup, instead of a typical rear wheel drive arrangement.

According to Auto, Motor und Sport, the mini roadster from Stuttgart which could hit the market sometime in 2012 is also expected to feature design cues based on the Mercedes SLA project, which is an 8 year-old concept. Power plant wise, there may be at least four engine options to choose from, with a diesel unit being one of them. The roadster should also carry a fabric convertible top, instead of a more fashionable foldable hard top to save space.

Over at Munich, the BMW Z2 mini roadster is said to be based on the current BMW Z4 platform, and may hit the market a little earlier in 2011. The Z2 should retain the rear wheel drive setup and feature a 150hp 4 cylinder engine, while there may also be a range topping 300hp variant with twin turbochargers.

BMW will most probably also offer an electric powered model of the Z2, but there is no news if Mercedes will offer a similar emissions free version of its mini roadster. Mean while, you can expect the BMW Z Vision Concept to be previewed sometime towards end of the year which will showcase potential design cues for the baby Z4.

Recently, Stuttgart-based auto maker; Mercedes Benz has revealed the 2010 Mercedes Benz E-Class Coupe, which goes on to replace the CLK Class. We now have two videos of the new E-Class for your viewing pleasure; first of which is a 1 minute 21 second-long high-res promotional film of the coupe while another is a 1 minute 47 second-long driving video of the range topping E500 which receives power from a V8 power plant that is able to churn 388hp and 530Nm of torque. The video also showcases the glorious exhaust note of all 8 cylinders working hard.

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The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe replaces the now discontinued CLK-Class in the Mercedes-Benz line-up, but carries over traditional CLK features such as a side window profile that lacks the distraction of a B-pillar with both front and rear retractable windows, as well as styling derived mostly from the E-Class Sedan.

At launch time, 5 engine variants have been announced – the E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupe, the E 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupe, the E 250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupe, the E 350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupe, and finally the E500 Coupe. That’s alot of caps in one sentence, thanks to Mercedes-Benz’s tendency to capitalise alot of the brands that it gives its cars’ technical features. All of the engines meet Euro 5 emissions standards.

One of the more popular engines in Europe will undoubtedly be the E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY. It’s powered by a twin-turbodiesel engine producing 204hp and 500Nm of torque between 1,600 to 1,800rpm. Combined NFDC fuel consumption is rated at a fuel-sipping 5.3 liters per 100km. A more powerful turbodiesel is the E 350 CDI, producing 231hp and 540Nm of torque between 1,600 to 2,400rpm.

The petrol models include a baseline 1.8 liter turbocharged E 250 CGI model, producing 204hp and 310Nm of torque between 2,000 to 4,3000rpm. The V6-powered E 350 CGI produces 292hp and 365Nm of torque between 3,000 to 5,1000rpm, while the top of the range most powerful E Coupe (save for AMG models) will be the V8-powered E 500 with its 388hp and 530Nm of torque between 2,800 to 4,800rpm.

Mercedes-Benz has equipped the E-Class Coupe with ATTENTION ASSIST. This system evaluates more than 70 different parameters to determine driver drowsiness and kicks in a warning before the microsleep phase begins. One of the parameters are steering behaviour. Mercedes-Benz engineers found that drowsy drivers make very minor steering errors that they often correct very rapidly in a certain characteristic way. A steering angle sensor can sense this.

An Active Bonnet feature improves pedestrian crash safety performance by using a spring to raise the rear section of a bonnet by 50mm within a fraction of as second to increase the amount of deformation space for the pedestrian. Active Bonnet has a driver-reversible mechanism which allows the driver to reset the system and retract the bonnet without visiting a workshop.

Three trim levels are available – ELEGANCE, AVANTGARDE and AMG Sports. The AMG Sports package builds on the AVANTGARDE level by adding a black interior on the inside and AMG bodystyling on the outside including new bumpers, side skirts and 18 inch AMG wheels in a 6 twin-spoke design, wrapped with 235/40R18 tyres at the front and 255/35R18 tyres at the rear.

The following are the launch prices for the E Coupe in Germany:

Mercedes-Benz E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé – 44,684.50 Euro
Mercedes-Benz E 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé – 48,671.00 Euro
Mercedes-Benz E 250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé – 44,684.50 Euro
Mercedes-Benz E 350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé – 51,408.00 Euro
Mercedes-Benz E 500 Coupé – 66,045.00 Euro

Look after the jump for a hi-res photo gallery of the E Coupe.

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Is it a coincidence that both arch-rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz chose to showcase their next generation D-segment luxury cars (5-Series and E-Class) in concept form as a coupe-estate-crossover of sorts? They also both feature plush interiors with only 4 seats, but 4 that are dedicated to offering a very high level of comfort.

The only difference is while the ConceptFASCINATION remains just that for now – a concept car, the BMW Concept 5-Series Gran Turismo will actually get a production version, one that BMW says will hit spot on at a certain target group – the aging deep-pocketed customer who finds the traditional 5-Series seating position too sporty and the BMW X6’s seating position too high and imposing.

Given that sometimes these car manufacturers actually emulate each other, especially if they see their competitor’s new niche product gaining commercial success (look at all the new 4-door coupes out there), if the 5-Series GT hits the jackpot, will we see the ConceptFASCINATION design enter production status sometime in the future?