Autoblog

Mercedes is moving beyond the neo-retro theme it's cultivated for its E-Class middle child. The C-Class has established some new familial cues with its recent redesign, and Autocar is reporting that the E-Class will expand on those themes. Tauter, edgier, and crisper are the words used to describe the new look, and Autocar's rendering certainly backs up its statement. The attendant increase in bulk that seems to plague each new generation will hopefully be held in check by further use of weight-saving construction techniques and materials.

Powering the new E-Class will be the 3.5-liter V6 with direct injection (E35), as well as newly revised V8s. Based on the current 4.5- and 5.5-liter V8s (M273), the new versions will pick up direct injection, as well as efficiency and performance tweaks. More exciting, perhaps, will be a hybrid model by 2010, and BLUETEC diesels. With a mileage target of 47 mpg, the hybrid is not likely to follow the "V12 performance with V8 consumption" model of the Lexus LS, but will still do that Benz thing; get you there stylishly ,safe and comfortably cosseted.

[Source: Autocar, Rendering: DeLuisi]

It's twisted and a bit pathetic, but I will be shedding a tear next week in honor of the Ford Taurus officially and finally going out of production. It had a 21-year run that in retrospect is the longest fall from grace in history. During that time Ford sold 7 million Tauruses and another 2 million Mercury Sables. Since January 1st of this year, however, Ford had halted sales of the Taurus to the public, accepting orders only from fleet and rental companies. Despite that, the Taurus remained Ford's best selling passenger car almost every month this year, selling more units than the Focus and even the red hot Mustang. The Taurus saved Ford when it was introduced in 1985 and immediately sold 263,000 units during that first year. That number would rise to 410,000 units in 1992 when the Taurus overtook the Honda Accord to become the best selling passenger car in the U.S., a title it held for five straight years.

We've been talking a lot around here lately about what mistakes Ford has made in the past that are responsible for its current dire straits. Perhaps the single biggest one is abandoning the Taurus. Ford knew the controversial redesign of the third generation Taurus wasn't going to recapture the passenger car sales crown from the Toyota Camry, and SUV sales at the time were beginning to gain momentum. Rather than reinvest in the car, Ford spent the next ten years pissing away the good name of the Taurus by abandoning development on the car or a competitive replacement, as well as not bothering to market the car responsible for saving the company in the mid-Eighties.

Workers at Ford's plant in Hapeville, GA are particularly upset over the Taurus being discontinued, not just because the plant will be closed and they'll be unemployed, but also because the team had become a world class workforce, even raising quality levels at the plant after Ford announced it would be closed. Mark Fields, Ford's current President of the Americas, admits even he doesn't understand how the company strayed so far from the Taurus. He also claims he's attempting to lead Ford's current turnaround with appealing new products, just like the Taurus led the turnaround back in 1985. We're sorry Mr. Fields, but the impact of the original Taurus is unlikely to be matched by anything in the Blue Oval pipeline right now.

[Source: Yahoo News]

The new 2007 Hyundai Elantra is the seventh new product from Hyundai in the last two years. The all-new midsize (that’s a new EPA classification thanks to 112.1 cubic feet of interior volume) gets Hyundai’s now traditional battery of safety equipment including six airbags, ABS brakes and front-seat active head restraints. The new lines echo the company’s recent design philosophy of restrained expression. While some might call that boring, others will see the new Elantra as more mature in appearance than its predecessors. The bigger dimensions allow for an interior that’s larger than the inner sanctums of the Civic, Corolla and even the Acura TL. It's clear that Hyundai is aiming the Elantra directly at both Japanese small sedans and will likely undercut them in price by a large margin.

We’ll have to wait until later in the day to bring you more specifics on the Elantra’s hardware, so in the meantime you can feast on more pics and Hyundai's pre-show press release after the jump.

[Source: Hyundai]