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Daimler could sell off Li-Tec's EV battery business

Five-plus years may have been about enough time for Daimler AG to know whether it wanted to be in the battery-pack production business. The Mercedes-Benz parent may stop making electric-vehicle batteries and ultimately sell its Li-Tec battery-cell factory in Germany within two years, according to Bloomberg News which cites Manager Magazin. The beneficiary may be LG Electronics, which would likely take over battery-production duties for models such as Daimler's Smart ED battery-electric vehicle. Daimler is taking a number of steps to improve profit margins, which are thinner than those of its German rivals like BMW. Like its German competition, the company has lagged behind companies such as Nissan, Renault and Tesla Motors in terms of aggressively pursuing growth via plug-in vehicle sales. Daimler spokesman Hendrik Sackmann, in an e-mail to AutoblogGreen, would only say that the battery business is growing "rapidly" and that Li-Tec is developing "according to our plans." "Regarding Li-Tec, we are working on a concept for the future line-up," he added. "The battery cells for the successor of the Smart electric drive won't be provided by Li-Tec." Daimler in 2008 launched Li-Tec as a joint venture with Evonik, though Daimler recently put plans together to buy out Evonik's 50-percent share of Li-Tec, Bloomberg reported last month. Evonik's role was manufacturing electrodes and separators for batteries. Daimler also said last fall that it was looking to cooperate more extensively with Tesla in regards to electric vehicle development. The two companies first said they'd work together in 2009. Featured Gallery 2013 Smart Fortwo ED View 16 Photos News Source: Bloomberg NewsImage Credit: Daimler Green Plants/Manufacturing Mercedes-Benz battery

Daily Driver: 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in the Autoblog press fleet, featuring impressions from the staffers that drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600, reviewed by Adam Morath and Greg Migliore. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. VIDEO TRANSCRIPTAdam: [00:00:03] Hi, I'm Adam Morath for Autoblog and I busted out the bowtie for today's Daily Driver because we are in a 2016 Mercedes-Maybach S600. Now, this is like the S-Class on caviar. They've taken one of the most refined vehicles in the world, dropped a V12 under the hood and added tons of content, but it's also one of the rare examples where the best place for review the car is not from the drivers' seat. I'm going to kick it back to my associate, [00:30:00] Greg Migliore to tell you a little bit more about this car.Greg: All right, well thanks, Adam. It's really great to be rolling around in Birmingham with my footmen... I mean co-worker, Adam. I'm in the back of the S600 here. This Maybach is spectacular in so many ways back here. I'm really up to my elbows, up to my waist in heated leather. Everything here is heated. It's a really, really, bespoke setting. Now, it's almost 3:00. I think, you know, happy hour is near. I could go for a drink. [00:01:00] The Maybach has you covered. Pop this right down, you're going to pull this out right here where my liquor is chilling and there is a nice faster right here in the center console where you can put your goblet down and these prongs stick out and wrap around the stem of the base, so you know, if Adam hits a bump here, hey, I'm cool, it's no problem. Now, while I'm back here, there's so many things I can do. There's a tablet in front of me. [00:01:30] There's a remote control, light very aerodynamic if there is such a thing for a remote. I'm going to tune up the radio here, put on some, I think I'll tune up the symphony hall, because that is what is appropriate in this vehicle. I can also queue up a massage if I would like. All jokes aside though. The Maybach is big business for Mercedes. They brought this name back recently because there's a different sort of value than just a standard S class and that actually allows them to capitalize [00:02:00] on a pretty lucrative market. It starts at about $190 and I can tell you for sure this is not an entry level car, so I'm sure we're looking at over $200, in that range, but you get a lot.

Autoblog's guilty pleasure cars

Guilty pleasures are part of life – don't even try to pretend like you don't have one (or two, or six). In the non-automotive space, this could come down to that secret playlist in your iPhone of songs you'll only listen to when you're alone; or think of that one TV show you really do love, but won't admit to your friends. I've got plenty, and so do you. Going back to cars, here's a particularly juicy one for me: several years ago, I had a mad crush on the very last iteration of the Cadillac DTS. Oh yes, the front-wheel-drive, Northstar V8-powered sofa-on-wheels that was the last remaining shred of the elderly-swooning days of Cadillac's past. Every time I had the chance to drive one, I was secretly giddy. Don't hate me, okay? These days, the DTS is gone, but I've still got a mess of other cars that hold a special place in my heart. And in the spirit of camaraderie, I've asked my other Autoblog editors to tell me some of their guilty pleasure cars, as well – Seyth Miersma, as you can see above, has a few choice emotions to share about the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Read on to find out what cars make us secretly happy. Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG This decadent convertible is the epitome of the guilty pleasure. It's big, powerful, fairly heavy and it's richly appointed inside and out. It's a chocolate eclair with the three-pointed star on the hood. Given my druthers, I'd take the SL65 AMG, which delivers 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. That output is borderline absurd for this laid-back convertible. I don't care. You don't need dessert. Sometimes you just crave it. The SL line is about the feel you get on the road. The roof is open. The air, sun and engine sounds all embrace you. It's the same dynamic you could have experienced in a Mercedes a century ago, yet the SL gives you the most modern of luxuries. An Airscarf feature that warms my neck and shoulders through a vent embedded in the seat? Yes, please. Sure, it's an old-guy car. Mr. Burns and Lord Grantham are probably too young and hip for an SL65. I don't care. This is my guilty pleasure. Release the hounds. – Greg Migliore Senior Editor Ford Flex I drove my first Flex in 2009 when my mother let me borrow hers for the summer while I was away at college. The incredibly spacious interior made moving twice that summer a breeze, and the 200-mile trips up north were quite comfortable.