Autoblog

When the C-Class predecessor launched, it was known as the 190 and carried a four-cylinder powerplant underhood. Mercedes is now considering a return to four-pots in the U.S. market as the price of fuel continues to soar. MBZ is reportedly already testing a 1.4-liter carrying a supercharger, which is strange when you consider there's already a 1.8-liter blown four-cylinder on sale in Europe. The C180 Kompressor seems like it'd be the easy way to get fours back into the U.S. lineup, but Mercedes must have some other ideas driving the decision to develop the smaller 1.4.

Even stranger, while the talk is all about forced induction, the end result will supposedly be underwhelming in the power department, so Mercedes is planning on ramping up the glitter without delivering the gold. Perceived performance is the euphemism for a car that comes with a loud exhaust and twitchy throttle, and that's what Mercedes engineers think it will take to make the car palatable to U.S. buyers. Gee, leave the sound insulation out so that 25 mph feels like 100 and we're sold! Seriously, is this a late April Fool's joke? "Perceived performance?" A car that's not in denial about being thrifty might be more successful than a poseur.

[Source: Inside Line]

click above image to view Hyundai's Super Bowl commercials

The Super Bowl is this Sunday, and that means we get to see the best commercials that money can buy, and perhaps some football, as well. Hyundai was unsure whether it wanted to spend $2.5m a pop for two :30 spots (a voice over by the Dude doesn't come cheap), but in the end the South Korean automaker decided the Genesis sedan was a big-time product, and it deserved a spot on the world's biggest stage. We loaded both of Hyundai's ads after the jump, and we like what we see.

Hyundai deliberately shied away from any sort of pizazz or funny gimmicks, instead focusing on the virtues of its 375-hp rear-wheel-drive sedan. The silver Genesis on center stage, which is actually the Korean market model (note the winged "Genesis" hood badge and home-market grille), looks great in motion, and Hyundai didn't waste any time needling the luxury car competition. The two spots reference the Genesis having 7-Series and S-Class size with a price tag closer to that of the 3-Series or C-Class. Both spots knock the fact that most Super Bowl ads are about entertainment instead of great products, and both :30 ads drive home the point that Hyundai has a potential game-changer on its hands. We're not advertising experts, but we'd consider this $5m well spent. Follow the jump to preview the ads. Thanks for the tip, Alex!

[Source: Hyundai]

World Car Fans has a new round of C-Class Estate spy shots, this time with even less camo. This batch of photos reveals almost the entire car except for the rear, where plastic obscures the details. Mercedes engineers even seem to have cooperated with the photographer, parking a C-Class sedan next to the Estate for comparison. As you might expect, the Estate looks much like the sedan with the addition of a rear hatch and luggage rack.

As we reported before, the C-Class Estate isn't currently sold in the U.S., and the 2008 model isn't likely to be either. We sure would like to see it available in the States, especially with its choice of three diesel engines.

[Source: World Car Fans]