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Mercedes may be working on a new electric car dubbed 'Ecoluxe'

Automobile has a lengthy piece this month on how the four German mass-market luxury manufacturers each plan to go after Tesla with their own electric vehicles. It was written by Georg Kacher, the magazine's European bureau chief, and the English version came a month after he wrote the German-language original for Autobild. Tesla isn't exactly a threat to the Germans, but, according to the report, the Model S is planting the right kinds of seeds in niches that are important to the luxury players. The thinking is that - in addition to needed electric vehicles anyway for stricter US regulations - it's better to start designing the machinery now. The article posited Porsche's attack would rest on the coming Panamera platform, but a big hurdle would be battery placement. Unable to find one large space for a lithium-ion pack, engineers would instead put batteries everywhere they could, for a supposed tally of some "108 battery pouches" throughout the body. A few days after the Automobile piece, however, Porsche publicly said it had no intention of challenging the Model S, because the enthusiastic driving the brand is known for doesn't jive with useful range. In Kacher's retelling, Mercedes' plans are even more ambitious, supposedly taking aim at the Model S and the coming Model X. It would do this with an investment in excess of $2 billion in a program called "Ecoluxe" – Mercedes has no brand division akin to BMW's i and Audi's e-tron. The new brand would create a four-strong family of bespoke electric vehicles: a smaller platform with a wheelbase around 106 inches and a larger one with a wheelbase around 118 inches. In addition, the range would have "provisions for rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and rear-wheel steering." The numbers are impressive: seating for seven in the larger vehicles, both longer than 16 feet, front and rear storage areas, ratings of up to 610 horsepower and production capacity of 80,000 units per year. When would we see such creatures? Perhaps as soon as 2019. We do know that if Tesla can knock the Model X over the outfield fence, automakers are going to have to do something. We don't know what the chances are that Ecoluxe is Mercedes' first move - but such a plan could help explain the weird Mercedes concept spied in October.

Mercedes-Benz may create electric-only brand

Daimler's Mercedes-Benz division may follow in fellow German automaker BMW's footsteps by launching its own separate brand for electric vehicles, Hybrid Cars says, citing German publication Handelsblatt, which quoted people familiar with the process. Daimler's board may make the decision to go ahead with the plan as early next month. And the brand may officially be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September. Unlike BMW and the i brand, Mercedes would use its existing factories to produce the newly-branded vehicles instead of operating out of a separate one as the i brand does. The first vehicle under the brand is likely to be an SUV model based on the Mercedes-Benz GLC crossover vehicle and would start sales next year. The product line would be broadened further in 2020. Daimler declined to comment, according to Handelsblatt. Mercedes-Benz and BMW wouldn't be the only two German automakers with plans for more electric vehicle sales. Volkswagen has a plan to unleash as many as 20 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids to the public by 2020, including the Phaeton and the Audi A8. On that note, reports surfaced last month that VW may build its own "Gigafacory" as it prepares to widen its plug-in vehicle push and bring down their costs. As for US sales, Smart sold 313 ForTwo Electric vehicles, down 43 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, BMW's i sales in the US fell 40 percent from a year earlier to 2,723. Currently, Mercedes-Benz's only two electric vehicles are the Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive and the Smart ForTwo Electric two-seat vehicle. In the meantime, take a look at Autoblog's First Drive of the B-Class Electric. Related Video: News Source: Handelsblatt, Hybrid Cars Green Mercedes-Benz smart Electric

Mercedes Vision Tokyo Concept is a minivan for millennials [w/video]

Mercedes-Benz believes that the next generation of drivers would much rather interact digitally with their machines than actually be behind the wheel. To satiate the desires of these tech-obsessed passengers, the company reimagines the minivan as a rolling, autonomous lounge called the Vision Tokyo Concept. The silver lozenge debuts at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. With its rounded edges, plentiful glass, and satiny Alubeam paint, the Vision Tokyo looks like a minivan from the high-tech future out of a William Gibson story. Up front, the windshield wraps all the way around, and the side glass is screen-printed in silver for privacy. The massive grille is illuminated and can even show the sound pattern of the music playing inside. Meanwhile at the rear, red LED lights surround the oval window. While the exterior is fairly minimalist, the Vision Tokyo puts its biggest emphasis on pampering the five passengers inside. They enter through a massive gullwing door in the concept's side, and rather than traditional rows of seats, there's a wraparound couch. Once comfortable, occupants can use LED screens on the walls, and in a truly sci-fi touch there's a holographic entertainment system in the center. Should someone actually need to drive, a seat can also deploy from the couch, and a steering wheel slides into position. Riding in this metallic chariot at least isn't too bad for the environment. The powertrain combines a hydrogen fuel cell and batteries capable of inductive charging. In total, the combo would offer a claimed range of 609 miles – 118 miles purely on electricity and 491 miles from the H2. That kind of driving distance should keep the digital party inside rocking for quite a wild night. Check out the high-res image gallery above and the video below. And for more, stay tuned for our live coverage from the Tokyo Motor Show. Mobile club lounge for young, urban trendsetters Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo: Connected Lounge Stuttgart/Tokyo. The Vision Tokyo is the latest trailblazing spatial experience to come from Mercedes-Benz: its monolithic structure, futuristic design idiom and unique lounge ambience in the interior define it as luxurious, young and progressive – thus making it a fitting tribute to the sophisticated megacity and trendsetting metropolis that is Tokyo.