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Spy Shots: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class spotted

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Europe, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class mule - click above for high-res image gallery

We find it hard to believe that the W221 S-Class has been with us for five years already. Introduced to the world in the fall of 2005 at the Geneva Motor Show, the tenth generation S-Class is the biggest, fastest and heaviest of them all - at least in S65 twin-turbo V12 trim. However, like all good things, the W221 must come to an end to make way for the 11th generation S-Class. As Mercedes-Benz seems to be intent on keeping the S-Class on a six-year production cycle, it comes as no big surprise that some spy photographer friends of ours just captured the 2012 S-Class in the heavily camo'd flesh.

What exactly are we looking at? It's really tough to say, as this particular mule is draped in a hot mess of panels, shrouds and rubber bunting. The side sills are even missing. That said, we got a taste of what a new S-Class might look like when Mercedes-Benz showed the world its eco-friendly F700 concept back at the 2007 Geneva show. Rumors persist that the future range topping MB will indeed come with shrunken headlights and a more upright grille, but not quite as extreme as on the F700.

Obviously, the protruding tail lights seen here on the mule are pure fiction, and will miserably fail European pedestrian safety standards. You can also see that the door cuts on the car above are different than the current S-Class, though they are disguised to the point of not really being able to tell. Especially as these are far from the final, production body panels.

Weight probably won't fall very much thanks to Mercedes' mission of always swaddling the S-Class with as much new technology and safety equipment as possible. However, a plug-in hybrid S-Class is on the way, along with a full hybrid, a mild hybrid and all those big bad V8s and V12s we love so much. Expect the new S-Class to appear in 2011 as a 2012 model.

Gallery: Spy Shots: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Spy Shots: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class spotted originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz S-Class mule with PRE-SCAN technology spotted?

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:27:00 EST

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Spy Photos, Sedan, Technology, Mercedes-Benz

At the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz revealed its F700 concept. In addition to being a big sedan with a tiny gas engine, it also wore a version of Mercedes' PRE-SCAN predictive suspension system. The technology scans the road ahead with a set of lasers mounted next to the headlights, and then optimizes the suspension settings to soak up what's coming.

An S-Class mule in Stuttgart has been caught wearing something that spies suggest could be an evaluation version of the PRE-SCAN system, hinting that a production system is in the not-too-distant future. The spotter said that you could put a glass of wine on the car and drive 50 km/hr and not spill a drop. If true, that would be fantastic. If, at the very least, it made the next S-Class as smooth as the Citroen C6 around a horse track, Mercedes would have another solid achievement on its hands. Hat tip to Paul!

Gallery: Frankfurt 2007: Mercedes-Benz F700 Concept

[Source: Spyshots.nl (translated)]

Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz S-Class mule with PRE-SCAN technology spotted? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes runs out of gas by 2015

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:19:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Technology, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes -- like a lot of other folks -- believes oil is going to run out eventually. But instead of waiting until the "Low on Oil" light comes on, the brand behind the three-pointed-star has set a goal to convert its entire fleet to run on alternative fuels by 2015. That's seven years to get off the drink we've all been addicted to for well over a century.

In the pipeline first are fuel-efficient technologies such as Stop/Start on the marque's next A- and B-Class models sold in Europe. Then come the BlueEfficiency vehicles with Mercedes' supremely parsimonious diesel engines, and eventually the Diesotto first shown in the F700.

And then come the real showstoppers: ethanol, electric, and fuel cell vehicles. There are electric smarts running trials in London right now, and the F600 Hygenius is expected to eventually spawn some sort of production variant. On the face of it, seven years to go diesel- and gas-optional for an entire fleet is somewhat hard to fathom -- but the prediction is coming from a company not previously known for wild daring. Even if they just get close to success, in only seven years, they might prove a nearby rival wrong about what's doable under the new CAFE laws.

[Source: The Sun via AutoblogGreen]

Mercedes runs out of gas by 2015 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daimler gets serious about R&D, will increase spending to $21 billion by 2010

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Green, Technology, Mercedes-Benz

Click on the image to view high-res shots of the Mercedes F700 concept

Massive amounts of money are being spent in the alternative energy sector of the automotive industry. Last year, Daimler spent $6 billion in research and development and another $2.7 billion on environmental protection. Expect those already rather large sums to increase in the coming years. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche says that the company will "increase these budgets even more and by 2010 we'll invest $21 billion in research and development." Daimler has invested heavily in hydrogen technology and holds twenty-five patents protecting new battery technology for automobile use. Further development will continue to cost a large chunk of change.

Of particular interest is the fact that Daimler intends "to offer at least one model in each of the Mercedes-Benz core model series that is a leader in fuel consumption," according to Zetsche. Despite looming legislation that will require more fuel efficient vehicles, Mercedes-Benz plans on continuing to offer vehicles that will meet the size, performance and luxury demands prospective buyers have come to expect from the premium German marque. Otherwise, it won't be $21 billion well spent.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2007: Mercedes-Benz F700 Concept

[Source: The Car Connection]

Daimler gets serious about R&D, will increase spending to $21 billion by 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rendered Speculation: 2011 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Dan Roth — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:02:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Hybrid, Green, Mercedes-Benz

If you'd suspected that Mercedes' F700 show car was a preview of cues we'd soon see on production cars, there's a Schulte Design rendering to bolster your theory. The current S-Class debuted in 2005, so we won't see its replacement for a couple of years, but there's already lots of development underway. The new sheetmetal will be a full redesign, not a freshening, and the rendering depicts a car that takes inspiration from the F700, but tones the cues down a bit. The shape of the front end is very similar, with the headlights and grille echoing what Mercedes showed us in Frankfurt. Along the flanks, the arcing line at the base of the windows has been toned down. Of course, while it's a good rendering, it's still an unofficial composite image, so we should just wait and see.

Solid word on powertrains has come down from on high, though. Mercedes is looking at a hybrid version of the S-Class to compete with the Lexus LS600hL. Our current S-Class will get a mild hybrid for 2009, and there's a Bluetec Hybrid under development packing 224 horsepower/560Nm and returning 44mpg. The engines we know and love in the current S-Class will largely carry over, though we'd expect that attention to efficiency and the hybrid powertrains will be more important because of the new CAFE standards.

[Source: eGMCarTech, Rendering: Schulte Design]

Rendered Speculation: 2011 Mercedes-Benz S-Class originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frankfurt 2007: Mercedes Benz F700

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:31:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Sedan, Mercedes-Benz

click above image for high-res gallery of the Mercedes-Benz F700 Concept

After a bit of a song and dance routine, sans the song, Mercedes-Benz finally drove out its new F700 Concept at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Looking something like an S-Class cross-bred with a Mazda RX-8, it still managed to wow the assembled horde. The debut itself was a wild enviro-mechanical fusion of dancers emulating trees and geckos that formed a vehicle out of their prop tree branches and then fit themselves inside. It was a clever way to show green and machine can coexist beautifully. Sitting next to Lewis Hamilton and all of the Mercedes brass made it an even more interesting experience.

The car itself is being described as a "magic carpet ride" by Mercedes folk. It's depicted as a future luxurious touring sedan with good performance and exceptionally low fuel consumption. Big and luxurious, the F700 is also the first car in the world that can recognize and predict road conditions to manage bumps using a new PRE-SCAN active suspension M-B is developing. It also features the new DIESOTTO powertrain. It's a 1.8-liter four that rivals the efficiency of a diesel but runs on gas. It also addresses the all-important CO2 emissions head-on, with a rating of just 127 grams per kilometer or about 44.3 mpg.

There's a huge gallery of live shots and official pics in the gallery below, plus the abridged press release after the jump.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2007: Mercedes-Benz F700 Concept

Continue reading Frankfurt 2007: Mercedes Benz F700

Frankfurt 2007: Mercedes Benz F700 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peek-a-boo! Mercedes teases DIESOTTO-equipped F 700 concept

Alex Nunez — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Sedan, Europe, Green, Mercedes-Benz

Click image to enlarge

The Mercedes-Benz F 700 concept car will headline the automaker's presence at next week's Frankfurt Motor Show, and we've now been given a Lutz-style sneak peek at the low-consumption, low-emissions luxury liner. Equipped with both DIESOTTO and hybrid technology, the F 700 boasts fuel economy of 44 mpg and CO2 emissions of 127g/km, both of which is are very low numbers for a large premium luxury sedan. Mercedes points out that its fuel economy is equal to what is regularly achieved in diesel-powered small cars, and the F 700's 44 mpg represents the best economy number for a car of its type in the history of motoring. We don't have any more on the F 700 to give you at this time, but you can read up on the DIESOTTO tech here for now. Our Frankfurt team will provide comprehensive coverage of the F 700 concept's unveiling next week.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Peek-a-boo! Mercedes teases DIESOTTO-equipped F 700 concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frankfurt Preview: Mercedes to unveil F700 luxury sedan

Siddharth Raja — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Sedan, Green, Mercedes-Benz

The Frankfurt Auto Show is still a month away, but that hasn't stopped the car companies from dropping previews and tip-offs of new concepts they have planned for the show. Mercedes-Benz will have one of the biggest presentations at the event, showcasing no less than 18 new models and concepts cars, and the underlying theme for the show will be its new green initiative.

One of the concepts it has planned will be a 'radical' proposal for a large luxury car labelled the F700. Though this doesn't sound very green, the concept will feature Mercedes' new 1.8L turbocharged DiesOtto engine. The tiny motor is said to deliver an amazing 238hp and 295ft-lb. of torque, while returning fuel consumption of around 39 mpg in a large S-class saloon.

Other cars planned for the show include the new C-Class estate, more Bluetec diesel cars and the automaker's new electric hybrid range.

[Source: 4Car]

Frankfurt Preview: Mercedes to unveil F700 luxury sedan originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Aug 2007 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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