Mercedes-Benz to Style Helicopter Interiors, Yachts, and Furniture

Mercedes-Benz to Style Helicopter Interiors, Yachts, and FurnitureYou aren't likely to spot a helicopter parked next to an E-Class  at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer anytime soon, but designers employed within the automaker's styling studios are lending a hand in creating a number of non-automotive products.We first saw the AMG-branded Cigarette racing boat back in February, but it seems the sleek vessel was just the tip of the iceberg. Daimler revealed today a number of different assignments doled to its designers, ranging from helicopter cabins to luxury yachts and everything in between."We are in no way entering into new territory,"...

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2012 Mercedes-Benz SL Will Use More Carbon Fiber

2012 Mercedes-Benz SL Will Use More Carbon FiberThe SL moniker once stood for sport leicht, but at 4220 pounds, the current 2010 Mercedes-Benz SL roadster is anything but light. That said, the next-generation SL -- due in 2012 -- will be the first of several Mercedes-Benz models to use a substantial amount of lightweight carbon fiber composite materials.Daimler AG has partnered with Toray Industries, a Japanese textile maker, to develop and produce car parts made from carbon fiber composite materials. The move mirrors BMW’s partnership with U.S.-based carbon fiber supplier SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, which is designed in part to supply components...

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BMW, Mercedes-Benz Fight to Outsell Each Other in China

BMW, Mercedes-Benz Fight to Outsell Each Other in ChinaBMW may have outsold Mercedes-Benz globally in 2009, but the two German automakers are both vying to be the biggest luxury brands in the Chinese market.For the time being, BMW holds that title. Over the past six years, its marketshare in China has grown from 16 to 23 percent, but BMW isn’t resting on its laurels. At the Beijing auto show, CEO Norbert Reithofer announced the company has increased its 2010 sales forecast (which includes BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce vehicles) by 20 percent, bumping the total to 120,000 units. In contrast, BMW sold 90,500 vehicles in China in 2009.New vehicles...

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Fit for a King: Omar Bongo’s Mercedes-Benz 600 Landaulet Up for Auction

Fit for a King: Omar Bongo’s Mercedes-Benz 600 Landaulet Up for AuctionThere are a lot of rare automobiles going up for auction at RM’s Sports and Classics of Monaco event, but we’re betting one example -- a 1968 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet -- will be the star of the show.Why? Rarity, for one. Between 1960 and 1982, Mercedes-Benz built nearly 2677 600s, the vast majority (roughly 2190) being short wheelbase sedans. 428 Pullmans -- the long-wheelbase, six-door limousines -- were built, but were nowhere as rare as the 59 Landaulets, which sported a convertible top over the rear seats.For the most part, Landaulets were sold to heads...

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Lorinser Gives Revamped Mercedes-Benz S-Class More Power, Style

Lorinser Gives Revamped Mercedes-Benz S-Class More Power, StyleLorinser, one of Germany's most prominent tuning houses, announced some new custom accessories for the refreshed 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.Although Lorinser considers the parts to be "new," they're essentially the same as before. Bumpers fore and aft are swapped with a more aggressive replacements designed to increase cooling capacity and reducing drag. Matched with side skirts and unique front fenders, the look is pleasingly different than the styling packs offered from the likes of AMG.Engineers have massaged the S600's twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-12 with a remapped ECU, larger...

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Mercedes-Benz Electric Vito Endures Cold Weather Testing

Mercedes-Benz Electric Vito Endures Cold Weather TestingBatteries typically don't perform very well in colder climates, but Mercedes-Benz says its electric Vito van functions as well in the cold as it does in warm weather.The EV Vito, which will ultimately be offered on the European market by the end of the year, is currently undergoing a barrage of tests to ready it for the real world. First on the list was cold weather testing. The van was whisked to Sweden, where it encountered consistent negative 22-degree Fahrenheit temperatures.According to Daimler, the van succeeded in its trials. Surprisingly, the 81-mile range offered by the lithium-ion...

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Mercedes-Benz Considering Making S-class Hybrid-only?

Mercedes-Benz Considering Making S-class Hybrid-only?With mostly large V-8s and twin-turbo V-12s in its lineup, the Mercedes-Benz S-class isn’t particularly fuel-efficient. In light of upcoming fuel economy standards, Daimler executives reportedly are considering making the S-class a hybrid-only lineup.According to Automotive News, inside dealer sources said Daimler executives are considering the switch to all gasoline-electric models for the next-generation S-class. If the switch is made, the dealer sources say that no S-class will be offered with only an internal combustion engine -- including the high-performance AMG versions. The...

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Is Mercedes-Benz Planning a BMW Mega City Rival?

Is Mercedes-Benz Planning a BMW Mega City Rival?While BMW works on developing its eco-friendly Mega City urban vehicle, it seems Mercedes-Benz may be working on a competitor. Reports indicate the Stuttgart-based automaker may be working on a compact EV offering of its own to counter the electro-Bimmer.According to Autocar, Mercedes is working on a "Project 50," a small, electric vehicle designed for commuters who drive primarily in large cities. The magazine reports the car will have similar dimensions to the original A-class subcompact. When it first debuted in 1997, the A measured a stubby 142 inches in length, but today's version has grown...

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Mercedes Announces New C-Class Coupe is Coming in 2011

Mercedes Announces New C-Class Coupe is Coming in 2011The previous Mercedes-Benz C-Class "Sports Coupe,” as it was called, never exactly set the sales charts on fire, and was criticized for being a little too entry-level. But Mercedes apparently is ready to make a go of it again, announcing today that it will build a new C-Class Coupe starting sometime in 2011.The C-Class Coupe will enter production at Mercedes’ Bremen plant in Germany on the same line as the rest of the C-Class lineup. (The 2010 C-Class sedan is pictured.) The Coupe's arrival coincides with the coming C-Class refresh expected for the 2011 model year, which will see changes to...

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New York 2010: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon, R-Class and S63 AMG Bow

New York 2010: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon, R-Class and S63 AMG BowThree updated 2011 model Mercedes-Benz vehicles rolled across the stage today in New York: the E-Class Wagon, R-Class, and S63 AMG. Mercedes-Benz also released pricing for the 2010 model year E-Class line.First to roll out was the latest E-Class Wagon, the E350. Essentially an updated E-Class with a wagon body, the E350 comes in gasoline and diesel flavors. Sharing an engine with the rest of the E-Class line, the 3.5-liter gasoline V-6 is expected to produce 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The E350 BlueTEC with its 3.0-liter turbo diesel should produce 211 horsepower....

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New York 2010: Mercedes SLS GT3 Race Car Debuts, Street Car to Start at $183,000

New York 2010: Mercedes SLS GT3 Race Car Debuts, Street Car to Start at $183,000Like the legendary 300SL Gullwing before it, the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is going racing. Dubbed the SLS GT3, the new race car roared onto the stage today in New York a fully FIA-compliant track car. The street-legal SLS AMG, meanwhile, will go on sale in the U.S. in May starting at $183,000 to help meet homologation requirements.The SLS GT3 will leave showrooms ready to race with a stripped interior and modified body work. Despite the gigantic wing hanging off the trunk, the SLS GT3 is lighter than the street car and will rip to 60 mph in no more than...

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Upcoming Baby AMG May Get Supercharged V-6, Not Turbo Four

Upcoming Baby AMG May Get Supercharged V-6, Not Turbo FourBritish magazine Autocar reports that the upcoming B-Class-based AMG sedan will be powered by a 3.2-liter supercharged V-6, not a turbocharged four-cylinder as previously thought.The mill is based on the upcoming 3.5-liter engine that'll first make its home in the new CLS350. Also like the CLS, the smaller AMG (codenamed the *** EVO) will get similar coupe-like styling, meaning four frameless doors and a steeply raked profile.Force feeding the engine is said to be an electronically operated pressure wave supercharger. The technology is widely used in tractor and big diesel applications,...

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