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Mercedes updates G-Class including new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Information on US availability (including corrected output figures) added to the revised text below. Mercedes has been building (or having Magna Steyr build) the G-Class for an unfathomable 36 years now. Needless to say, the legendary off-roader wouldn't still be around if not for the occasional update here and there, and that's just what the German automaker announced today. The list of enhancements to the iconic Gelandewagen is almost as long as its lifespan, but the most salient point here is the introduction of a new engine. The revised G550 introduces a new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, based on the high-performance engine in the Mercedes-AMG GT and C63, but retuned: in this application, it produces 416 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque (compared to 453 hp and 440 lb-ft in the GT or 503 and 480 in the GT S). We'd expect that engine to gradually make its way into other models as well. Though the G500 is the only one with a completely new unit, the other engines in the lineup have also been updated. The G350d bumps from 211 hp and 398 lb-ft to 245 hp and 442 lb-ft, the AMG G63 jumps from 536 hp to 563 (torque remains constant at 560 lb-ft), and the top-of-the-line, twelve-cylinder G65 (which we'll be getting Stateside for the first time) now produces 621 hp and a massive 738 lb-ft. Those figures result in a 0-62 time of 8.9 seconds for the diesel, 5.9 for the G500, 5.4 for the G63 and 5.3 for the G65 – which are altogether might impressive for a vehicle as big and boxy as the G-Wagen. All but the G65 now feature stop/start systems to help reduce fuel consumption too. Benz also revised the suspension tuning (while offering optional active dampers) and reprogrammed the ESP, ASR and ABS systems. Inside there's a new instrument cluster, the non-AMG models get new bumpers and flared wheel arches, and there's a bright new array of colors available for the AMG models, which can also be ordered in a new special Edition 463 featuring unique trim inside and out. The revised models will be arriving at US dealers in November, however the diesel model will not be making the transatlantic journey to our shores. The data in the press release below (as well as the images in the gallery above) pertain to the European models, with the correct output figures for the US models amended in the text above. Related Video: Mercedes-Benz G-Class Makeover for an off-road icon Stuttgart.

VW, Fiat, Mercedes could be CNG winners in Europe

Fiat ads in the US try to play up the exotic, sexy side of Italian culture. On the home front in Italy, however, passenger-vehicle sales are marked by something less edgy and quite a bit more practical: the growth of compressed-natural-gas (CNG) powered car sales. In fact, Italy is leading a group of European countries where CNG sales are on the upswing and may be benefiting automakers like VW, Fiat and Mercedes-Benz, according to Automotive News. VW started sales of its Golf TGI natural-gas vehicle this year – the company's fourth in Europe – while Mercedes-Benz added a natural-gas B-class model. Fiat accounts for about 50 percent of CNG vehicles sold on the continent. In all, Europe's CNG sales through September totaled about 67,000, up seven percent from a year earlier, Automotive News Europe says, citing research firm JATO Dynamics. And the number of CNG vehicles on Europe's roads could jump tenfold within the next decade. The draw is a combination of lower refueling prices and a CNG drivetrain that typically emits less CO2 than diesel vehicles. As for Italy, about five percent of new-vehicle sales are CNG. To put that into perspective, hybrids, battery-electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and diesels combined to account for about 4.2 percent of US vehicle sales last year. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Volkswagen Green Fiat Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Natural Gas Vehicles CNG

Mercedes-AMG GT3 racing towards Geneva debut

So far, we've only seen the fundamental road-going coupe version of the new Mercedes-AMG GT, but like the Porsche 911 it targets, you can bet there will be more derivatives to follow. And this is our first glimpse at the first of them. At the Geneva Motor Show next month, Mercedes will showcase the GT3-spec racing version of the AMG GT. The German automaker didn't tell us much more in making the announcement, but did release a pair of cropped teaser sketches showing the sports car with all manner of racing appendages, including what looks like a massive rear wing. Once ready for action, the new Mercedes-AMG GT3 will replace the previous SLS AMG GT3 that won the Nurburgring 24-hour race a couple of years back. But with every automaker and its sister company getting in on the GT3 racing action these days, it'll face some stiff competition on the track. The new Mercedes-AMG GT3 February 12, 2015 Neatly coinciding with the upcoming market launch of the road-going version of the Mercedes-AMG GT, the next stage of the vehicle's evolution is already here: the sports car and performance brand of Mercedes-Benz is presenting a new customer sport racing car that complies with FIA GT3 race regulations in the form of the new Mercedes-AMG GT3. With this, the second customer sport car to be developed by Mercedes-AMG, the Affalterbach company is seeking to build on the success of the SLS AMG GT3 and further expand the customer sport programme first started in 2010. The superb racetrack performance of the road-going GT forms the ideal basis on which to model the new Mercedes-AMG GT3, which is due to make its debut appearance at the Geneva Motor Show. Featured Gallery Mercedes-AMG GT3: teasers Geneva Motor Show Mercedes-Benz Coupe Racing Vehicles mercedes-amg 2015 Geneva Motor Show rendering mercedes-amg gt sketch mercedes-amg gt3