Is Mercedes-Benz Planning New Ecological Mid-Engine Supercar?

by (RSS feed) November 30th, 2010 at 10:28 pm

mercedes benz biome concept 597x397 Is Mercedes Benz Planning New Ecological Mid Engine Supercar?
Mercedes Benz’ concept car the Biome is on the forefront of being developed and expectations are it would be released some time in 2015. It is speculated to be indirect competition of what BMW is developing, their Vision EfficientDynamic car. There is stiff competition now among German car manufacturers, including Audi, for supremacy on eco-friendly motorcars!

The Biome has been featured in the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show Design Challenge, and as we said its looks are very futuristic. Chief of the California design team stated that some elements in the design could easily be developed for production. They just have to make sure that it would either not be too limited and do-able without significant changes.

Audi is planning to come up with its version of electric sports cars, initially with the R8 e-tron in 2013. In a new report, Mercedes-Benz is also currently working on a ‘green’ mid-engine supercar based on the radical Biome design study. The interesting part of this is: Will it be the Biome itself or another version of it?

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Hydrogen powered Mercedes Benz Fuel Cell prepares for leasing

by (RSS feed) November 30th, 2010 at 9:21 pm

the new mercedes benz b class f cell 2 597x397 Hydrogen powered Mercedes Benz Fuel Cell prepares for leasing
Take a look at one of the latest fuel alternative cars that will be at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the F-Cell fuel-cell vehicle by Mercedes Benz. Around a hundred units of this Mercedes-Benz-B-Class Fuel Cell Car will be for lease in California by December of this year. At the car show event, the lease price will be announced and speculations have it to be anywhere between six and eight hundred dollars.

What runs the F-Cell fuel-cell vehicle is a 136 horsepower electric motor powered by 3.7 kilograms of hydrogen in tanks pressurized at 10,150 psi with a 35-kilowatt lithium-ion battery under the floor. It is said to be that this would have a range of up to 230 miles/368 kilometers, a consumption of more or less 54 miles/86.4 kilometers to a kilogram. For comparison, one (1) kg of hydrogen has almost the same energy as that of a gallon of gas.

The lease price of the vehicle will include the cost of hydrogen to fill up the tanks which is around $50.00 to $60.00. The cost of a tank-full gas for an SUV will be almost at the same with the current gas prices. The cost of maintenance and car insurance cost of the vehicles likewise goes along free with the lease price.

An attention-getter at the show will be the 2012 CLS63 AMG boasting of a 550-horsepower power plant that is actually a twin-turbocharged, direct-injection 5.5-liter V-8 engine! Mercedes Benz will also feature the updated versions of CL coupe and R-Class wagon.

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class Hits China

by (RSS feed) November 30th, 2010 at 10:27 am

A Class ECell 597x451 Mercedes Benz A Class Hits China

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class supermini/subcompact recently got launched in the People’s Republic of China, the latest in a long line of vehicle models seeking to snag a share of the large Chinese market. Pricing starts at 238,000 yuan ($35,800) for the A160 model, while the five-door A180 fetches for 278,000 yuan ($41,700).

Daimler is hoping that the A-Class will improve the company’s sales, as the company has well exceeded its target in terms of sales after having sold 101,300 units in the passenger car division alone, all in just three-fourths of the year. Of course, if you have a target of tripling that sales figure in China within 5 years, then every launch has to lead to success.

One of the strengths that the A-Class has going for it is that it has an electric version: the Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell. While there is no word yet when the E-Cell version will hit China, it is already slated to be leased to certain countries such as France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Many automakers are really tying to get a piece of the pie over there in China, and Mercedes-Benz must be thinking that the A-Class is the key to its future success.

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London: smart Cars Get Congestion Charge Exemption

by (RSS feed) November 30th, 2010 at 8:51 am

SmartForTwo CDI 597x424 London: smart Cars Get Congestion Charge Exemption

Green automaker smart, a subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz, has announced recently that the London congestion charge won’t affect the fortwo CDI and MHD models. That’s because these newer smart cars meet the Euro 5 emissions standards, and are thus given a full discount on the charge via the Greener Vehicle Discount.

With the softip transmission, the CDI (which is good for 54 bhp) emits a mere 86 g/km of CO2. The MHD (71 bhp), when on the same transmission, gets a relatively modest 97 g/km of CO2. Still, those numbers are more than enough to qualify those smart models for the discount.

The new rules to the Greener Vehicle Discount are applicable on the 4th of January next year.

“This development recognises the importance that smart places on lowering emissions and we are delighted that this total exemption from the London Congestion Charge enhances the already frugal running costs of smart and makes the brand even more attractive for driving in the capital city,” said Mercedes-Benz Cars UK’s managing director Gary Savage.

This means that drivers who want to make the transition to green vehicles can do so at better value. Thanks to this exemption, owners of these CDI and MHD models will shave off as much as £2,500 or $3,900 annually.

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Mercedes-Benz Dealership Gets Lot at Daytona Auto Mall

by (RSS feed) November 30th, 2010 at 8:06 am

Daytona Automall 597x397 Mercedes Benz Dealership Gets Lot at Daytona Auto Mall

There will now be a new Mercedes-Benz dealership at the Daytona International Auto Mall. Sonic Automotive, which owns the Mercedes of Daytona Beach dealership located at 1720 Mason Avenue, just shelled out $2.65 million for a lot on the Auto Mall. Once relocated there, Mercedes-Benz will go head-to-head again with BMW, one of Mercedes’ primary luxury car brand competitors and the one that was beside the Mason Avenue dealership as well.

The Fields BMW lot is right next to Mercedes’ lot, and the general manager of Fields, Bill Butler, was quick to comment on the move, citing that the presence of another luxury car brand should only help the market at the Auto Mall. Of course, there are also other automakers with dealerships there, including Chrysler, Ford, Dodge, Volkswagen, Nissan, Ram, Licoln and Mazda.

At the moment, there are no definite dates on how long it would take Mercedes-Benz of Daytona Beach to move to its new home, and no details have been given as to the fate of the Mason Avenue branch.

Sonic Automotive is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and operates a lot of car dealerships in the United States—the current total of which currently exceeds 150. In fact, in the state of Florida alone, Sonic has 13 dealerships in place. The publicly-traded company has Bruton Smith at the helm. Smith runs Speedway Motorsports, which owns 8 tracks in NASCAR.

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