Mercedes-Benz News
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Joining the electric-vehicle party, Mercedes-Benz has released final details of its first mass-produced all-electric car, which will start coming down the line in October at its plant in Rastatt, Germany. Its formal debut will be at the 2010 Paris Motor Show later this month. Don't get your hopes up, though: The company is only building 500 of them, and they're only available in a handful of European countries, including Germany, France, and the Netherlands. In fact, the A-Class isn't sold in North America at all, making it all but impossible that U.S. buyers might see Benz's battery-electric...
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Mercedes-Benz A-Class E-Cell Set For 2010 Paris Auto Show DebutAs reported earlier, Mercedes-Benz will be launching a new all-electric version of its entry-level A-Class model dubbed the A-Class E-Cell. This limited production model is being developed together with Tesla and will reportedly make its world debut next month at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. Daimler...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Only One Hybrid Car Pays Back Its Owners; Know Which One?One of the criticisms of hybrid cars has historically been that there's no payback, especially given the cheap gasoline prices in the U.S. The extra money you spend on a hybrid isn't returned in gas savings, say critics. Well, that may be true, especially when regular gasoline is averaging $2.77 a...
John Voelcker -
Report: BYD Will Borrow Mercedes-Benz B-Class Platform For New EVBack in March we first reported that German auto giant Daimler was partnering with Chinese automaker and battery specialist BYD to further develop electric vehicle technology and help accelerate their production. While few actual details of the partnership were revealed at the signing, we now have...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Mercedes-Benz Launches Trial Of Vito E-Cell All-Electric VanElectric vehicles are ideal for hopping around town, making frequent stops and carrying heavy loads, so it’s not surprising to see the major automakers roll out all-electric commercial vans in addition to more mainstream models. The latest is Mercedes-Benz, which has unveiled its new Vito E-Cell...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Yellow Is The New Green As Mercedes Bares All With SLS AMG E-CellRemember the bright yellow Mercedes SLS AMG E-Cell prototype we wrote about back in June? Equipped with a four-motor, all-wheel-drive system the SLS AMG E-Cell is capable of putting out more than 525 horsepower onto the road and packs electric supercar performance into the iconic gullwing body. As...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Until now the words electric, car and Mercedes have had an uncomfortable union. While Mercedes' cheapest car, the diminutive Smart ForTwo, has an electric version, its 62.5 mph top speed is hardly enough to get car buyers excited about converting to electric. But Mercedes super-sexy, bright yellow, Gullwing SLS AMG E-Cell may just change that. As our own Nelson Ireson has already said, we've known that Mercedes have been working on an electric SLS AMG since it was announced at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show. Germany's Autobild.de site was lucky enough to be given some time with the prototype...
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Mercedes-Benz Diesels And Hybrids: Green Goodness, Slow Sales?Mercedes-Benz offers a clean-diesel Bluetec version of each of its large utility vehicles, the R-Class, GL-Class, and M-Class, along with a Hybrid version of the ML. But even combined, the standard gasoline versions of these vehicles are still far ou
Bengt Halvorson -
Mercedes-Benz Installing EV Charging Bays In Dealerships Across UKBuilding hundreds of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its dealerships across the UK is Mercedes-Benz’s (and Smart’s) way of welcoming a new era of motoring. Expecting a rapid roll-out of plug-in hybrid and EVs in coming years, the automaker is rapidly preparing to build a welcoming...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
2011 Mercedes-Benz S350 Bluetec Adds Clean Diesel to S-ClassContinuing to diversify the green powertrain options it offers to buyers, Mercedes-Benz will add a clean-diesel model to its largest sedan line, the S-Class. The new 2011 Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC sedan joins this year's S400 Hybrid, which adds a mild hybrid system with a 15-kilowatt electric...
John Voelcker -
If Musk Ever Leaves Tesla, Daimler Will Help Choose New CEOWhat would happen if the charismatic CEO responsible for the 2009 Tesla Roadster -- the most sexy electric sports car to hit the roads of the U.S. this century -- were to leave the Silicon Valley startup company he co-founded? Now we know: The possibly less-sexy, less-charismatic, less-electrified...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2010 Mercedes-Benz SLK Class: Refined Summer FunThis Smaller Cousin Of the SL Defines Small Convertible Luxury
Jonathan McGrew -
Governments around the world are bowing to public pressure to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases their respective countries produce, and more often than not, the first sector they look at is the auto industry. Here in the U.S. the government has imposed a tough 35.5 mpg fleet-wide fuel economy standard for 2016 (42 mpg for cars and 26 mpg for light trucks), while in Europe the government wants to put a limit on CO2 levels--something that could have disastrous effects for luxury automakers like Mercedes-Benz, which typically build big and powerful cars. To help meet these new fuel economy...
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BMW To Add Diesel 5-Series & Another Model, Maybe Diesel Four?The list of cars offered to U.S. buyers in gasoline, diesel, and hybrid models is going to get longer. On the heels of its confirmation that the 2012 BMW 5-Series will be offered with a full hybrid system, the company has also confirmed it'll sell a clean diesel version of the new 5-Series in the...
John Voelcker -
Earth Day Special: The 'Hybridest' Green Cities in the U.S.Today is Earth Day, and in honor of that event--it started 40 years ago as a nationwide teach-in on environmental issues--we bring you a list of the greenest cities in the United States. It's not actually our list; it comes from Cars.com, which based its ranking on the percentage of car shoppers...
John Voelcker -
New London Taxi Steers From the Rear, Now Going Electric TooWe happened to be in London earlier this week, where it's hard to avoid the sight of the ubiquitous "London Taxi," a distinctive vehicle purpose-built to meet a specific set of regulations involving tiny turning circles, top-hat headroom, and other arcana. That hasn't stopped a consortium of...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes-Benz Decides All U.S. S-Class Cars To Be HybridsWhile our colleague Nelson Ireson was driving the (very un-green) 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Mexico this week, he heard an interesting item that's much more along our lines. It is: Mercedes-Benz plans to sell only hybrid models of the S-Class in the U.S. when the next generation car arrives...
John Voelcker -
Green-Car Tip: Hybrid Vehicles Get Discounts, Incentives TooWhile the auto industry in general offers an average incentive of more than $1,000 off the sticker price of any new vehicle, many buyers somehow assume this doesn't apply to hybrids. Oh, but it does. You can get money off pretty much any hybrid out there at the moment, since gasoline prices are far...
John Voelcker -
Earlier today, we ran down our list of new green production cars at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, where press days are now underway. There's one more we might have added to the list: the 2012 Mercedes-Benz E300 Bluetec Hybrid. At the show today, Mercedes-Benz confirmed that the car "has already successfully entered everyday testing and is scheduled for market launch next year." Daimler chairman Dieter Zesche had confirmed the launch in January, so it's not breaking news. Handful of diesel hybrids Still, it's a fascinating car, the company's first-ever blend of its Bluetec clean-diesel system...
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Geneva Motor Show Preview: BMW ActiveHybrid 5 ConceptWe've already seen two hybrids from BMW: the 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 "sport activity vehicle" and 2010 ActiveHybrid 7 full-size sedan. Now BMW's third hybrid model, which it has hinted at for several months, will be unveiled next week at the Geneva Motor Show. As a show car, its full name is the BMW...
John Voelcker -
Geneva Motor Show Preview: Mercedes-Benz F800 Style ConceptMercedes-Benz rarely creates concept cars just for fun. Whether they're the "Vision" models that show up at the Frankurt Motor Show every other year, or lesser concepts for other shows, they always hold clues to what's coming down the pike with a three-pointed star. For the 2010 Geneva Motor Show...
John Voelcker -
Entry Level Mercedes C Class Coupe Hybrid a PossibilityMercedes entered the entry level luxury vehicle category years ago with it C230 Kompressor coupe. The vehicle was a capable model with strong performance, solid handling and a refined driving experience. Mercedes buyers showed little interest and sales were unexpectedly low. Then BMW entered...
Eric Loveday -
S-Class PHEV to Launch in 2012According to Mercedes, the next generation S-Class will launch with a plug-in hybrid model available immediately. As Thomas Weber of Mercedes research and development said in an interview with Autocar, "It makes a lot of sense to bundle the high-price tech option to the sort of customers willing to...
Eric Loveday -
Diesel Hybrids From Peugeot and Mercedes Get Closer to RealityPeugeot is still on track to launch the world's first diesel-hybrid vehicle late this year. Its 3008 HYbrid4 Concept is a thinly disguised version of a crossover fitted with a mild-hybrid system that will go into production late this year as a 2011 model. Now other manufacturers are joining the...
John Voelcker