Category: Mercedes

Maybach has announced it will build the Landaulet version unveiled at the last Dubai Motor Show since it has found enough customers to cover the cost of the project.

Actually, each model will be built on order although it is reported that the company expect to produce 20 vehicles. Sales price will start at £615,000. The new model is based on the current Maybach 62 but adopts a sliding roof over the rear compartment. Opening and closing the roof takes 16 seconds.

The Maybach Landaulet will likely be powered by the V12 engine from the Maybach 62 S. Thanks to twin turbochargers, the V12 has an output of 612hp from its 6.0-litre of displacement. This is continuously available between 4,800 and 5,100rpm, and the engine also delivers its peak torque of 1,000Nm between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm.
The Maybach Landaulet will help the German marque to increase its global sales in an attempt to catch up with Rolls Royce. Last year, the British carmaker sold 1,000 vehicles while Maybach struggled to sell 400 units.

Here is the Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG spice up by the German tuner Väth. More power, upgraded braking system and lowered suspension.

If you feel unhappy with the power delivered by the 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine, Väth raises its power to 718bhp. The CL 65 AMg can then reach a top speed of 211mph with the removal of the electronic speed limiter.

The coupé is also equipped with an improved braking system and lowered suspension. The exterior styling features 20” alloy wheels and a carbon-fibre front spoiler lip and rear diffuser parts.

Source: autoblog.nl

Daimler is seriously considering opening its new factory in Romania instead of Poland as it was initially planned. The future factory will aim at building the next-generation A-Class and B-Class models.

Daimler executives seem to have set their heart on Romania to build the company’s plant which would be located in the city of Jucu where Nokia inaugurated its latest factory last week.

Poland seem to have been moved away due to higher production costs than in Romania. A Romanian worker’s hourly rate can be £26 less expensive than a German worker’s. Daimler would invest £297 million to build the new factory which will be able to produce between 130,000 and 150,000 vehicles per year.

Here is a video of the review made by the Fifth Gear’s team of the Mercedes SLR roadster.

The German group has recorded a successful start for the month of this year as its sales jumped by 16%.

Daimler sold 90,400 vehicles compared to 77,700 over the same period last year. Mercedes-Benz recorded a 12.1% increase from 73,500 to 82,300 units while Smart sales rose by 91.2% from 4,200 to 9,100 units over the same period.

In the lineup, the C-Class skyrocketed, of course, as last year, customers expected the arrival of the current generation. Mercedes sold 26,800 cars compared to 13,400 units in January 2007.

It is in Germany that Daimler record the strongest growth with a 18.8% jump to 15,500 vehicles thanks to an active market. Overall, the sales recorded a 18.4% increase in Western Europe. The U.S. remains the largest market with 18,300 units and a 7.1% increase.

If AMG has recently announced that the power war is over, the future SL 65 Black Series looks like a last-ditch stand. Indeed, the super-SL will likely be the most powerful Mercedes ever with an output of 670bhp.

Set to compete with the Porsche 911 GT2 and the Lamborghini LP640, the SL 65 Black Series will shuttle from 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds and will have a top speed of 205mph. The staggering torque of 738lb-ft will be limited to a tiny 552 lb-ft on the first and second gears. In addition to an increase power, the engineers focus on weight reduction and according to the rumours the SL 65 Black Series will be 573 lbs lighter than the normal model.

While being based on the SL model, the SL 65 Black Series won’t feature an open roof but a fixed-roof. It will also come with wider wings, 19in front and 20in rear wheels and stronger brakes.

Due to be launched at the end of the year, the SL 65 Black Series will be officially unveiled at the next Paris Motor Show. It’s expected to cost around £195,000/€260,000 and Mercedes will build 400 of them.

Source: Autoblog

Auto Motor und Sport magazine had unveiled some renderings of the next-generation E-Class in last July, but interior styling still remained unknown until now. With the future E-Class, Mercedes-Benz confirms the direction taken by the company’s designers with the GLK. Mercedes models’ dashboards will go square.

The exterior styling caught on prototypes had already announced the changes. With the future E-Class, the designer wanted to feature more appealing saloon than the current model without encroaching upon the CLS battlefield. While the CLS features expansive curves, the next-generation E-Class will adopt taut lines and new angular headlamps.

Like the new GLK, the E-Class dashboard design won’t be noted for its elegance with its boxy styling which reminds us of the ’80s models. Despite being six year old, the current model’s dashboard appears to be more modern and certainly is more elegant. This bold move made by Mercedes is surprising at a tie when Audi excels in designing interiors and plans to release more new models in the next five years. After all, Audi might achieve its ambitious plans if it takes sales from Mercedes.

Developed with Mercedes, the SLR can be considered as a failure for McLaren. Actually, the company fought fiercely to keep the weight down but Mercedes pressure made the SLR to be a whale. But many people consider that the SLR damaged the British company’s brand image. With the future P11, it wants to at the top again like the F1 model was.

Unlike the SLR, the P11 will be a mid-engined two-seater supercar and engineers will focus on weight reduction like the iconic F1 model. The car will be powered by a Mercedes petrol engine. Secrecy surrounds the exact spec although observers think it might be the AMG-sourced 6.3-litre V8 petrol unit which has an output of roughly 500bhp. Longer than an Audi TT but shorter than a R8, the supercar would feature a sporty interior in order to keep the overal weight below 1200 kg. combined with potential engine, the P11 would claim a weight/power ratio of 2.4kg/bhp. Tha car would top 200mph and would run the 0-62mph in less than 4 seconds.

Indeed, McLaren wants to broaden the P11’s appeal and make a profit by selling the supercar at a price tag estimated at £125,000. The car would compete with the F430 Scuderia and 911GT3.

Source: Car Magazine

Mercedes have been in talks with a few carmakers for its future A-Class but all ended in. Daimler CEO has revealed in an article that Mercedes will build its own platform but will use engines built by BMW and PSA.

Zietsche said Daimler was in talks with Fiat but the planned solution brought more problems than really solved the cost problem. It is rumoured that Fiat small platform’s production cost is higher than Mercedes A-Class’. The talks with BMW didn’t get better and Mercedes finally decided to go on its own.

How will the German manufacturer cut cost? The future small Mercedes won’t be built in Germany anymore but in China or in the future Russian plant.

Mercedes has strong ambitions with the future A-Class as it wants to fight with the BMW Mini and the future Audi A1. Besides Ziestche has been caught seating in the Audi A1 at the last Tokyo Motor Show. The next-generation A-Class will be more coupé-biased while the B-Class derived from the C-Class will still be a small MPV. Along the two cars, there will be a small SUV set to compete with the future Mini Crossman.