SPY SHOTS: New Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake Caught Thinly Disguised

When Mercedes-Benz presented the first generation of the CLS in 2004, nobody expected that it would virtually reestablished the so-called four-door coupe segment and go on to sell some 170,000 examples throughout the world.

Now, the Stuttgart-based automaker is getting ready to bring the shooting brake category into the limelight with a new variant of the second generation of the CLS.

The company not only acknowledged the production of the Shooting Brake model a few months after the presentation of a concept study at the Auto China motorshow in 2010, but even announced that sales will start in 2012.

Read more »

Read Why Steve Jobs' Car Never Had a License Plate

Steve Jobs, the charismatic founder of Apple and Pixar, was a man who changed not only the way computers are made and marketed, but also popularized a number of novel products, such as the iPhone and the iPad, which made buyers form long lines outside Apple stores and the competition always play catch-up.

Sadly, Jobs passed away on October 5 at the age of 56. After his death, one of the rumors circulating the web was that of his car’s number plate – or rather its absence.

Some said that he didn’t care about paying the fines, as he surely could afford to, while others claimed that he had somehow obtained a special permit to drive without one.

Read more »

Rumors: Mercedes-Benz to Resurrect Straight-Six Engines?

If there is one company that is widely renowned for its perfectly smooth straight-six engines, that would most certainly be BMW. The truth is though the Bavarian firm's arch-rival Mercedes-Benz also has a long history of using the exact same type of engine before it switched to a more space-efficient V6 layout.

Now, Britain's CAR magazine is reporting that Mercedes has signed-off a completely new family of engines for 2015, which aside from smaller V8s and a fresh batch of four-cylinder power plants, surprisingly enough, also includes a new generation of straight six units.

Read more »

Record-Setting Mercedes C-Class Bids DTM Farewell with One Last Win

After six years of competing in the German Touring Car Championship, most commonly known as the DTM, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class saloon turned its wheels in anger for the last time at last weekend’s Hockenheim race. Read more »

Mika Hakkinen Returns to Racing in the Cockpit of a Mercedes SLS AMG

Michael Schumacher isn’t the only Formula 1 champion who can’t live outside a racing car’s cockpit; after a four year absence, two-times F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen will sit behind the wheel of racing car for the final event of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, which will take place on November 13 at the Zhuhai track in China. Read more »

New Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG with Bi-Turbo V8 to Debut in L.A.

After showing us the regular versions of its new 2012 ML-Class SUV earlier this summer and of course, at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Mercedes-Benz is gearing up for the world premiere of the flagship ML 63 AMG this November at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. Read more »

Mercedes-Benz to Produce an All-New Fifth Model at its U.S. Plant in 2015

Daimler, the parent company of German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz, plans to invest US$350 million and create some 400 new jobs at its U.S. plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to build a brand-new, but as of yet, unnamed model.

Currently, Mercedes-Benz manufactures the M-, GL-, and R-Class SUVs in Tuscaloosa, while the German firm will also assemble the next generation of the C-Class series for the North American market beginning 2014.

Read more »

SPIED: New Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series Edition Shows Off its Widened Body for the Camera

For all those Mercedes-Benz customers that find the regular AMG variants too tame for their tastes, the Stuttgart automaker's sports car division has come up with a special series of cars that carry the Black Series nameplate.

The Black Series AMG models can be identified by their more extreme bodywork and beefed up performance along with a price tag to match their abilities.

Not even Mercedes-Benz's top offering, the SLS AMG gullwing-door supercar, can escape the Black Series treatment. A lightly disguised prototype version of the SLS AMG Black Series edition was captured by our scoop photographers while testing on the Nürburgring track.

Read more »

VÄTH Unleashes 660-HP Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG

If for some very strange reason you find that the Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG lacks some serious punch under its hood, Germany's Vath has developed a new performance package for Stuttgart's sports saloon.

The tuner breaths more fire into the CLS 63 AMG through the use of its V63RS engine kit that bumps the 5.5-liter bi-turbocharged V8's output from 525-hp and 700-Nm to 660-horses and a whopping 990Nm or 730 lb-ft of peak torque.

Read more »

1960 Mercedes 300 SL Roadster Sold for €405,000 after Sitting in a Greek Garage for 37 Years!

It seems like the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL of the 1960s was a car that wasn't appreciated as much as it should at its time. After the lightweight special edition that was sold after sitting in a Santa Monica garage for 40 years, another example of Stuttgart’s iconic sports car surfaced, this time in the Greek city of Piraeus.

The model in question is a 1960 300 SL Roadster with an original hard-top, which was rare at the time since most open-top models were sold with the fabric roof.

The 240HP 3.0-liter inline-six-powered Mercedes car belonged to Greek racecar fan Criton Dilaveris who bought it second hand a few years after it was built. Mr Dilaveris died of old age in 1972 and since he left no heirs, all his property along with the car ended up to the city.

Read more »

Rendered: Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG Shooting Brake

The Shooting Brake version of the new Mercedes-Benz CLS sports saloon has not only been officially confirmed, but the German automaker's engineers have already begun testing the first prototype models.

With this in mind, Dan Buzdugan from PS-Garage wanted to render an AMG variant based on the thinly disguised "Concept Shooting Brake" that had received its world premiere in China a little over a year ago.

Read more »

Mercedes-Benz Drops New Photo Gallery of the Latest SLK

With all the craze surrounding Mercedes-Benz's newly-launched or upcoming models, like the C-Coupe AMG Black Series, the various iterations of the SLS AMG supercar, the brand-new B-Class MPV, as well as the soon-to-be released A-Class and the “mini-CLS” CLC, we've almost forgotten about the German firm's latest SLK.

But not Mercedes which decided to refresh our memory with a new set of photos of its two-seater hardtop roadster model that went on sale earlier this summer.

Read more »

Project Kahn Murders Out Brabus-Prepped Mercedes-Benz SLK200 AMG

If you ever wondered what a factory-tuned vehicle like a Mercedes SLK 200 [R172] would look after two independent tuners got their hands on it, Project Kahn has you covered.

You see, British designer Afzal Kahn took a Mercedes SLK 200 that had already been fitted with an extensive AMG sport package and then further honed by Brabus and added his own personal touch.

Read more »

SPIED: Big Daddy 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Draws Closer

Once almost a lone player in the luxury segment, Mercedes-Benz and its S-Class have been challenged directly over the past years by numerous rivals ranging from the Lexus LS and the Audi A8 to the rejuvenated Jaguar XJ and even the Porsche Panamera.

But the Stuttgart-based automaker is holding on and is now readying a new and improved successor to its S-Class limousine that will also be known under its internal codename, W222.

Scheduled to arrive in the market in the 2013 calendar year, the W222 is based on a new platform architecture and will be offered in both short- and long-wheebase derivatives as well as with the choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.

Read more »

Seven Major Carmakers Agree on a Common EV Charging Protocol

ACEA, the European car manufacturers’ association, recently called for a common electric vehicle charging standard to be adopted by all automakers. This would be the ideal solution for a unified infrastructure, which in turn, would further boost EV sales.

No sooner had the association’s call been published and seven major manufacturers from Europe and the U.S. but oddly enough, not from Japan, namely Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen, announced an agreement to support “a harmonized single-port fast charging approach” for electric vehicles in Europe and North America.

Read more »

SCOOP: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series Edition, Now in Sedan Form

For most people, the standard Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sedan with its 6.2-liter V8 that generates 457HP and 600Nm (443 lb-ft) is more than a handful, but for those that drooled over the C63 AMG Coupe Black Series edition and wished it would be offered with four doors, we have some very good news for you.

Our spies stumbled upon a prototype version for the C63 AMG Black Series edition in sedan form while testing on the demanding Nürburgring racetrack. This test mule featured widened wheel arches housing larger wheels plus the same modified front and rear bumpers seen on the Black Series coupe.

Read more »

Video: Man Hoses Down Interior of Brand-New Mercedes-Benz CLS350…

Using a high-pressure hose to clean the interior of let's say, a rugged off-road model like a Land Rover Defender or a battered down passenger car such as an old Lada Riva, wouldn't even raise an eyebrow.

But what if we told you about a man who did precisely that to a…brand new (second generation) 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS 350? But wait, you haven't heard the best part yet: the perpetrator is the actual owner of the luxury sports sedan! Hard to believe, but we have video proof right after the break.

Read more »

Slowing Demand in China Forces Luxury Carmakers Like BMW to Offer Big Incentives

China is the land of opportunity for any carmaker - but especially for, luxury brands that have been breaking one record after another. However, last year’s 18 million sales will most likely not be repeated in 2011, as the government has stopped its tax incentives and wants fewer, and less polluting, car on the country’s streets.

Not that sales are plummeting – on the contrary. It’s just that, according to J.D. Power, the increase in the luxury car segment this year is slowing down to 29%, compared to a 48% growth in 2010. And this despite the fact that overall car sales in China are expected to drop by 5% compared to 2010.

Read more »

SCOOP: 2012 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG V8 and G65 AMG V12 Caught Undisguised in Dubai

While spy shooters are searching for camouflaged prototypes of the facelifted 2012 Mercedes-Benz G-Class on the roads of Germany, the team over at "3rabacars" was fortunate enough to discover an entire garage of barely disguised examples of the upcoming AMG variants in a garage in Dubai.

From what we understand, 3rabacars took pictures of both the V8-powered G63 (or G55) AMG and the V12-powered G65 AMG. According to the poster, the G63 AMG's speedometer went up to 280km/h (174mph) while the G65 AMG's stopped at 320km/h (199mph).

Read more »

1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing Special Edition Abandoned in Santa Monica Garage for 40 Years!

The Mercedes 300SL Gullwing is most certainly one of the most coveted and valuable classics, and the inspiration behind the modern-day SLS AMG. In its time, it was considered as one of the best sports cars in the world.

Thus, if you lived in the 1970s and your parents gave you a 1955 Gullwing as a graduation present, you’d probably cherish every moment behind its wheel. And that’s what Tom Wellmer did in 1971 – until the transmission went haywire. Instead of taking it for service, Wellmer just left it in a Santa Monica garage – and it remained parked there for the next four decades!

Read more »