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• Daimler planning to open new plant in North America
  

  Filed under: China, Plants/Manufacturing, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan

  
  
  Size still matters, but the quest to be number one is also getting more headlines. Mercedes-Benz is the latest to stake its future on taking the top slot, with CEO Dieter Zetsche aiming to be the world's largest premium maker by 2020. The specific number is 2.7 million vehicles sold that year, which represents an astronomical jump from 2011 sales of 1.26 million vehicles.
  
  To home in on that target, Mercedes intends to build factories in China and in North America - either Mexico or the U.S. - with the North American factory coming online by 2018, according to a report in Auto News. The facility here would build the "next generation A class together with Daimler's strategic partner Nissan."
  
  Mercedes didn't offer any clarification on the Nissan component or what else a new facility might build, nor what the synergies might be with it and the engine deal recently signed between Daimler and Renault-Nissan.

  Daimler planning to open new plant in North America originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Mercedes teases A-Class ahead of Geneva debut
  

  Filed under: Spy Photos, Videos, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

  
  
  Last we heard, Mercedes-Benz was planning to bring its new A-Class to North America, a market where the current model has never been sold. But whether it makes the trek or not, there's little question that the new premium hatchback will be a vital product for Daimler.
  
  While the current A-Class hasn't been a smashing success, the segment has grown into an important one for luxury automakers like Audi with its A3 and BMW with its 1 Series. The new model, however, aims to take a slice of that particular pie once it debuts as anticipated in production form at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in a couple of months from now.
  
  We've already seen the A-Class in concept form, test-mule spy shots and even in production-ready patent renderings. Now Mercedes has released a video clip showing a prototype strutting its stuff on the open road, but instead of the usual body-cladding or shape-disguising camouflage, the German automaker has covered the mule in QR codes to enable the legions of smartphone-toting fans the opportunity to peer into the future of the premium hatchback. Check out the video clip after the jump for a closer look.

  Continue reading Mercedes teases A-Class ahead of Geneva debut

  Mercedes teases A-Class ahead of Geneva debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG [w/video]
  

  Filed under: Performance, SUV, Mercedes-Benz, First Drives

  How The World's Most Powerful Sport Utility Vehicle Fails At Being Absurd
  
  
  
  Twenty years ago, sport utility vehicles were trucks. They had big, heavy frames, solid axles and low-range four-wheel drive. At best, they would accelerate to 60 miles per hour in under nine seconds and top out just over 100 mph. "Handling" simply meant that they could keep all four wheels firmly planted while circling an onramp.
  
  Twenty years ago, only exotic sports cars boasted more than 500 horsepower. They accelerated to 60 mph in less than five seconds and could hit 150 mph if allowed enough space. Tuned suspensions, oversized brakes and exhaust systems that roared were expected, but supple rides were not.
  
  Now, take a look at that brand-new silver sport utility vehicle in the image above. Beneath its leather-lined and sound-insulated cabin is a 550-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8, electronically controlled suspension, six-piston brakes and permanent all-wheel drive - it's the most powerful SUV on the market.
  
  The tall four-door will sprint more quickly than (and outrun) a Ferrari 360 Modena Spider F1, plow through foot-deep snow drifts and take a family of five, with a ski boat in tow, to a lakeside Fourth of July picnic.
  
  Sounds a bit preposterous, doesn't it?

  Continue reading 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG [w/video]

  2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• One-off Mercedes 500K barn find discovered in South Central, LA salvage yard
  

  Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Etc., Mercedes-Benz, Specialty

  
  
  Being agriculturally inclined to build barns in the country, we don't expect barn finds to turn up in the middle of a high-turnover metropolis. Yet that's been happening more regularly of late, and writer Michael Mraz has found another example in South Central, Los Angeles: a one-of-one Mercedes-Benz 1935 Caracciola 500K built especially for Silver Arrows race driver Rudolph Caraccioloa. It is pictured above in better days, after having been restored and displayed on the lawn at the Pebble Beach concours in the late 1970s.
  
  What's amazing about the Caracciola 500K, and tragic for car lovers, is that it has a good deal of company: in a piece called "Wheels of Fortune" in the February issue of Town & Country magazine, Mraz found scaffolds full of vintage metal in awful condition, rusting outside in a parts yard called Porche Foreign Auto. They include:
  

  ...a pair of one-off prewar Maybachs; one of two Iso Grifo Spyders (designed and engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini, who also has the Ferrari 250 GTO on his résumé); one of 29 alloy-bodied Mercedes Gullwings...; a couple of BMW 502s and 507s; a half-dozen or so Lamborghini Miuras, with their mighty V12 engines; and the last surviving example of the seven Horch 855 Spezial Roadsters ever built, a specimen once owned by Eva Braun that was for a time on loan to the Audi Museum in Germany. (Audi was founded by August Horch.) Parked one on top of the other are dozens upon dozens of Porsche Carrera carcasses....

  Porche Foreign Auto was started in 1967 by a German butcher named Rudi Klein, who bought the Caracciola 500K after it was shown at Pebble in 1978. He took it to a Mercedes show in Newport Beach in 1980, and when it wouldn't start he loaded it on a trailer and took it home. It hasn't been seen since, outside of the parts yard.
  
  Klein passed away, and his salvage yard is overseen by his sons, who won't let any gawkers into to view the cars. Even Mraz was denied entry. But he spoke to folks who have seen the collection, and one said that there are vehicles people have sought for decades and thought had been destroyed. The head of the Mercedes Classic Center in Irvine believes the Caracciola 500K could be worth more than the 1937 540K Spezial Roadster that was auctioned for nearly $10 million at last year's RM Auctions at Pebble. But we might never know.
  
  Town & Country doesn't have a proper website, so pick up the magazine to read the piece and see what the automotive world is missing. There's a sample of it in the attached gallery, but be warned, it's not pleasant to see.

  One-off Mercedes 500K barn find discovered in South Central, LA salvage yard originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Mercedes-Benz says, "Thanks, Airbag"
  

  Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz

  
  
  Mercedes-Benz has been working on airbag technology for more than 40 years, but now it has other innovations, like Colliision Prevention, that work to keep airbags where everyone wants them: hidden. So Mercedes has made a TV spot for the 2012 B-Class that's also a letter to the airbag, saying somethiing to the effect of "I still love you, but..."
  
  We aren't expected to see the B-Class in the U.S. for another two years, but at least you have the commercial to tide you over after the jump.

  Continue reading Mercedes-Benz says, "Thanks, Airbag"

  Mercedes-Benz says, "Thanks, Airbag" originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Veilside bets on Black with Mercedes SL body kit
  

  Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Tokyo Auto Salon

  
  
  There are hundreds of aftermarket tuners out there, but few hold the type of street cred that does Veilside. Long known for making Japan's greatest sportscars even greater, Veilside has now turned its attention to the Mercedes-Benz SL.
  
  Not the newest one, mind you, because it's not out yet. Instead, Veilside has taken to the Tokyo Auto Salon to unveil a conversion kit that turns the outgoing SL into something closer to the top-of-the-line SL65 AMG Black Series.
  
  To do so, Veilside fitted the SL with a custom body kit that includes new bumpers front and rear, new hood, fenders, side skirts, and spoiler, all crafted from carbon fiber. The result is called the Black Fortune.
  
  The folding roof mechanism present on the stock SL - but removed on the Black Series model - appears to remain in place, so the Veilside won't encompass the kind of weight savings embodied by the factory special, but with only 300 examples of the kit to be offered at about $30,000 a pop, seeing one on the street should be about as rare a proposition.

  Veilside bets on Black with Mercedes SL body kit originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• "The Mighty 190" gives props to an underappreciated Benz classic [NSFW]
  

  Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Humor

  
  
  There's plenty you could say about the Mercedes-Benz 190 series. It's built like a tank, for starters. You might even call it an enduring icon of the 1980s. And considering that it ended production - replaced by the first C-Class - in 1993, the fact there are still scads of them out on the road speaks to its reliability. We wouldn't exactly call it Pimpin', though the cousin that proudly inherited our grandfather's 190D might beg to differ. As would these two hip hop impresarios.
  
  Follow the jump and you'll be treated to "The Mighty 190," a rap video tribute to the soon-to-be classic Benz sport sedan. In what we can only assume is somewhat tongue-in-cheek tribute, rappers Jan Emil Wathne and Ivar Kjetland lay it down, old school, with the wheels to match. (The result, however, is not strictly safe for work, so proceed with caution.)

  Continue reading "The Mighty 190" gives props to an underappreciated Benz classic [NSFW]

  "The Mighty 190" gives props to an underappreciated Benz classic [NSFW] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Refreshed 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK to get diesel option
  

  Filed under: Crossover, Mercedes-Benz, Diesel

  
  
  Even though spy shots signal that exterior adjustments on the next Mercedes-Benz GLK will be subtle, there's one giant adjustment coming under the hood, and it smells like oil - in a good way. Automotive News says the revamped softroader will gain a new diesel engine option. For its part, Mercedes-Benz hasn't said which of its oilburners it will offer with the GLK, but it's been hinted that it could be the 2.1-liter turbo diesel mill with 204 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque that sees duty in models like the C-Class and M-Class in other lands.
  
  The addition of the GLK and next C-Class will make seven Mercedes model lines offered with diesel in the U.S. With the GLK's fuel economy addressed, the hope is that the entry-level crossover can find roughly 13,000 more buyers per year and close in on 40,000-sales-per-annum threshold. The brand already offers far more diesels than its German competitors here, but still wants to raise percentage of diesel sales from 12-to-20 percent to 15 to 20 percent.

  Refreshed 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK to get diesel option originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Mercedes planning B-Class plug-in hybrid for U.S.
  

  Filed under: Hybrid, Etc., Europe, Technology, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Electric

  
  
  Mercedes-Benz has its heart set on boosting its U.S. sales by more than 20 percent, and Automotive News reports that mission may include plans for an extended range hybrid. Joachim Schmidt, head of global sales for Mercedes-Benz, said a special, U.S.-only B-Class plug-in hybrid with a range-extending electric motor may be headed to the States soon.
  
  The vehicle would give Mercedes-Benz a suitable competitor to the Lexus CT200h, but will the B-Class Hybrid be enough to help Mercedes-Benz dethrone BMW as the best-selling luxury brand in the United States? That all depends on how many units Mercedes-Benz could move. Last year, BMW beat Mercedes-Benz by just 2,715 vehicles.
  
  Currently the C-Class is the smallest vehicle in the Mercedes-Benz U.S. stable. European buyers have been snapping up the new B-Class since last year, and the German automaker is expected to add an even smaller A-Class to the mix soon. A new CUV may also be part of the mix in coming months, though there's no indication either of those models will make their way across the Atlantic to American buyers.

  Mercedes planning B-Class plug-in hybrid for U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Bizarre Mercedes SL fashion video with model Lara Stone isn't in Kansas anymore
  

  Filed under: Convertible, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Design/Style, Luxury

  
  
  Mercedes-Benz has put together a fashion-shoot-and-video session with Dutch supermodel Lara Stone and the 2013 SL for Fashion Week, and the result is a vid that only those attending Fashion Week could understand. Which is, probably, half the point.
  
  We shared the "making of" video with you back in late December, but it's apparently taken until now for the completed Alex Prager short to be completed. Back then, the film idea was presented as the Calvin Klein model trying to outrun a tornado, but it's not. Think The Wizard of Oz in Louboutins by Jim Jarmusch and you'll be close. Or you could just watch the video after the jump.

  Continue reading Bizarre Mercedes SL fashion video with model Lara Stone isn't in Kansas anymore

  Bizarre Mercedes SL fashion video with model Lara Stone isn't in Kansas anymore originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Bentley courting Maybach celebs with letter-writing campaign
  

  Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Bentley, Maybach, Mercedes-Benz, Celebrities, Luxury

  
  
  When Daimler let slip that Maybach was on the chopping block, the German automaker reportedly insisted that ultra-luxury editions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class would replace the doomed marque. We're all for a smattering of low volume, seriously pricey S-Class variants, but will the richest and most influential Maybach buyers feel the same way?
  
  Automotive News reports that Bentley is betting that stars like Jay-Z and Samuel L. Jackson will want more than a gussied-up Benz, and the luxury car make is sending out olive branches in the form of a letter campaign. The premium Volkswagen brand is asking the high-rollers to step into a Bentley Mulsanne or perhaps a top-shelf Continental GT. To help persuade VIPs to switch to Bentley, the automaker is inviting select Maybach owners to tour its Crewe, England home.
  
  Given the fact that many typical soccer moms and dads can afford an ML-Class, we can see why some movie stars and sultans would want to steer clear of the Three-Pointed Star. But is Bentley really going to gain much by wooing the 200 annual Maybach buyers? If a few more rap stars roll in a Bentley in their next music video, then the answer would appear to be yes.

  Bentley courting Maybach celebs with letter-writing campaign originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• 2012 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG [w/video]
  

  Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, New Car Reviews, Luxury

  The Ultimate Passenger Vessel For Travel To Infinity And Beyond
  
  
  
  Sometime before the end of this century, humans will travel to Mars. The longest manned journey ever attempted will take the explorers at least 34 million miles over the course of many months, at best. The vehicle necessary to support such an odyssey will need to be spacious, comfortable, technically advanced, incredibly safe and very powerful.
  
  Before plotting the future spacecraft's design, we suggest the engineers take a close look at the 2012 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG for ideas.
  
  Of course, we don't think the S63 is fit for interplanetary travel - micrometeorites and ultraviolet radiation would likely wreak havoc on its expensive and vogue matte finish Magno Platinum paint - but we do feel it is one of the most spacious and luxurious rocket ships that someone outside of a space agency can put in their personal hangar.
  
  During our week with the AMG-tuned S-Class, its four wheels never left the surface of planet Earth, but we did load it up and make a long weekend trek to Palm Springs. How did this twin-turbocharged sedan handle the long outing and subsequent run into the mountains? Does it drive ponderously, or is the big Benz agile and athletic? Most importantly, what's not to like with this two-and-one-half ton almighty giant?

  Continue reading 2012 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG [w/video]

  2012 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Mercedes boss Zetsche offends Cubans with Che Guevara joke
  

  Filed under: CES, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Mercedes-Benz

  
  
  For every college student with a Che Guevara poster on their dorm room walls and a copy of Motorcycle Diaries on their shelves, there are plenty of Americans who remember the communist leader as a cold-blooded killer. That's the problem with revolutionaries; they're nothing if not divisive. Mercedes-Benz recently received a first-hand lesson in just how polarizing Guevara himself can be after the company used a massive image of the leader in the company's presentation on car sharing at CES.
  
  Dieter Zetsche, Daimler CEO, said, "Some colleagues still think that car-sharing borders on communism, but if this is a revolution, then 'Viva la revolucion!'."
  
  The Guevara image then splayed across the one-story screen behind the executive, complete with a Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star on his trademark beret. Let the cringing begin.
  
  It didn't take long for Cuban exiles in Florida to descend on the Mercedes-Benz consumer site with promises of boycotts and shock at the company's insensitivity. It does seem amazingly short-sighted for a German luxury manufacturer to embrace the image of a leader who happily shunned the niceties of the upper class for a rifle.

  Mercedes boss Zetsche offends Cubans with Che Guevara joke originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Mercedes-Benz DICE concept brings gesture controls to the cockpit [w/video]
  

  Filed under: Concept Cars, CES, Technology, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury, Infotainment

  
  
  Not to be outdone by its competitors from Ingolstadt, Mercedes-Benz brought out its own vision of the future of interiors, complete with augmented reality, a fully customizable dashboard and gesture-based controls. There's not a knob or button to be found...
  
  The video after the jump demonstrates the Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience (DICE) far better than words can convey, but the basic elements are these: a series of proximity sensors detect hand motions across the interior, allowing you to scroll, select and control a variety of functions. The highlights include the ability to get information about the businesses and sights around you, connect with friends nearby and control all the standard music and navigation functionality you'd expect in a high-end ride. But it's not without its issues.
  
  The major problem is there's no way for the system to detect if you're motioning or just have your hand out, and making matters worse is the poor definition of exactly where your hands and arms should be to take control of specific elements. But Mercedes has time to work out the kinks - one exec admitted that a production version is at least 20 years out.

  Continue reading Mercedes-Benz DICE concept brings gesture controls to the cockpit [w/video]

  Mercedes-Benz DICE concept brings gesture controls to the cockpit [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Mercedes-Benz brings the matte in from the cold
  

  Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

  
  
  Some things are at the fringe because they belong there. The tastes are too peculiar, the style too strange for the masses. But once in a while something emerges from the fringe into the mainstream because it deserves to be, because people learn to like it. Like matte paint finishes.
  
  Long the purview of aftermarket tuners rejecting the glitz of the gloss, matte finishes are slowly finding their way onto automakers' show stands and into dealership showrooms. Hyundai broke new ground at the Detroit Auto Show this week in announcing the availability of the new Veloster Turbo in flat grey, but the Korean automaker isn't the only one offering the anti-shine treatment direct from the factory and displaying it on the floor of Cobo Hall.
  
  Through its Designo program - a range of over-and-above options provided by AMG - Mercedes-Benz offers a selection of matte finishes for some of its higher-end (though not necessarily AMG-tuned) models. The palette currently includes white (like the CL63 in the gallery below), flat silver (like the CLS550 pictured above), dark grey and black, but is being expanded to include additional colors (and wider availability), starting with brown and hopefully extending to some of the shades Maserati and its sister brands have been displaying lately.
  
  The results may not be to everyone's liking - and may not be well suited to every car - so don't expect them to replace the go-to metallic paintjobs typically selected for such vehicles, but we're glad to see this particular trend coming in out of the cold and into the showroom.

  Mercedes-Benz brings the matte in from the cold originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• This is the quickest Mercedes-Benz ever
  

  Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

  
  
  Behold what could very possibly be the world's quickest Mercedes-Benz. The good people at Renntech managed to get their hands on a Mercedes-Benz SLR, and quickly set to nudging the power to obscene levels.
  
  According to DragTimes.com, the vehicle boasts 160 horsepower over stock form, which puts the final output in the neighborhood of 680 ponies at the rear wheels. Throw in a set of Hoosier drag slicks and you have a vehicle capable of dashing to 60 in a scant 2.2 seconds. That's plenty quick, and the vehicle doesn't give anything up as it heads toward the quarter mile.
  
  In the video after the jump, shot at Palm Beach International Raceway, the Renntech Mercedes-Benz SLR pulls through the quarter mile in 9.76 seconds at 140.8 mph. As best we can tell, that time makes the vehicle the quickest Mercedes-Benz in the world. Let us know if you know of a quicker Silver Arrow out there. In the meantime, hit the jump to check out the disturbingly fast SLR for yourself.

  Continue reading This is the quickest Mercedes-Benz ever

  This is the quickest Mercedes-Benz ever originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Hands on with Mercedes-Benz mBrace2
  

  Filed under: CES, Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury, Infotainment

  
  
  Following Dr. Z's keynote here at CES, Mercedes-Benz showed off the latest iteration of its telematics and infotainment system, mBrace2.
  
  The system simply expands and enhances what M-B's system has been doing for the last few years, integrating Facebook, Google Point of Interest searches and now Google Street View into the current COMAND interface.
  
  There's a full-scale browser controlled by the central COMAND knob, but as you can see in the video after the jump, a combination of spotty data access (the CES show floor needs its own spectrum) and some oddly chosen user interface decisions makes for a rather clunky experience.
  
  Data issues aside, the biggest problem is using the outmoded concept of a pointer to select things on the screen. That's fine for PCs, but using a five-way controller to pan and click around a page is infuriatingly frustrating. Here's hoping M-B irons out the kinks before mBrace2 arrives on the all-new SL and the rest of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz lineup.

  Continue reading Hands on with Mercedes-Benz mBrace2

  Hands on with Mercedes-Benz mBrace2 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class to feature all-new infotainment system
  

  Filed under: Sedan, CES, Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury, Infotainment

  
  
  Mercedes-Benz is making a big splash at CES this year, finally bringing a booth to the party and trotting out Daimler head Dr. Dieter Zetsche to keynote Tuesday morning's festivities.
  
  The big news is the introduction of mBrace2, Mercedes' new cloud-based entertainment and information delivery system that debuts on the all-new SL roadster and proliferating through the Benz lineup in 2013.
  
  We just wrapped up a hands-on with the prototype system (coming soon), but if you're looking for a thoroughly updated COMAND interface, you're in for disappointment.
  
  The same beige and black user interface carries over with mBrace2, but there's attractive news on the horizon. Mercedes tells us that an all-new and completely redesigned interface is due to debut on the 2014 S-Class, which will drop the 90s-era graphics for a more modern, intuitive design. And if it's anything like the system Mercedes showed off with the Concept A-Class, things are finally looking up for Benz infotainment.

  2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class to feature all-new infotainment system originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Mercedes-Benz says E-Class hybrid makes cool cars greener
  

  Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrid, Sedan, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

  
  
  In between debuting the Smart for-us and SL on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show today, Mercedes-Benz thought it right to bring out two brown cars that are actually green: diesel and gasoline flavors of the E-Class hybrid. In fact, the E300 diesel hybrid is so efficient that Mercedes calls it the "world's most economical luxury-class model." Unsurprisingly, the diesel will launch in Europe while the gas-powered E400 hybrid will arrive first in America and will later come to Japan, China and other countries. Pricing for the E-Class hybrids has not yet been announced, but Mercedes says the "extra cost involved here is only moderate."
  
  As we learned during the slow-burning teaser month of December, the diesel-fueled BlueTec hybrid is expected to get 56 miles per gallon (on the European scale, so around 45 mpg in the U.S.) and the gas-electric E400 Hybrid will get 27 mpg (U.S.). The numbers for the E300 are based on the sedan (saloon) versions; it will also be available in estate (station wagon) form. The E-Class hybrids use a combination of lithium-ion batteries, start-stop, regenerative brakes and the ability to "sail" to save fuel. Sailing here means that, at speeds of up to 100 mph, the combustion engine can switch off while the electric motor keeps the car moving as long as the 0.8-kWh battery has enough power.
  
  Since this is Mercedes, the cars also perform well: the E300 BlueTec offers 204 horsepower from the four-cylinder diesel powerplant and another 27 hp from the electric motor. The gas-powered E400 gives up 306 hp, plus the 27 hp. The E300 hybrid has a top speed of 150 miles per hour and goes 0-62 in in 7.5 seconds, while the E400 hybrid can hit 130 mph and does 0-60 in 6.7 seconds. Or, as Damiler's chairman of the board, Dieter Zetsche, put it this during the press conference in Detroit: Mercedes is "making green cars cooler and cool cars greener."

  Continue reading Mercedes-Benz says E-Class hybrid makes cool cars greener

  Mercedes-Benz says E-Class hybrid makes cool cars greener originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Nissan agrees to make engines for Mercedes in Tennessee
  

  Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan

  
  
  Mercedes-Benz and Nissan plan on working together in the future, sharing the Mercedes A-Class platform and engines in an effort save cash on engineering and manufacturing resources. A big part of that collaboration is now official with a joint engine announcement.
  
  Nissan will produce high-end four-cylinder engines at its Decherd, Tennessee facility. The engine will find its way under the hood of Mercedes and Infiniti models beginning in 2014, with a max capacity of 250,000 units per year.
  
  Both automakers are understandably excited about the strategic announcement. Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn called the tie-up "our most significant project outside of Europe so far." Daimler Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche added that the co-op will help Mercedes achieve its expansion goals, adding that the engine agreement will "make optimum use of synergies arising from the cooperation."
  
  Hit the jump to read over the Nissan press release. Daimler also issued the exact same release, except the German automaker swapped names so that Daimler appeared before Nissan.

  Continue reading Nissan agrees to make engines for Mercedes in Tennessee

  Nissan agrees to make engines for Mercedes in Tennessee originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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