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Artist imagines eerie world where cars have no wheels

The wheel ranks right up there with the telescope and four-slice toaster in the pantheon of inventions that have moved humankind forward. But what if a circle in three dimensions had never occurred to anyone, and we all had just moved on without it? Perhaps we'd be driving around in Lucas Motors Landspeeders with anti-gravity engines. Or maybe we'd have the same cars we do today, just without wheels.
That's the thought experiment that seems to have led French photographer Renaud Marion to create his six-image series called Air Drive. The shots depict cars throughout many eras of motoring that look normal except for one thing: they have no wheels. The models used include a Jaguar XK120, Cadillac DeVille (shown above), Chevrolet El Camino and Camaro, and Mercedes-Benz SL and 300 roadsters.
Perhaps one day when our future becomes our past, you'll be able to walk the street and see with your own eyes the rust and patina of age on our nation's fleet of floating cars. Until then, Monsieur Marion's photographs will have to do.

Mercedes Concept GLA45 AMG is ready to run

This is the Mercedes-Benz Concept GLA45 AMG, and what we mean by that is, "This is the Mercedes-Benz GLA45 AMG." Mercedes has just unveiled the liveried 'concept' at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show, giving potential customers a very good look at the newest lunatic in the AMG asylum - a 355-horsepower, 332-pound-foot crossover that uses the same 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine found in the CLA45 AMG and Europe's A45 AMG.
Joined with a seven-speed, AMG Speedshift dual-clutch transmission and an AMG Performance 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, Mercedes promises a sub-five-second run to 60 miles per hour. That's not just quick for a crossover, that's quick full stop.
That sleek, lifted body has also been tweaked by the minds at AMG's Affalterbach facility. A new rear spoiler, side sills and front clip are the primary aerodynamic tweaks. Aesthetically, AMG has fitted the requisite "Turbo" badges, gloss-black accents (including exhaust tips and roof rails) and a set of 21-inch, AMG-spec alloy wheels to round out the overall package. Based on the spy shots we've seen, expect slightly toned down aerodynamics when the GLA45 AMG arrives in showrooms.

Mercedes-Benz GLA Concept gets mobbed in China

If the reception it received at the Shanghai Motor Show is any judge of marketplace acceptance, Mercedes-Benz has a hit on its hands in the form of the GLA Concept. And we can understand why - we're quickly becoming fans of Mercedes' recent styling language, as defined by new models like the CLA and this GLA Concept.
The big news on the exterior front are the headlamp clusters, which have frickin' laser beams attached to their foreheads embedded inside that are capable of projecting videos and images on a screen. Plus, a pair of video cameras are mounted on the roof that can be used to capture driving excitement or removed and taken with you. How cool is that? We just hope they have a substantial locking mechanism to prevent would-be thievery...
If the exterior is mostly ready for production, with a few of the more outlandish elements moved to the trash bin - like, for instance, laser-beam headlamps and removable action cams - the interior is a true custom job that screams concept loud and clear. There are all kinds of jewel-like finishes inside, along with transparent surfaces showing what looks like metal latticework underneath and some awfully thick looking leather with massive exterior stitching done by hand similar to what you'd find on a baseball glove.