Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes Vans said, “We will take advantage of the trend toward city vans.” The company also said that they want this van to be suited to the variety of commercial applications. Quality plus function is equal to Mercedes Citan.

Most of the times, we think that buckling up is only for those seated on the front seats. If you’re seating at the back, and you are used to buckling up, then that’s great. However, surely, you are encountering one problem, the belts are difficult to look for as they tend to be hidden in the gaps under the upholstery.

That’s what Mercedes-Benz is trying to address when they made the active seat-belt buckle. This new system features a buckle that emerges from the upholstery once the rear doors are opened. This is made possible by an electric motor that activates and extends the seat belt buckle by 70cm.

Another great feature is the glowing insertion slot that can attract the passenger’s attention, which can encourage them and remind them to buckle up. The buckles are also easy to detach, so in case of emergency, the passengers can easily get out of the car.

It is expected that the active seat-belt buckle will be in production for Mercedes’ luxury models soon.

Many enthusiasts have been dismayed by BMW’s announcement of using diesel engines for its M-badged high-performance variants. Despite its successes in world endurance races as shown by Audi’s domineering diesel race cars, one cannot equate race-bred diesel engines and fuels with the more common everyday diesels found from econoboxes to big rig trucks. Economy, sure. High performance? Not at this point.

So it’s with a sigh of relief when we hear from AMG head Ola Källenius that diesels aren’t a consideration for Mercedes’ high performance cars. Staying committed to gasoline-powered drivetrains, Källenius went on to say that diesel engines can only compromise AMG’s lineup. Adding that petrol engines have the obvious benefits in terms of sound, weight, agility and response, he gave as an example AMG’s biturbo 5.5 liter unit, which while producing 560 horsepower, is highly efficient given its use of direct injection and forced induction.

With today’s hot hatches offering searing performance, any entrant to this segment had better have a worthy offering that will catch the attention of picky buyers. Originally designed as compact cars, these hot little numbers now have outputs that used to be the domain of the so-called V8-engined muscle cars. Now advanced engine technologies and forced induction have enabled BMW and Audi to offer thess performance hatches with outputs of more than 300 horsepower.

Not be outdone, Mercedes has tasked its engineers to come up with a package that will show the rest of the world what a true hatch hatch should be. With the new A-Class already receiving glowing reviews because of its design, Mercedes is upping the ante by tasking no less than its HPE (High Performance Engine) division to develop a powerplant that will surpass the Audi RS3’s 340-hp output. To be installed in the proposed A25 AMG, this engine will benefit from the work of Mercedes’ England-based F1 engineers. Obviously 360 or so horsepower cannot be handled by front-drive alone, so this eminently desirable hot hatch will have all-wheel drive.

Apart from the A-Class AMG, Mercedes also plans to use this superbly-engineered engine in the new CLC-Class.

Germany’s film awards, the Golden Camera was truly a star-studded night. Aside from the International actors and actresses who were present in the event that happened last Saturday, Mercedes-Benz cars also became highlights. The company provided chauffeur service to the stars, so in the photos, you will see the three star brand all over the Berlin event.

Well, the real stars in that night were the major award winners, the Best International Actress was Scarlett Johansson, while Denzel Washington got the male counterpart. Morgan Freeman won the International Lifetime Achievement Award. Other award winners can also be found here.

Here are the photos of Mercedes-Benz at the award’s night from Daimler.

Tuner Brabus is a company who likes laying their hands on Mercedes-Benz cars. It is no longer surprising that they chose the Mercedes B-Class to be their new project.

Brabus worked on the rear and front spoilers, lowered the customized wheels and put a 4-flow exhaust system. The tires are sized 225/35 R19 on the front and the 245/30 R19 on the rear. The sports exhaust system is available in B180 CDI, B200 CDI, B180 and B200 with 4 tailpipes in 76mm and 1x rear silencer.

The information above are just primer, we think, as Brabus have not released other specifications yet. We will post it as soon as we get more news.

Photos: Brabus

Nope, CLS Shooting Brake is not official name of this car, however, the whole blogging world is calling it that. Anyway, spyshots of the car doing winter testing is all over the Internet now.

The car is boasting of an engine that may range from 3.5L V8 to 5.5L V8 which may produce 518HP. The design is also more handsome, with a hatch big enough to carry luggage. You will also notice the awesome colors on this one, a carmine red car rolling on the snow.

This gorgeous car is expected to be presented at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March.

Mercedes-Benz has released a video of the part 1 of the SLS AMG GT3 production. Now, here is the continuation of the 6,208cc’s making. You will see the specialists install the front grille, hood and front fenders in this video, you will also get to see some behind the scenes in the clip.

Followers of Mercedes news have seen plenty of reports of Mercedes-Benz cars accumulating more than a million miles over decades of use. As if these achievements in longevity and reliability were not impressive enough, a Mercedes commercial truck in Austria has now reached and surpassed this landmark mileage in just over a decade of use.

Built in 2001, a Mercedes Atego 917 truck has been used since then by the BS Transport company based in Tristach, Austria. Following only the maintenance schedule recommended by its manufacturer, this Atego 917 truck has not needed any repairs and is still hauling around cargo using its original engine. In fact, the actual mileage this truck currently has is 1.33 million miles, and its owners say that they cannot consider any other vehicle to replace this truck. Except maybe another Atego.

Used 16 hours a day by two drivers working in two shifts, the Atego regularly traverses mountain roads 1800 meters above sea level. Such ruggedness and durability are hallmarks of the Mercedes brand, but even this performance is something to be extra proud of.

As anyone who has driven in winter has experienced, snow is one of the most difficult surfaces to control a car in. Even without a snow-laden surface, a chilly road affects the handling of a car because the tires do not get up to proper operating temperature.

In the UK, the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy, in cooperation with Pirelli, are offering cold weather driving lessons for student drivers of all ages. MB UK Driving Academy’s fleet of A-Classes have been shod with Pirelli cold weather tires for just this purpose. With the cold weather setup, the car’s behavior allows students to experience advanced skid pan handling and other techniques to better cope with tricky road conditions in the real world.

According to Pirelli UK’s Managing Director, Dominic Sandivasci, “Cold weather tyres offer drivers extra grip in winter conditions. Thanks to the tread pattern design and the ability of the compound to remain flexible at low temperatures, the grip in cold weather and on snow is significantly improved.”