Autoblog

Saying that "only a fool would ignore" the emissions of a new vehicle and the current global economy, AMG head-man Volker Mornhinweg realizes that it can't keep building gas-guzzling supercars with reckless abandon. Not that the company will lose its performance edge, mind you. In fact, hybrids and diesels could offer a meaningful performance boost if tuned properly. How so? Torque. Diesel engines are known for their massive axle-shreading twist, and electric motors, an essential part of any hybrid powertrain, make maximum power right off idle, allowing for an internal combustion engine that's tuned for stratospheric revs.

In a recent interview with CAR, the notion of fitting a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter oil-burning V6 inside the C class was kicked around. Mornhinweg suggests such a vehicle is a distinct possibility as AMG moves forward. Hybrid technology could be based on the new drivetrain powering the recently-unveiled S400 BlueHYBRID. No matter what the future holds, we can be sure that the AMG crew is obviously not made up of a bunch of fools, and will therefore continue to offer cars with the highest performance pedigree, regardless of what's underhood.


[Source: CAR]

Seemingly nothing – not the credit crunch, not miniscule sales, not its own lengthy, lugubrious looks – can kill the Maybach. People who have wondered how long Mercedes will keep dishing out tiny servings of the enormous cars can wonder no more: top guy Dieter Zetsche has said Maybach is here to stay, and that the brand "is not losing money."

We don't know how a division that moved just 146 cars last year, even if they start at $372,000, isn't losing money. But the $1.35 million Landaulet should help things, and to be to be fair, Zetsche has said before that Maybach's profitability or otherwise is not the issue – the car is a suitable competitor to Rolls-Royce and Bentley. And Daimler has demonstrated patience: it waded through the rough times with the smart car division for ten years, and now has black ink and a hot brand to show for it.


[Source: Automotive News via eGM Car Tech]

Audi wants you to know that its customers are normal people just like you and I, and it's created a series of shorts to prove this point. But instead of showing moms and dads driving their kids to soccer games in a Q7 or going through the McDonalds drive-thru to pick up some chicken nuggets in an A4, the German automaker took a more comedic tack. Before you roll your eyes and scroll down to the next post, trust us on this one, it is absolutely priceless.

After the jump is a three-and-a-half-minute video called "Meet the Beckers" that chronicles a couple driving to the family home (mansion) for a reunion. They seem normal and even likable. The video also shows other members of the Becker clan heading to the reunion, but they're driving a BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus RX350. Instead of pointing out the virtues of Audi vs. the competition, the four-ringed automaker hammers home the long standing stereotypes associated with the other players in the luxury market. The creepy couple in the BMW convertible cuts off a Prius and the driver has a Bluetooth headset on his ear. The Mercedes owner is an old man with a hot young bride, and he he drives away with the wipers going and his blinker on. The Lexus owners are yuppies with twins who appear to have a devil-worship problem. This is laugh till you cry stuff, folks, and an absolute must watch.

[Source: YouTube]
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We have heard almost constant rumors of a tie-up between Mercedes-Benz and BMW for the last few years. As market conditions change and German automaker Porsche (via Audi via Volkswagen) pushes forward with its plans for world domination, the two high-end marques have been speaking about the possibility of jointly developing certain pieces of their vehicles. The latest reports specifically mention engines as a project the two Teutonic giants have considered partnering up on. Mercedes' latest direct injection twin turbo V12 is an intriguing prospect for BMW and its Roll Royce brand. Also under discussions are smaller, lower-profit cars that use four-cylinder engines, which BMW has plenty of and Mercedes-Benz does not. The two competitors could swap technology, cutting research and development costs drastically in the process. Or, maybe not. It seems that Daimler is a bit wary of siding with its longtime enemy from across the country. Whatever happens, Car Magazine Online is reporting that BMW is looking to make a deal sometime before the end of the year.

[Source: Car Magazine Online]

Certain cars encourage a response that is as routine and predictable as the reaction to a stoplight, and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster is one of those cars. This is what happens every time someone gets in one, irrespective of their age, sex, or nationality: she snuggles into the seat, looks into the footwell to make sure her feet are placed just so on the pedals, slides her hands around the steering wheel for a couple of seconds to find just the right position, snuggles into the seat again... and then she just sits there, staring off into the distance. She might flip the paddles once or twice, or check out the center console. Then it's back to the thousand yard stare at the wall in front of her. She gets her picture taken, notices the line of people waiting to do the same thing, and it's all repeated again and again. And for good reason – the SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster is topless testosterone-topped terrificality. 650 horsepower from a supercharged 5.5L V8 and a convertible soft top that'll stay put above 208 mph deserves the attention. You can check out the specs after the jump, or better yet, go straight to the gallery of high-res images below that we snapped in between the line of people waiting to sit in it.

Click the image above for a high-res gallery of the Mercedes ConceptFASCINATION

When Jaguar launched its latest XK coupe, the ad campaign that accompanied it was called "Gorgeous". When the Mercedes-Benz ConceptFASCINATION eventually becomes the next E-Class, the first thing Mercedes should do is call Jag to see if Gorgeous needs a friend. The shooting brake is absolutely stunning in person, the ultimate rendition of MB's current design language. Whereas a few of the 3-pointed-star's current cars have signature elements that ring true, this E-Class-Coupe-Wagon is the first time the entire theme sings in sweet harmony. The interior is the kind of thing that bespoke dreams are made of, with richly stained wood alternating between low-gloss metal and buttery suede. It is as if Mercedes discovered its inner passion, and if the next E-Class shares these qualities with the ConceptFASCINATION, then BMW and Audi better start worrying. You can discover more about the concept in the press release after the jump, as well as view it live in the gallery of high-res images below.

Mercedes-Benz really wants you to know how green its new line of diesel vehicles can be. To that end, the German automaker calls them Blue and capitalizes EFFICIENCY. Subtle, no? In an effort to earn the badge, MB has tweaked its largest and most luxurious model with a 3.0-liter diesel engine, a seven-speed automatic tranny that decouples itself at stops, a power steering pump that only operates when necessary and low rolling resistance tires. Those are pretty simple changes, no complex electric motors here. Fuel mileage, though, is rather good for such a large vehicle, coming in at nearly 31 U.S. miles per gallon. In contrast, the marque's upcoming S400 BlueHYBRID only manages about 29 miles per gallon. If this sounds to you like it makes a resounding case for diesel vehicles, you're right. It does. Unfortunately, MB only mentions German pricing for the S 320 in the press release after the jump, not indicating whether the big blue sedan will be sold on our shores anytime soon or not.


[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

To celebrate its 26th year as Orange County's most prestigious classic car show, this year's Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance moved from its recent home in Irvine to the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. Still not Newport Beach, but much closer to the ocean at least. Benefiting the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital and the Assessment and Treatment Services Center, the event featured Cadillac as its honored marque to commemorate GM's 100th birthday this year. Besides the gorgeous 1931 Cadillac Sport Phaeton V16 Fleetwood poster car, there were at least a dozen other notable Caddys, as well as about 150 other beautiful classic and collector cars, of which you can see most of them in our high-res gallery below.

Although a notch below the premier events like Pebble Beach, some of the most beautiful and significant vehicles around show up for this concours. Representatives from The Petersen, The Nethercutt Collection, the William Lyon Estate, the Mercedes Classic Center, the Simon Collection, the Caballeriza Collection, and the Marconi Museum were on display, alongside some superb machinery from local collectors like David Sydorick and Peter Mullin. Altogether there were about 150 cars in 14 classes. Ferraris, Porsches, Jaguars, Aston Martins, Packards, Lincolns, Cadillacs, Delahayes, Mercedes, Rolls-Royces, Duesenbergs, Woodies, race cars and even a horseless carriage or two were visible through the fog around the links.

Personal favorites included the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C-SS Sport Coupe, 1939 Delahaye 165 Cabriolet, 1908 Niclausse D971B, 1961 Abarth 1000 GT Bialbero Berlinetta, 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic Berlinetta, 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV Jota, 2006 Saleen S7R, 1959 Ferrari 410 Super America Series III, 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competizione, 1933 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Shooting Brake Woody, 1933 Duesenberg J Speedster and the blue Ferrari 550 Barchetta in the parking lot. Another great show for a wonderful cause.


All photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

If you're Mercedes-Benz, then what you have here is a failure to keep your photo shoots under wraps. First Autobild came out with bare naked shots of the 2009 E-Class, and now German magazine Auto Zeitung has more shots of the car getting some fresh air.

With a minimal front end and a profile that rises seemingly without arc to a chunky back end, the car is reminiscent of a stretched Alfa Romeo Milano. We aren't sure how big these wheels are, but the car's increased upright stance makes them look exceptionally small. As usual with the launch of revolutionary E-Class designs, the car could take some time to get used to, but by the time E-Classes are clogging roads worldwide they will look perfectly natural.

There will be some excitement in the engine choices, including a 204 hp turbodiesel Bluetec, a BlueHybrid lump shared with the S400, and a 550 hp V8 in the AMG. The new E will also benefit from closer association with its spin-offs. Now that the CLK is no more, the E sedan will receive more of the spotlight that shines on its coupe and convertible siblings. If Mercedes doesn't get tired of the clandestine attention, we'll see the sedan for the first time at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, with the other variants to follow at Frankfurt that same year.

[Source: Auto Zeitung]

As the era of the Mercedes McLaren SLR winds down to its conclusion sometime in 2009, Mercedes-Benz is releasing what may be the ultimate example of the breed. The SLR 722 S Roadster picks up where the 722 coupe left off dropping the 650-hp supercharged 5.5L V8 into the open top body shell. With a top speed of 220.6 mph, this may be the fastest open top production car ever built. And unlike the first generation Dodge Viper, Mercedes has devised a soft top that can withstand sustained 200 mph+ top speeds. Mercedes has tapped into McLaren's F1 experience to create the fully carbon-fiber body that can provide the structural integrity needed at those speeds. The semi-automatic top just needs to be unlatched from the windshield header manually before the rest of the process is handled by the electrical actuators. The vehicle dynamics are also aided by dropping the suspension by 10 mm at each end of the car and recalibrating the spring and damper rates. Only 150 examples of the 722 S Roadster will be made available starting Jan. 1 2009.


[Source: Mercedes-Benz]