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Mercedes-AMG GT attacks Circuit of the Americas

Mercedes-Benz is having a banner year with its Formula One team. Through 2014, the constructor has 454 championship points; ahead of its nearest competitor (Red Bull-Renault) by a margin of 182 tally marks. We're sure they can almost taste the champagne.
It's fitting then, and a little big cocky in a good way, that Mercedes has released a video of its newest sports car at an F1 venue. In this case, the car is the lovely Mercedes-AMG GT S, and the racetrack is Austin's Circuit of the Americas.
Having seen the official photo set and scratched the surface of the technical specifications earlier this week, we're excited to finally hear the thing run. As you might guess, the deployment of 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque from the twin-turbo V8 is a motivating experience. Crank up your volume, and hit that play button. (Oh, and Mercedes shot the thing in 4K, too, so those of you with expensive televisions/monitors should take heed to the settings.)

YouTube viewers prefer BMW

BMW owners sometimes get a bad rap as being snobbish, rude drivers, but according to a new study by the online marketing company ZEFR, Bimmer aficionados also have a close relationship with the brand's vehicles. With well over 4 billion YouTube views, the German automaker is the industry's king of the road online. Making the popularity even sweeter for marketers, 95 percent of those clicks are for fan videos, which represents loads of free advertising. BMW isn't the only automaker with such an extensive following. Honda comes in a close second with around 4 billion views, and Mercedes-Benz is just a little behind it. Among all brands, it's the norm for fan-made videos rather than the official ones to get the lion's share of the clicks, generally 95 percent or more. "YouTube has become a treasure trove for connecting with the right people for automakers," Dave Rosner, ZEFR marketing boss, said to Automotive News. Beyond just a popularity contest among brands, automotive videos are big business on YouTube, according to ZEFR's research. Enthusiasts are leading the way, too. Racing is by far the most-watched category with 895,000 clips generating a staggering 8.2 billion views. Classic cars are also a very hot topic with 305,000 videos getting 1.6 billion clicks. Surprisingly, when it comes to watching auto videos, sedans are most popular on YouTube with over 9 billion views, according to Automotive News. Meanwhile, SUVs, performance vehicles, and pickups were each around 3 billion or less. You can check out the full study for yourself, as a PDF, here. Related Video:

Mercedes GLE-Class shows a new face for the luxury crossover in NYC

Segments don't get much hotter than luxury crossovers at the moment, and that makes for some perfect timing for Mercedes-Benz to unveil the GLE-Class at the 2015 New York Auto Show. As a replacement for the M-Class, the new model offers a more traditional looking alternative to the styling of its swoopy sibling, the GLE-Class Coupe. Mercedes' designers crafted a nose for the GLE that gives it a strong family resemblance to the Coupe, but the rest of the shape bears a chunky, more utilitarian appearance. Elsewhere, the new model sticks with the thick C-pillar and wraparound rear glass of the outgoing M-Class but with sharper edges for a slightly more muscular look. Stepping inside, occupants find all of the German luxury brand's latest styling cues. Mercedes is making a major commitment to adding more plug-in hybrids to its vehicles in the coming years, and the GLE is one step in that process. The lineup includes the GLE550e 4Matic that pairs a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 with electric assistance to produce a total of 436 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The German brand isn't going entirely green, though, and the range also includes the Mercedes-AMG GLE63 and GLE63 S, powered by a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 that produces 550 hp or 577 hp, respectively. Check out the photos above from the show floor to get a full look at this upscale crossover before it arrives at dealers later this year.