What do you get when you soup up an already fast car using a package centered on a Stealth aerodynamic kit? That’s the Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Stealth by tuner German Special Customs.

The aerodynamic body of this tuned car, as well as its body color, really shows off the design that’s influenced by stealth airplanes. There’s a new hood with a broad shaft, fresh side skirts, and a broader front fascia. Instead of the Mercedes-Benz logo adorning the front grille, the GSC emblem is displayed on that section. Oh, the new bumber is also laced with LED daytime running lights for added functionality and style.

With those additions and the performance upgrades provided for the Stealth’s 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, the custom vehicle generates 225 horsepower more than the standard AMG variant. The Stealth’s 750 horsepower is aided by a new exhaust system, bigger turbochargers, and a bonus water cooler. New 20-inchers are in place, while drivers will also get to play nice with the front axle’s adjustable suspensions.

The GSC CLS 63 AMG Stealth has a top speed of nearly 350 kph, while its 0-100 kph time is rated at a mere 3.7 seconds.

The Spanish Grand Prix was a difficult one for Mercedes AMG Petronas; Michael Schumacher retired after a lap 12 collision with Bruno Senna (and subsequently penalized for Monaco), and Nico Rosberg lost fifth place near the end after some tire problems. Still, Rosberg says the championship is right there within his grasp.

The thing is, with Pastor Maldonado claiming his maiden F1 victory last weekend, many of the other title contenders did not gain much headway in the standings. Fernando Alonso’s second-place finish allowed him to tie Sebastian Vettel at the top. Both have 61 points, and while Rosberg is at seventh right now, it is a mere 20 points behind the leaders.

Here’s what Rosberg said: “I only lost two points on the championship lead, which is good, and I’m still only 20 points away, so it’s still open as long as we can really now push on and improve.”

Five winners in five races—it’s something not seen in Formula One since 1983, and the standings are close. Consistency is the key to winning this season, and Mercedes AMG Petronas simply has to continue to push and keep the car in line, waiting for one or two more race wins that can put Rosberg over the top. It’s not a farfetched idea, as seen in Rosberg’s pole-to-pole win in Beijing earlier this season.

“It’s just very difficult at the moment to understand how the next race is going to be,” said Rosberg. “We’ll have to wait and see.” Hopefully, he and Schumi can improve on what appears to be a terrible Spanish Grand Prix for the team. Everything’s up in the air for Rosberg and Mercedes, which is currently fifth in the constructors’ championship race.

The third generation of the Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV was launched recently in India, and it comes with exciting news that the vehicle will be priced some 15 percent less compared to the last iteration seen in the country. This allows the German automaker to be competitive with the prices offered by BMW and Audi for vehicles in the same segment.

BMW has managed to leapfrog Mercedes-Benz for the lead in India’s luxury car market, and the latter is already at risk of losing the second spot to Audi. The repriced M-Class line should help contribute to Mercedes-Benz’s efforts to regain the lead in this market.

“We are confident that the quality drive and the luxurious experience it can deliver will be a big hit with the customers and it will be warmly received,” said Peter Honegg, the managing director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India.

The M-Class has had a strong showing in India since it was introduced to that market in 2008. Over 1,500 units have been sold, and the third-gen model should continue to add to that figure. In addition, there are 100 units of the AMG variant set to go on sale—although those have already been presold.

“We expect to become number luxury sellers of luxury cars in India by 2020, the growth will get a boost when the compact models enter the Indian market,” added Honegg.

Running a quarter mile in just 11 seconds is not an impossible feat for the Mercedes C63 AMG. However, this video is interesting because of who’s driving the car.

A 60-year old woman who adores drag racing is behind the wheels of the super car. You read that right, 60-year old and drag racing. Doesn’t looks like these phrases could be together eh? But yes, in this clip, you can definitely watch this woman who even shared what’s in her Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG before she joined her husband, who I suppose is as old as she (or close?), on the track. The hubby drives a Dodge Viper.

This application works best for people who are already interested in a Merc car, for example, the person is in the showroom of a dealership. What the app does is it scans the price tag QR code of the car and then brings the information directly to the mobile rate calculator. Lease offers can also be computed as run time, mileage and payment can be altered. A customer can finance a lease with the right monthly rate for him or her. The rates and offer will be sent to the customer’s email and they can even send it in social networks.

Jay Schell of Mercedes-Benz Bank said, “The mobile rate calculator is for us a further step in providing our products for customers to easily and quickly accessible. We bring our financial services for Mercedes-Benz in particular the younger audience closer. ”

This app is also targeted for salesmen in dealerships as this can also be used to tailor fit payment plans for prospective customers during a sales call.

Source: Mercedes-Benz Bank

Edo Competition refreshes its take on the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, getting a bit more performance out of the car’s wagon version. The German tuner took the vehicle from a stock 457 horsepower into a beast with a whopping 600 horsepower.

How was this achieved? There are a bunch of high-performance upgrades made to the car, including the exhaust headers, air filters, catalytic converter, exhaust system, and other engine electronics. In addition to that, the tuner also took out the top-speed limiter on the vehicle, allowing it to go for a top speed of 213 mph or 343 kph and giving it a 0-100kph time of a mere 4.1 seconds. Its peak torque levels are slated at 501 lb.-ft.

Cosmetic tweaks are quite minimal, but there are some—not the least of which are the 19-inch wheels on the T-Model, and they’re all wrapped in Michelin tires for the kind of grip needed by such a high-performance ride.

Make no mistake, this is one powerful wagon. It may look minimally different from the standard model (which is already plenty powerful as it is), but it is packed with a lot of serious power beneath its gorgeous yet unassuming exterior.

If you watched the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix last weekend, chances are you saw a disappointing end to Michael Schumacher’s race when his MGP W03 collided with the back of Bruno Senna’s Williams. Now, the verdict is out, and the race stewards have given Schumi the unpleasant reward of a 5-place grid penalty at the Monaco Grand Prix in two weeks.

This penalty was given once the stewards reviewed the footage of the collision on lap 12 of the race and deemed it was caused by the German seven-time F1 champion for Mercedes AMG Petronas. Schumacher had claimed that it was Senna’s fault, but Senna countered and obviously the stewards felt the same about the incident.

After the collision, Schumacher could no longer continue. Senna was able to get a bit more distance on his crippled FW34, but the damage had been done and he retired as well.

A five-grid penalty doesn’t seem too much for a former champion—Lewis Hamilton blitzed from the back of the grid to eighth place in Barcelona—but it’s definitely going to put some more pressure on Schumacher and on the team. Mercedes will have to kick it up a notch and Schumacher will have to have a great qualifying so he won’t have to start too far back on the grid.

Jenson Button of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 driver will be at the Brands Hatch at the DTM this weekend. He will drive the Mercedes-Benz DTM race taxi with Gary Paffett as his passenger. But before he do that, he will take some time to practice with the new car, because he still need to familiarize himself with controlling and maneuvering the new race car.

“Brands Hatch is one of the circuits where I cut my teeth in junior single-seaters and I have many fond memories of the place – in Formula Ford, the Formula Ford Festival, and in British Formula 3. It’s one of the greatest tracks in the world, and a place with an awful lot of motorsport history, ” Jenson Button said. He added his excitement saying, “It’s going to be a fantastic experience to head back to Brands Hatch to watch the DTM race there on May 20. I think the new DTM rules are going to provide the British fans with some really close, tense and exciting racing – and I’ll be hoping that Gary Paffett, my Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team-mate and our test and development driver, will be able to hold onto his lead in the championship with another win. “Gary’s also given me the chance to drive the DTM ‘race taxi’ with him – it’ll be the first time I’ve driven Brands since doing F3 there back in 1999. It’s going to be very cool. I think the DTM weekend will be a great event – it’s a fantastic series with some excellent, close racing and some of the best drivers in the world. For me, it’s going to be a great personal experience and a fantastic opportunity to get up-close and personal with all the British fans who have been supporting me over the years.”

On the other hand, Norbert Haug, Mercedes-Benz Motorsportchef expressed his gladness that Button will be there at the British race track when he said, “Like most of the current crop of Formula 1 drivers, Jenson takes an interest in the DTM, so he was pleased to accept our invitation to the Brands Hatch weekend. I am sure he will have a lot of fun driving one of our DTM ‘race taxis’ and watching the race itself.”

Source:
Daimler

Last February, Mercedes-Benz was recognized as the number one car brand in Australia, getting 95% rate in terms of customer service.

That’s not the only achievement that the company got from Down Under, because the W204 which is the current C-Class, surpassed the 30,000 unit sales target.

David McCarthy, Mercedes Australia Pacific’s Senior Manager for Corporate Communications said, “We wanted to deliver to our customers the same outstanding value in our “Edition 30” C-Class that they have enjoyed since the vehicle line was launched. We have delivered over 30,000 of the current generation C-Class sedans in Australia, this alone is a significant figure but it is between 35 and 98 percent higher than our traditional competitors.”

Predictive Powertrain Control—mark that down as the latest of new technologies Mercedes-Benz is bringing to its vehicles. This is found in the cruise control system offered with the Actros truck, and it has the ability to shift the gears on a vehicle based on the topography scanned by the GPS on the unit. This way, the truck—as well as other vehicles the system will be put inside in the future—can get the optimal gears depending on location, thus saving fuel in the process.

According to numbers released by Mercedes-Benz, Predictive Powertrain Control has a claimed fuel efficiency boost of three percent. In addition, the system comes with something called EcoRoll that allows for automatic single and double downshifts. The system makes a big enough difference for fleet operators that are looking to cut back on those fuel costs.

With other automakers trying to make their respective cruise control systems smarter, each one is trying to add that little bit of extra to make things more attractive for prospective purchasers. Predictive Powertrain Control could just be that feature that puts Merc cruise control systems over the top, although it is not known if this system will be applied to Merc’s passenger cars.