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Mercedes teases a new Maybach concept convertible

Once again, Mercedes is taking a Vision concept to the Pebble Beach Concours this year. To start generating excitement, the company has released a teaser trailer for the car, and effectively no other information. But we think we've pieced together what the car is. Let's look at the video first. It shows a voluptuous blue body. It's all curves and clean lines inside and out. It also has an impressively prodigious prow with a proud three-pointed star at the front. The interior is all white with very little detail, and in addition to chrome, there are many copper trim pieces. There appear to be only two seats, too. Toward the end, we see a strip of copper trim on the outside as well, and just before the shot changes, we can see a bit of white interior that indicates this is a convertible. So we know this is an elegant, luxurious roadster. Is there anything else we can discern? Well, it seems Mercedes may have accidentally revealed the name of the car, or at least what it's based on. The video's file name includes the words "Maybach six." That happens to be the name of last year's Mercedes-Maybach coupe concept. On top of that, there's a striking resemblance between the long, flowing hoods of both cars. So it seems like a pretty safe bet that Mercedes will show the convertible version of that car, which was 18 feet long, and produced 738 horsepower from a quartet of electric motors. We'll find out if we're right when the car is revealed at Pebble Beach. Related Video: Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz Design/Style Maybach Mercedes-Benz Technology Emerging Technologies Convertible Concept Cars Electric Luxury Pebble Beach

Brabus bringing 900-horsepower Mercedes S65 to Geneva

The S-Class may be the ultimate Mercedes, but what's the ultimate S-Class? Is it the S550? Maybe in some markets, but that's just the starting point in North America. The S600? Getting closer. The Maybach? Sure, if the last word in luxury is what you're after. But if it's performance you crave, then you'll want an AMG version like the S63. But even that's not the flagship. No, in terms of outright power, it all comes down to the S65. It's got a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 churning out 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, for crying out loud. But Brabus thinks it's still not enough. That's why (alongside the 850-hp S63 coupe) it's bringing a version it calls the Rocket 900 to the Geneva Motor Show this week. To turn the S65 AMG into the Rocket 900, Brabus has bored out the cylinders to total 6.3 liters and fitted larger turbochargers, a new exhaust system, intake module and much, much more. The result is an output increased to 887 bhp and 1,106 lb-ft of torque. Brabus has upgraded the limited slip differential to handle the extra muscle, helping it rocket to 62 in just 3.7 seconds, on to 124 in 9.1 and up to a top speed of 217 Autobahn-crunching miles per hour. The famed Benz tuner has also fitted a carbon-fiber aero kit to keep it from flying away (however unlikely considering the vehicle's approximately 5,000-lb curb weight), along with 21- or 22-inch wheels, a retuned air suspension that drops the ride height over half an inch closer to the road and – we can only hope since the release makes no such mention – upgraded brakes as well to keep it all in check. Brabus also offers a full range of interior enhancements as well, but don't expect any of this to come cheap. As it is, the S65 starts at $222,000, but a turn-key Brabus Rocket 900 goes for 347,719 euros – or about $390k at today's rates. Related Video: World premiere at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show BRABUS ROCKET 900 The new reference for high performance in the luxury class V12 with 662 kW / 900 hp, 1,500 Nm and a top speed in excess of 350 km/h BRABUS ROCKET 900 – that is the new reference for high performance in the luxury class, which celebrates its world premiere at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. BRABUS (Brabus-Allee, D-46240 Bottrop, phone +49 / (0) 2041 / 777-0, fax +49 / (0) 2041 / 777 111, internet www.brabus.com) builds this super car based on the new Mercedes S 65.

Dealers mobilize to protect their margins from automaker subscription services

Six individual auto brands — Lincoln, Cadillac, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Volvo — have established or are trialing a vehicle subscription service in the U.S. Three third-party companies — Flexdrive, Clutch and Carma — run brand-agnostic subscription services. And three automakers — Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and General Motors — have also launched short-term rental services. Dealers, afraid of how these trends might affect their margins, are building political and lawmaking campaigns to protect their revenue streams. So far, three states are investigating automaker subscriptions, and Indiana has banned any such service until next year. It's certain that those three states are the first fronts in a long political and legal battle. Powerful dealer franchise laws mandate the existence of dealers and restrict how automakers are allowed to interact with customers to sell a vehicle. On top of that, Bob Reisner, CEO of Nassau Business Funding & Services, said, "Dealers and their associations are among the strongest political operators in many states. They as a group are difficult for state politicians to vote against." In California earlier this year, the state Assembly debated a bill with wide-ranging provisions to protect against what the California New Car Dealers Association called "inappropriate treatment of dealers by manufacturers." One of those provisions stipulated that subscription services need to go through dealers, but that item got stripped out when dealers and manufacturers agreed to discuss the matter further. In Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a moratorium on all subscription programs by dealers or manufacturers until May 1, 2019, to give legislators more time to investigate. Dealers in New Jersey have taken their campaign to the state capitol, asking that the cars in subscription programs get a different classification for registration purposes. Automakers run the current subscription services and own the vehicles. Sign-ups and financial transactions happen online or through apps, leaving dealers to do little more than act as fulfillment centers to various degrees, with little legal recourse as to compensation amounts when they're called on to deliver or service a car. That's a bad base to build on for business owners who've sunk millions of dollars into their operations.