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Mercedes-Benz GLE gets official before NY Show

Hot off the debut of the GLE-Class Coupe just a few months ago at the Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz is now all set to unveil that SUV's more utilitarian sibling. The new GLE-Class will offers buyers a model that's a little more traditional looking, while still bringing heaps of available power and luxury to the table. The new GLE-Class replaces the ML-Class in Mercedes' newly renamed lineup. At the front, there's a new nose with a clear family resemblance to the Coupe. It sports big openings all over, and standard models wear an attractive two-bar grille or a just a single crosspiece for AMG trims. Once your eye moves past the A-pillar, the design becomes more of an evolution of the current ML. The prominent C-pillar and wraparound rear glass are still present, while the creases running down the profile appear a little sharper and more pronounced. As you might expect, the interior for the GLE-Class is practically identical to its Coupe counterpart. That means drivers get a thick, multi-function steering wheel to hang on to, and there's a large infotainment display poking up above the dashboard in the center. A center-console-mounted dial controller is found below. When it comes time for buyers to pick their GLE-Class, they're going to have a long list of powertrains to choose from. Lowest in terms of horsepower is the GLE300d 4MATIC with a 2.1-liter, four-cylinder diesel making 201 hp and 369 pound-feet of torque. Next, there is the gasoline-fueled GLE350 with a 3.5-liter V6 making 302 hp and 273 lb-ft, and it's also available with 4Matic. The GLE400 4Matic uses a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 to make 329 hp and 354 lb-ft of twist, and the GLE550e 4Matic adds a plug-in hybrid to that mill to bring total output to 436 hp and 479 lb-ft. Finally, for those that really want some power underfoot, the Mercedes-AMG GLE63 and GLE63 S boast twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8s putting down 550 hp and 577 hp, respectively. The standard models all use versions of the 7G-tronic gearbox, and AMG models get the Speedshift MCT seven-speed. We look forward to getting a good look at the GLE-Class at its grand unveiling at the New York Auto Show on April 1. The posh SUVs start arriving at dealers a few months later in August. Buyers wanting the GLE550e 4Matic have to wait just a little longer until it comes along in mid-September. View 19 Photos View 11 Photos World Premiere for the Mercedes-Benz GLE and Mercedes-AMG GLE63 Efficiency meets performance Stuttgart.

Mercedes moves R-Class production to AM General in Indiana

Go back a decade or two and you'd have seen the SUV market polarizing in opposite directions: hard-core off-roaders like the Hummer on the one hand, and passenger-focused crossovers like the Mercedes R-Class on the other. Now their fates are set to intertwine, at least as far as manufacturing is concerned. No longer producing Hummers, AM General (which designed and originally produced the Hummer) has been assigned the task of manufacturing the R-Class at its underused, 675,000 square-foot Commercial Assembly Plant in Mishawaka, IN – part of metropolitan South Bend. The decision was undertaken to allow Mercedes to free up production capacity at its plant in Tuscaloosa, AL, where it also produces the M-Class, GL-Class and C-Class, and where it will soon begin manufacturing the GLE Coupe. The vacation of the R-Class assembly line could be earmarked to make room for that new slant-roofed crossover (which was originally thought to be joining the Tuscaloosa plant as a fifth model) or could pave the way for another model to reach Alabama altogether. The multi-year arrangement to manufacture the R-Class makes AM General the first manufacturer contracted to build Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the US, but hardly the only one in the world. The G-Class – which could, incidentally, be characterized as the German equivalent of the Hummer – is built on Mercedes' behalf by Magna Steyr in Austria, and the company builds many of its passenger and commercial vehicles for local consumption under joint ventures in the Far East especially. The R-Class was first introduced in 2005, and though it's still built in America, it was removed from the company's US lineup back in 2012. However Mercedes confirms that, since 2013, it has been and remains available exclusively in China. That puts the R-Class in the rare position of being manufactured in the United States by (or now for) a foreign automaker but unavailable for sale here. AM General Selected As Mercedes-Benz First and Only Contract Manufacturer of Vehicles in the United States SOUTH BEND, Ind., Jan. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- AM General LLC and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., today announced that Mercedes-Benz has selected AM General to manufacture the Mercedes-Benz R-Class luxury vehicle at AM General's world-class 675,000 square-foot Commercial Assembly Plant.

Geely plans to launch hundreds of satellites to guide autonomous cars

BEIJING — China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group said on Tuesday it was investing 2.27 billion yuan ($326 million) in a new satellite manufacturing plant, where it plans to build low-orbit satellites to provide more accurate data for self-driving cars. Geely, one of China's most internationally-known companies due to its investments in Daimler, Volvo and Proton, is building the facilities in Taizhou, where it has car plants. It aims to produce 500 satellites a year by around 2025, with around 300 highly-skilled staff, it said in a statement. Geely's technology development arm, Geely Technology Group, launched Geespace to research, launch, and operate low-orbit satellites in 2018. Geespace will begin the launch of its commercial low-orbit satellite network by the end of this year, Geely said. Geely said low-orbit satellites would offer high speed internet connectivity, precise navigation, and cloud computing capabilities to cars with autonomous driving technology. Geely, which sold 2.18 million cars last year, is among global automakers from Tesla to Toyota to pursue autonomous driving technologies. It is building low-orbit satellites to meet demand for high-speed connectivity capabilities that can deliver fast software updates. From around 2025, Geely's cars will have more functions to connect to the satellites. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.     Green Plants/Manufacturing Mercedes-Benz Volvo Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles