The launch of the next Mercedes-Benz E-class is right around the corner and Car's spies were able to catch a mildly camo'd mule undergoing testing. The prototype is unmistakably M-B, with a new front fascia that appears to split the difference between the swoop CLS's headlamps and the more conservative eyes of the C- and S-class. Underneath the cloaked sheet metal is Mercedes' new W212 mid-size sedan platform, which ditches the electronic braking system of the last generation (Benz dealers rejoice!) in favor of conventional hydraulic stoppers, and utilizes a four-link front suspension and a multi-link rear arrangement coupled with M-B's Active Body Control (ABC) system. Naturally, there will be gizmos galore, including a new electronic road sign reading system, night-vision pulled from the S-class and a host of gasoline- and diesel-powered engines that will top out with the 6.2-liter V8 from AMG.
According to Car, the new E will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next March, with sales beginning later that summer.
click above to view more high-res pics of the new Mercedes-Benz CLS
Mercedes-Benz has released official information detailing the evolution changes made to its pioneering four-door coupe, the CLS. While mostly subtle, the exterior enhancements combine to soften the look of the car's exterior a bit. The grille now features two bars instead of four, the sideview mirrors are 32% larger and feature integrated turn signals that look like arrows when blinking, and the rear of the car gets new LED taillights, a redesigned rear apron and twin trapezoidal tailpipes. New wheels are also available in 17-inch and 18-inch diameters. Overall, enough has been changed for the discerning eye to notice, but Mercedes thankfully left this car's sexy silhouette untouched.
Follow the jump to learn more about what has changed on the new CLS.
click above to view more high-res pics of the Mercedes SLR McLaren Roadster
No comment. That's what the Mercedes-Benz communications office had to say in response to rumors that the company is preparing to take over McLaren, the racing team and engineering firm of which Daimler already owns 40%. The report comes from Auto Motor und Sport and suggests not only that Mercedes is considering a buy-out of McLaren, but that the deal has essentially already been hammered out.
The remaining 60% is shared by team principal Ron Dennis and his Saudi business partner Mansour Ojjeh (at 15% each) and Bahraini holding company Mumtalakat, to which Dennis and Ojjeh sold 30% last year. Daimler therefore has the largest interest in McLaren, but if it wanted to take complete control it would have to negotiate with the three other shareholders, or else take controlling interest of 55 or 70% by buying out either Dennis, Ojjeh or the Bahraini partners.
McLaren currently produces the SLR supercar for Mercedes. Although Mercedes is reportedly turning to AMG spin-off HWA for its next supercar, McLaren is meanwhile proceeding with its own P11. Of course, McLaren also fields Mercedes-powered Formula One cars. If Daimler did buy out McLaren, as has long been rumored, it would effectively become the Mercedes factory works team, much like Honda bought BAR and BMW took over Sauber.
While Villeneuve and Montoya are adapting well to their new home in NASCAR, their German-speaking former colleagues might be headed to their own sedan-based racing series at home.
Reports indicate that, against the advice of his older brother, Ralf Schumacher climbed into the cabin of a Mercedes C-Class DTM race car for a trial test at the Estoril track on Tuesday.
Austrian driver Christian Klien, who was passed over for the last seat at Force India in favor of Giancarlo Fisichella, is believed to have also participated in the test. The Mercedes-AMG team in the popular German touring car series recently suffered the loss of Mika Hakkinen, and is tipped to be eager to replace him with another big F1 name.
click above to view more images of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class
That the R-Class has not been the most successful vehicle in the history of Mercedes-Benz is no big secret, but after staunchly espousing its virtues for year, the automaker has finally admitted it. And as any recovering addict could tell you, admitting you have a problem is the first step on the long road to recovery.
Mercedes had pegged production of the crossover at its Vance, Alabama, plant at 50,000 units annually, with half of that staying in the United States. Last year, however, American dealerships sold only 18,000 units. According to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, the R-Class "has definitely not lived up to our original plans."
Mercedes is planning a replacement for R-Class, and while it could retain the same big CUV/wagon set-up, the next R is more likely to take another format altogether. Mercedes biggest competitor at BMW, meanwhile, is evidently thinking otherwise with the X6 crossover it just unveiled yesterday.
The North American International Auto Show in Detroit is right around the corner, where Mercedes is anticipated to unveil the vehicle you see here: the Mercedes-Benz GLK Freeside concept. Official images and details are expected in a manner of days, but someone at Daimler headquarters has apparently let the proverbial cat out of the bag.
Like the "Vision" concepts that Mercedes used to give us in the '90s, the GLK Freeside "show-car" is more of a pre-production prototype than a design study, and is tipped to closely mirror what the production GLK will look like. We already got a preview of the production model when the GLK showed up undisguised on the set of Sex and the City, of all places. The "Freeside" moniker, which seems dangerously close to the "Freelander" named used by Land Rover, is not expected to carry over when the little truck goes into production.
It's been a regular smorgasbord for fans of Mercedes roadsters over here, with this teaser shot of the upcoming facelifted flagship SL hitting the web just a few days after Benz revealed the updated version of the smaller SLK. But while the SLK was revealed first in "ordinary" guise, the image above shows the full-fat, fire-breathing SL 65 AMG version.
We already know that the facelift will feature a heavily revised front end with new headlight treatment, but from the rear three-quarter view Mercedes is enticing us with, all can also see the revised taillights, new diffuser with quad exhausts, and a subtle lip spoiler. The new SL 65 also appears to be riding on AMG's latest 19-inch five-spoke rims, similar in style to those found on Stuttgart's other earth-pounding range-topper, the Porsche 911 Turbo.
With the teaser shot also comes information on the two AMG models in the new SL range: the SL 65 AMG we see here, and the SL 63 AMG. The former packs AMG's twin-turbo V12 pumping out a whopping 612 horsepower, while the latter is driven by Affalterbach's 6.3-liter V8 with 525 horsepower, replacing the outgoing 55 version and in the process distancing it from the smaller SLK 55 AMG revealed previously.
We'll have to wait to see more images of the new AMG roadsters, including those that celebrities will be wrapping around trees.
We've been seeing camouflaged test mules of an updated Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class sedans driving around for some time now, but the German automaker apparently can't keep it under wraps anymore. On Saturday the online motoring press worldwide lit up with two pictures of the facelifted "four-door coupe", reportedly leaked by someone inside Mercedes ahead of its intended debut.
The pictures show an updated top-of-the-line CLS 63 AMG. What we can tell from the images is that the newest AMG rocket gets a new grille split in three sections instead of four; upgraded wheels from 18 to 19 inches, with a style similar to those on the Porsche 911 Turbo; led tail-lights; a carbon fiber rear spoiler; a new rear diffuser; and updated exhaust outlets.
Whether any mechanical changes have been made has yet to be revealed, but we'll be sure to keep you posted. A shot of the rear is included after the jump.
Mercedes recently rolled out a facelift for the SLK-Class roadster, along with a few mechanical changes to the line-up's supercharged four-cylinder and 3.5-liter V6. But while the spec sheet for top-of-the-line SLK 55 AMG carries on largely unchanged, the 2008 model has also been treated to a few cosmetic changes.
The first thing to go when AMG gets its hands on a Mercedes is the front bumper, so while the more pedestrian four- and six-cylinder SLK models get a new, more F1-esque front end treatment, the V8 version throws that out the window. In its place is a wider mouth with a blacked-out lower lip, flanked by side vents and capped by smoked headlamps. The SLK's new taillights carry over onto the AMG model, but again the clear section is smoked, underneath which is found a different rear bumper than the standard version's integrating quad round tailpipes in place of the standard square twins. Otherwise, the same sweet AMG-tuned 5.5-liter V8 carries over unchanged, which we think is a good thing.
As with the first images of the 2008 SLK, pictures of the AMG model have surfaced online before Mercedes has made them available, so we'll have to get back to you when the official pics are released, along with the AMG aero kits for the standard SLK range. In the meantime, enjoy these courtesy of our friends at CarScoop.
Mercedes' small cars, the A-Class and B-Class, have not been the runaway success that the German automaker had hoped they would be, partially due to high costs of production that drove retail prices up above their competitors. That's why Mercedes-Benz had been looking at forming a partnership with a rival automaker in order to reduce costs and produce more competitively-priced entry-level models. But after discussions were held with both BMW and Fiat, Mercedes has opted to go it alone.
The launch of the next Mercedes-Benz E-class is right around the corner and Car's spies were able to catch a mildly camo'd mule undergoing testing. The prototype is unmistakably M-B, with a new front fascia that appears to split the difference between the swoop CLS's headlamps and the more conservative eyes of the C- and S-class. Underneath the cloaked sheet metal is Mercedes' new W212 mid-size sedan platform, which ditches the electronic braking system of the last generation (Benz dealers rejoice!) in favor of conventional hydraulic stoppers, and utilizes a four-link front suspension and a multi-link rear arrangement coupled with M-B's Active Body Control (ABC) system. Naturally, there will be gizmos galore, including a new electronic road sign reading system, night-vision pulled from the S-class and a host of gasoline- and diesel-powered engines that will top out with the 6.2-liter V8 from AMG.
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