X156 Prototype Seen Testing

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X156 Prototype Seen Testing  阅读原文»

Spotted in testing is this future GLA-Class Mercedes-Benz prototype known for now as the X156. As Mercedes-Benz continues to expand its lineup to cover untapped niches in the market, we will see more and more variants of the MFA platform which is the basis for this and the A-Class models. As a crossover sport ute, the GLA-Class would pit itself against offerings from Infiniti, Lexus, Volvo and BMW.

Externally, the X156 carries styling cues from the A-Class, but with more aggressive curves to emphasize its its on and offroad versatility. For the interior, expect treatments that will be a cut above what the market is offering. Drivetrain-wise, we should see relatively small-displacement engines ranging from 1500 to 2100 cc. Some of these gasoline and diesel variants will developments of the partnership with Renault, and we can expect the high-output versions to have been massaged by AMG. No word yet on whether a rumored 350-hp GLA AMG will be greenlighted. Future customers will be able to choose from base models coming in 2-wheel drive versions, with the topline variants offering 4Matic all-wheel drive.

Expect the GLA and other variants of the MFA platform to be introduced to the market in the next two years.

F1: Mercedes Fails to Finish in Points in Indian GP  阅读原文»

It was yet another dismal run for Mercedes AMG Petronas at the 2012 Indian Grand Prix, as both drivers failed to finish with championship points. Nico Rosberg was only able to finish 11th, while Michael Schumacher only managed to complete 55 of the 60 laps in the race.

Meanwhile, it was Sebastian Vettel winning again, pulling away from Fernando Alonso, who finished second. Mark Webber went third, while the McLaren-Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button went fourth and fifth, respectively.

Schumacher had to retire on lap 59, for precautionary reasons. He also had a problem with a rear right tire puncture on lap 1 after colliding with Jean-Eric Vergne. Of course, he still classified as finishing the race because he was able to complete 90 percent or more of the laps.

Up next on the F1 calendar is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will be held on November 4 at the Yas Marina Circuit. Here’s hoping the Mercedes team gets to perform better there. It’s down to the last three races of the season, and the only thing the team wants is to end it on a high note.

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A View Of A CLS Concept Ute

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A View Of A CLS Concept Ute  阅读原文»

Theophilus Chin is a Singapore-based Malaysian whose skills in digital manipulation is channeled into what he calls "car chopping". Much like other artists who take today's digital tools and let their imaginations roam, Theophilus has come up with a rendering of a CLS that has been transformed into a ute. If you don't know what that is, it's a quintessentially Australian variation of what we would call pickups. But not quite. See, ute drivetrains and chassis have more components in common with cars than with trucks, which is how utility pickups are known to the rest of the world.

Chin's rendering undoubtedly bastardizes the lines of the CLS, but compared with the home-grown utes from Ford and Holden, the CLS ute is decidedly the sexiest of the lot. The front is unmistakably Mercedes, while the rear treatment carries over the wheel overarches that are present in the real CLS. This is a nice touch because some ute designs look like a car chopped in half with a box placed at the rear.

We know that a vehicle like this will never be, but at least with artists like Theophilus Chin, we can get an insight on how such a CLS ute would look.

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Automobile Drives the 2013 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

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Automobile Drives the 2013 Mercedes-Benz G-Class  阅读原文»

This article is worth checking out on the Automobile website simply to see the dozens of stunning pictures!

“Interestingly, it still builds G-Class models in the same manner it did three decades ago. If you’re looking for automation or robotic aids, you’ll find precious little along the G-Class assembly line. The vast majority of each truck is hand-built, including the body…”

“Commercial-grade and military-spec vehicles – including some wild 6×6 chassis cabs destined for the Australian army – are built right alongside G550 and G63 models.”

“We were impressed with the G’s ability to settle down and scamper over terrain that would be incredibly difficult for a human to traverse by foot, but the demonstration wasn’t over yet. A factory driving team then proceeded to race us down the mountain on the same paths, but at a seemingly suicidal 35-40 mph. I’ve yet to examine my x-rays, but I’m certain a few of my internal organs appear as if they went three rounds in a UFC octagon. The G-Class? Though it bounced, shook, and swayed its way down the mountain, the G was no worse for the wear. Impressively, there were no buzzes or rattles during the whole ordeal, and the only squeaks came from the mortified passengers, grabbing any available handle with snow-white knuckles.”

Read the full article at Automobile online!

 

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ECU Tune Gives E63 AMG A Healthy Horsepower Bump

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ECU Tune Gives E63 AMG A Healthy Horsepower Bump  阅读原文»

Even with the current crop of high performance AMG variants, it seems inevitable that even owners of these cars will look for additional performance. Ever since Mercedes-Benz took AMG into its corporate wing, the company has shed its staid image, to the point that today, Mercedes AMG variants have a following as rabid as those of M-badged cars from BMW.

One owner who took the big risk of voiding his warranty has reported an outstanding result from an ECU tune. Unlike the early days of tuning engine control units, there are now a number of reliable vendors who have done the necessary R&D and real-world testing to produce tunes that actually improve on the factory's performance. In this case, the car in question is a 2012 E63 AMG. Recall that this car has the M157 5.5-liter twin turbo V8 that in the AMG package produces 550 horsepower. The owner of this car sent his ECU to Renntech to be reprogrammed, and independently-verified dyno results show that this car now has 607 horsepower. This is a huge increase in output, and all for the cost of an ECU tune.

But as we've said, not all vendors can claim such results or maintain driveability and reliability with their own ECU tunes. If you're considering such a step, do some research and ask around.

Mercedes-Benz Actros Cops Two More Design Awards  阅读原文»

The new Mercedes-Benz Actros just keeps adding to its collection of awards. Not content with a red dot design award, the flagship long-distance truck from the Mercedes-Benz just claimed two additional presitigious awards: the German Design Award 2013 for Transportation and Public Space as well as the Focus in Gold 2012 award in the category of Vehicles.

That makes it three design wins for the new Actros, which has been in production since the autumn of 2011.

The 2013 series of the German Design Award involved around 1,500 entries divided into ten categories, and the Actros topped everyone else in the Transportation and Public Space category. The entries were evaluated on the basis of design quality, brand value, functionality, level of innovation, ergonomics, and even environmental compatibility. The official awarding is set for February 2013 in Frankfurt.

The Focus in Gold 2012 award, on the other hand, came from the Design Center Stuttgart. The International Design Award involves 17 categories, and obviously the new Actros topped the Vehicles category. The award was conferred to Mercedes-Benz last October 12 in Ludwigsburg, where a 1:4 scale model of the truck will be displayed for a number of weeks.

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SiriusXM Improves Traffic Service in your Mercedes-Benz!

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SiriusXM Improves Traffic Service in your Mercedes-Benz!  阅读原文»

Earlier this month, SiriusXM took a significant step forward in improving the quality of its industry-leading Traffic service.

Highlights include:

• Incident Coverage: expanded from 90K miles to more than 1M miles of roadways nationwide
• Speed and Flow: expanded from 90K miles of coverage nationwide to over 131K miles
• Arterial Roadways: expanded coverage by 34K miles

No action is necessary. Improvements are automatic. Can you see a difference?

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SLS AMG Vs. Diablo Clip Shows March Of Technology

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SLS AMG Vs. Diablo Clip Shows March Of Technology  阅读原文»

Confirmation that the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is indeed a supercar can't be more emphatically driven home by this YouTube video of an unmodified SLS AMG going up against an equally stock Lamborghini Diablo. As any car enthusiast know, all things Lambo qualify as exotic cars, and all of these creations back up their outrageous styling with equally outrageous performance.

But you'll soon see what a decade means in terms of performance gains. At the end of its production run, the Diablo was equipped with a 6-liter V12, producing about 550 horsepower. It was available in either rear- or all-wheel drive.

As any MB-AMG diehard knows, the SLS AMG on the other hand has just under 570 horsepower and at 1600 kilos, is about 25 kilos lighter than the Diablo. With such numbers on paper, we'd expect the SLS to win any stoplight grands prix against the Diablo. But as you'll see, the performance difference garnered by 10 years of technological development is much more than mere numbers would suggest.

Moscow Race Debuts In DTM For 2013 Season  阅读原文»

Now that the 2012 DTM season has been written into the record books, Mercedes' DTM team is undoubtedly working hard to make sure that Mercedes dominates the 2013 series. Although the team led the series through most of the season, the final two races demonstrated how fortunes can change in racing. BMW, in its comeback campaign after a 20-year hiatus in DTM, manage to pip the championship from under the Mercedes team's nose. This is not to say that the final two seasons were all that decided the series. Rather, Mercedes's consistency in all of its races allowed it to maintain a comfortable lead through most of the season. However, its rival's undoubted experience in racing allowed it to stay within striking distance of the championship. And unfortunately in the penultimate race, Mercedes driver Paffett was forced to retire, with the effect of throwing the championship wide open as he was left with only a 3 point lead.

For the 2013 season, a new track has been included in the provisional calendar. This will be in Moscow, for the seventh race of the season. While the DTM is a German championship, organizers have seen the benefit of an international audience, so apart from the new Moscow race, other foreign venues that will continue to host the DTM next year will include Brands Hatch in the UK, the Red Bull Ring in Austria and scenic Zandvoort in the Netherlands.

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630 Horsepower Output Claim For Black Series SLS

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630 Horsepower Output Claim For Black Series SLS  阅读原文»

Although no concrete details have emerged as yet, Mercedes-Benz Black Series fans are pretty assured of the upcoming appearance of a Black Series SLS. It's all but logical that Mercedes and AMG's highest performing car would get a hardcore iteration. And we've seen evidence of this upcoming hellion with the SLS prototype that burned down at the Ring.

With any high performance variant, the primary question that's always asked is, how much does it make? In the Black Series SLS' case, the answer is 630 horsepower, according to insiders. This is an outstanding figure, considering that the hand-built type M159 found in the "run-of-the-mill" SLS already belts out 590 horsepower. Remember that this is a normally aspirated engine, so being able to extract 40 more horsepower is quite a feat.

Other clues to what the ultimate SLS will be is pointed out by the 45th anniversary SLS that was recently released. This means that in addition to the high output engine, the Black Series SLS would have flared fenders, possibly a wider track and a suspension that makes a soft ride play second fiddle to a track-tuned setup.

AMG G65 Seen Malling In Dubai  阅读原文»

Prolific YouTube contributor Patrick3331 recently uploaded this video of a Mercedes-AMG G65 caught in Dubai. Although we're all followers of all things Mercedes, this beast is sufficiently rare that it's always a treat to see these things, even if it's just a video. For the price of a supercar, AMG give you a luxury G-Class whose claim to fame is a 610 horsepower twin turbo V12.

By adding new technologies and luxury fittings, Mercedes has managed to keep the favorite G-Class current. This particular vehicle has a nice combination of an ivory exterior with chrome fittings, complete with projection headlamps and modern DRLs (which early G models definitely didn't have). The black wheels are a nice touch, giving this uber-SUV enough of a menacing stance to be respected. As you will see from some shots of the interior, this ultra G is beautifully finished and has all the little details, as well as modern electronics and technology that we now take for granted.

With a price rivalling that of a supercar, the G65 require an owner with deep pockets, both to acquire it in the first place, and to slake its undoubted thirst for fuel.

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Paffett 2nd at Hockenheim, Fails to Clinch DTM Title

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Paffett 2nd at Hockenheim, Fails to Clinch DTM Title  阅读原文»

For all intents and purposes, the 2012 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season was Gary Paffett's to lose. He had been leading all the way since the first race and was in good position to win it all at the final race despite watching Bruno Spengler chip away at his lead following dismal performances after the halftime break of the season. Well, Spengler was able to snatch the win—and the 2012 DTM driver's championship as well—at Hockenheimring.

DTM follows the FIA world championships points system, which awards 25 points to the winner and 18 points to the runner-up, then 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, and 2 points to the rest of the top 10 in the proper order. As Paffett was only ahead by 3 points, even if he finished second in the race, Spengler's win meant that the title was lost.

Jamie Green finished the race in fourth place and is third overall for the season.

The race was practically lost in the opening lap of the race, as Paffett had a slow start and Spengler, starting at P3, was able to move ahead of him and right behind fellow BMW driver Augusto Farfus, who later gave up the lead to Spengler.

Paffett managed to get to second after moving past Farfus after the first pit stops, then was able to cut Spengler's lead from a shade over 4 seconds down to 1.1 seconds in the final laps. Unfortunately, that was the best that Paffett could manage.

Team Schnitzer took home the 2012 team championship as well, behind Spengler's win and Dirk Werner's fifth-place finish. Paffett's HWA Team was second, losing by just 8 points. Green's Mercedes AMG team was third.

For the constructor's championship, Mercedes placed just third out of the three. BMW had a total of 346 for the season, while Audi scored 335, and then Mercedes had 329.

While Paffett and Mercedes dominated early and led most of the way, the races were all competitive and the other manufacturers were able to get their share of wins, especially in the latter half of the season. This justifies the freeze on tech specs for the 2013 season, which should see an equally competitive field. Look forward to Mercedes bouncing back despite the setbacks this season.

Daniel Juncadella Claims Formula 3 Euro Series Title  阅读原文»

Before hosting the penultimate race of the 2012 DTM season, Hockenheim was also the venue for the conclusion of the 2012 Formula 3 Euro Series. Daniel Juncadella, driving for Prema Powerteam in a Dallara – Mercedes, took home the series championship after finishing fourth in the race, which was won by Felix Rosenqvist of Mucke Motorsport.

The 21-year-old Spaniard banked on consistently strong performances throughout the 2012 F3 Euro Series that included 5 race wins, 5 pole positions, and an impressive 10 podium finishes out of 24 total races.

"Winning the Formula 3 Euro Series is like a dream come true," said Juncadella. "But I am also aware that it's a tremendous responsibility, being asked to follow in the footsteps of such successful drivers as Lewis Hamilton, Jamie Green and Paul Di Resta, who now compete in Formula 1 or in the DTM."

In the 10 years since the start of the F3 Euro Series, drivers with cars having Mercedes-Benz engines have won the series 8 times. It is also interesting to note that 8 out of the 24 F1 drivers in the 2012 grid have competed in the F3 Euro Series also with Mercedes engines. The list includes Lewis Hamilton (who will be racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team next year) and Paul di Resta.

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Driver Susie Wolff Retires From DTM Too

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Driver Susie Wolff Retires From DTM Too  阅读原文»

So Schumacher is retiring from F1 at season's end. David Coulthard is too, at least in the DTM. But there's one other Mercedes DTM driver who's leaving the Mercedes DTM team, and that is Scottish lady driver Susie Wolff. Wolff's DTM debut was in 2006, where she did her first race with Mucke Motorsport. Straightaway, she showed her speed, finishing in the top ten.

Her most successful DTM season was in 2010, when she got into the top seven twice, finishing 13th in the standings. But Susie leaving the DTM and her distinctive pink DTM Mercedes doesn't mean that she is being put out to pasture. In fact, she already has a job with the Williams F1 team, where she has been doing work as a development driver.

Says Norbert Haug, Mercedes VP of Mercedes Motorsport: "It will be a poignant moment for us all to see Susie drive in her final DTM race and conclude her DTM career. For seven seasons, Susie has been an important part of this closely fought championship and every one of her colleagues and rivals will tell you how well, tough and fair she drives. Susie may not have achieved spectacular results in the DTM, but she gave us some highlights in mixed conditions, in the wet and racing wheel to wheel; and her race pace was always better than her starting positions suggested.

Mercedes-Benz Unveils Genuine Accessories for CLS Shooting Brake  阅读原文»

Mercedes-Benz has unleashed a very wide range of genuine accessories for its new CLS Shooting Brake. There are more than 100 high-grade add-ons that CLS Shooting Brake owners can get to spice up their rides or to get some added functionality out of an already stellar vehicle. The accessories cover practically every aspect of a vehicle owner's lifestyle, with products ranging from light-alloy wheels to advanced telematics systems.

For gadget lovers and tech aficionados, there are items like the Drive Kit Plus for the iPhone, iPad Rear Intergration kit, Rear Seat Entertainment System, and the Becker MAP PILOT navigation system. There are also some telephone cradles to help you use your smartphone while on the go.

There are also some practical add-ons on the list, including a rear cycle rack that's attached to the trailer coupling. Basic carrier bars, racks for bikes and snowboards, and roof boxes also augment the cargo-carrying capabilities of the CLS Shooting Brake.

You can also choose complementary products to enhance the interior or exterior appearance of your CLS Shooting Brake. From chic light-alloy wheels of different sizes to personalized interior fixtures, you can really add a lot of character and personality to your precious ride.

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