Detroit 2011: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell is the color of electric hotness
Mercedes-Benz brought along a fleet of green-leaning vehicles to this year’s Detroit Auto Show. While the German automaker displayed its hydrogen B-Class F-Cell alongside a flotilla of BlueTec diesels, the SLS AMG E-Cell stole the stage. Aside from wearing the world’s most eye-searing matte-yellow paint, the electrified supercar boasts 525 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque thanks to four synchronous electric motors. The SLS AMG E-Cell wears its motors close to each wheel, skipping the unsprung mass problem of hub-mount configurations to help protect the car’s handling prowess.
Word has it that the SLS AMG E-Cell can do the 0-60 mph dance in a scant 3.7 seconds. Lithium-ion batteries handle energy storage, and regenerative braking helps keep the cells topped off between charges. Speaking of the batteries, the electric Silver Arrow wears a temperature management system just for the battery array to make sure that charging and discharging occurs in the best environment possible. Mercedes-Benz isn’t saying exactly what kind of range drivers could expect if the SLS AMG E-Cell were in production, nor do we know exactly how long it would take to charge the electric supercar. Hit the jump for the press release and get ready to order your own sometime next year.
Categories: coupe, Detroit Auto Show, Detroit Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz Tags:
Mercedes-Benz confirms next gen C-class to be built in USA and Germany
The diminishing value of the U.S. dollar, most notably against the Euro and Yen, is causing plenty of grief for foreign automakers. While the US market has been in the tank for the past two years, it still remains a major market for companies like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. All three brands have been looking at ways to relieve some of the exchange rate pressure and Mercedes has decided that more “dollar zone” production will be part of the solution.
When the next generation C-Class rolls out in 2014, German production will be consolidated at Daimler’s Bremen factory while units for the North American market will be built in the U.S. There’s been no announcement about where production will take place, but an expansion of the SUV factory in Alabama is one possibility. On a related side note, part of the reason the Premium German brands have recently avoided selling four-cylinder versions of their entry-level models in the States has been the exchange rates and the associated lack of profitability. With new CAFE rules coming, it’s likely that we’ll be seeing more moves like this in the next several years.
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First Look: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet
Bet you didn’t know the origin of the word “cabriolet.” In the horse-and-buggy era, the word was applied to lightweight open carriages pulled by two horses and used primarily for pleasure rides in fair weather. The word was pinched from the French verb “cabrioler,” meaning “to cavort” — move about carelessly, playfully or boisterously — or “to cut a caper.” The next installment in Mercedes-Benz‘s long line of “cavorters” isn’t exactly lightweight, but it promises to extend pleasure driving well beyond the traditional fair-weather season, thanks to a new innovation dubbed Aircap.
Aircap is engineered to work with the headrest-mounted neck-warming Airscarf to make top-down driving comfortable in the chillier weather that prevails in the U.K., Germany, and other northern climes where convertible sales are strongest. The challenge presented to engineers was to provide a largely draft-free top-down driving experience for all four passengers, ruling out those mesh screen gizmos that render the rear seat unusable. They started work in the 1990s and developed several solutions that were functional but aesthetically unpalatable.
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First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL
Southern California fuel-cell devotees rejoice! You are about to get a second chance at blazing the trail toward long-range, quick-recharge, electric motoring that leaves nothing but pristine steam in your wake. So stop coveting thy neighbor’s Honda FCX Clarity and commence groveling to your Mercedes-Benz dealer in hopes of getting a crack at leasing one of 60 B-Class F-CELLs that will become available in SoCal late in the spring of 2010.
The B-Class, for those who don’t follow the tri-star’s home-market offerings, is a larger, roomier riff on the A-Class compact, both of which were developed with a sandwich floor construction designed to accommodate fuel tanks, exhaust systems, and even some of the combustion drivetrain beneath a slightly elevated floor. The design works well enough for the mass-market combustion vehicles, but it seems optimized for fuel-cell duty. The entire 80-kilowatt fuel cell, 1.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, and three 10,500 psi hydrogen tanks fit completely out of sight without impinging on the passenger or cargo space of the petro-powered variant. Those tanks refill in three minutes and hold 3.7 kg (8.2 pounds) of hydrogen, good for a claimed 285 miles of driving on the U.S. EPA combined cycle. Mercedes claims that makes this the longest-range electric-powered production vehicle. That equates, engineers claim, to 85 miles per diesel fuel gallon equivalent on the EPA cycle. Impressive, given that the fuel-cell hardware adds 550 pounds to a B200 turbo with equal performance (9.6 seconds, 0-62 mph).
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Quick Drive:2010 Mercedes ML450 Hybrid
The 2010 Mercedes ML450 Hybrid is the first full hybrid vehicle from Mercedes and, to better understand the experience of owning one, I sat in horrendous Los Angeles traffic for an hour.
Having driven the ML320 in diesel trim, I’ve never been convinced of the need for something like a hyrbid in the lineup. But it’s what buyers want and the ML is a good platform for the company to test out their first full system.
This is an Atkinson cycle V6 with 279 HP and a pair of electric motors. Total power output is a robust 340 HP, giving it V8-like juice with a considerably better 21/24 MPG; the 2010 ML350 BlueTec diesel returns 18/25. The only trim this is available in is 4MATIC permanent AWD, which hurts it in terms of fuel economy but responds to market desires in this segment.
Categories: Hybrids/Alternative, Mercedes-Benz Tags:
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 walkaround
Mercedes-Benz has released 10 minutes of new video footage of the SLS AMG GT3.
Set to enter competition next year, key design features include a new front fascia, a ventilated hood, a carbon fiber front splitter, a massive rear diffuser, and an enormous rear wing. Other goodies include an AMG race braking system, a six-speed racing transmission, roll cage and a steering wheel with buttons for the pit radio, headlight flashers and drink supply.
Under the hood, power is provided by a 6.3-liter V8 engine which is “virtually identical” to the one in the production car. The company declined to provide detailed performance data, but stated the GT3 can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds (0.2 seconds faster than the standard car) and hit a top speed in excess of 186 mph (300 km/h).
Categories: Mercedes-Benz, Super Cars Tags: Mercedes-Benz
First Drive: 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Visions of wealthy surfer dudes chasing tasty waves isn’t exactly the first image we’d associate with the freshened up 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class, but right before our drive in-and-around New York City, we received this tidbit during the press preview: it’ll swallow 7-foot boards. Good to know.
While we’re guessing surf board stowage isn’t a top priority for most prospective R-Class buyers (full disclosure, we have firsthand knowledge of a guy who used his R-Class for just this purpose), the point is made — this is a luxury crossover with some unique capabilities.
Most of the changes to the U.S.-built 2011 R-Class revolve around its exterior, which is now more in line with its stablemates. Its wider-look mug is highlighted by a more angular three-bar grille and hood, revised headlamps and slick LED light-bar running lamps. The muscular theme also plays out at the rear, with shallower rear glass, rectangular exhaust tips integrated into a diffuser, and edgier taillamps. Adorning the coupe-themed greenhouse’s flanks are larger rear view mirrors with the automaker’s optional blind spot detection system — a welcome feature for a vehicle as long as the R-Class (203.1 inches).
Categories: Auto Review, Car Review, Mercedes-Benz Tags: Mercedes-Benz
New York 2010 Live: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG priced at $183,000 for the U.S
Mercedes-Benz trotted out the SLS AMG GT3 and E350 4Matic Wagon here in New York, and along with the racy supercoupe and bangin’ wagon, it’s announced pricing for its all-new, homegrown gullwing.
We don’t have an official MSRP breakdown yet, but our man on the floor tells us that the 2011 SLS AMG will start at $183,000 in the U.S. when it begins to go on sale this summer. That entry-level price is noticeably lower than expected, but we’re sure once you tack on the options (custom color, carbon ceramic stoppers, etc.), it’s sure to head quickly north of $200k. Ready to place an order? Read our First Drive before you tap into the kiddie’s college fund.
Categories: Auto Show, coupe, Mercedes-Benz, New York Auto Show Tags:
Brawnier 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class leaked ahead of New York debut
The R-Class has had a rough life. Not only did it suffer from odd, disproportionate styling, but Mercedes-Benz never really marketed the vehicle the way that it should have, choosing to position it as a “sports tourer,” rather than the obvious upscale family hauler that it is. Dismal sales ensued. Makes sense, then, that the 2011 R-Class benefits from a slightly more comprehensive overhaul than the standard mid-cycle refresh usually entails.
Right away, we must say that the R-Class’s new schnoz is a giant leap forward from drooping proboscis of the outgoing car. New, more chiseled headlamps accent a larger, more upright grille and a less angular hood. The revised lower fascia features the automaker’s new quad foglight design – something we’ve already seen on the E- and GL-Class. Not much has been changed out back, save the standard mid-cycle enhancements (revised taillights and a tweaked bumper).
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