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Mercedes-Benz says no to price premium on S550 PHEV

The good news? Mercedes-Benz won't be charging any extra for the plug-in hybrid version of the S550 sedan compared to the gas-powered version. The bad news? The gas-powered version is really expensive. The S550 Plug-in Hybrid's pricing will start at a tidy $95,325, the same as the conventional S550, according to Cars Direct. For that price, buyers get a car that delivers 436 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque while having the ability to go as far as 18 miles on electric power alone, assuming that the driver in question isn't trying to use all 436 horses. But just in case he or she is, the car can also go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in about five seconds. There's been no word on a fuel-economy rating from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) but the sedan gets 84 miles per gallon on the more lenient European driving cycle. It's unlikely to anywhere close to that stateside, but some folks still might feel they got their money's worth (ha ha) by adding a plug. The S550 Plug-in Hybrid goes on sale in California later this month. The model was first unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2013 and shown off at the Los Angeles Auto Show late last year. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 PHEV: LA 2014 View 13 Photos News Source: Cars Direct via Green Car ReportsImage Credit: Drew Phillips Green Mercedes-Benz Hybrid PHEV

Mercedes-AMG not making more Black Series models... for now

There was a time when AMG only made one version of any given vehicle, but those times are long behind us. These days it's cranking out entry-level AMG Sport models, the main AMG line and the more potent S-models. But what about the Black Series? According to Autocar, which spoke with Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers at the Geneva Motor Show last week, the Black Series is still in the cards... just not for the short term. Moers said AMG is currently focused more on "making the cars more sophisticated, more precise" than about making headline-grabbing horsepower and torque figures. "The Black Series name... will be necessary in the future, but for now the base cars are so good. The Black Series must be at the top of the hill, but I don't know when or on what model yet." The nearest possible candidate could be the more hardcore version of the Mercedes-AMG GT that's in the works to take on the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3, but Moers didn't say whether that model would warrant reviving the Black Series label. AMG previously applied the Black Series designation to extreme high-performance versions of the SLK, SL, SLS, CLK and C-Class coupe, carrying upgraded engines, suspension, rolling stock, brakes and aerodynamics to make them more track-focused. Related Video:

Race recap: 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix was everything good and bad about F1

Nothing was as it seemed heading into Bahrain. We were told team bosses had nixed the qualifying experiment that flunked every test by every measure in Australia, but that didn't happen. The FIA didn't give the teams the option of a wholesale return to the old format, the governing body only held a vote on whether to revert back to the old format in Q3 but stick with elimination gimmicks in Q1 and Q2. McLaren and Red Bull dissented, denying the chance for hybrid rounds. We're surprised none of the smaller teams voted against since elimination qualifying is hardest on them. Given the chance to fix the system again in Bahrain, Formula 1 failed again. The FIA and Bernie Ecclestone don't want to go back to the old system – because the race promoters don't want to go back to the old system – so all we know for sure is that there will be more meetings. We also thought Fernando Alonso would race in Bahrain after being given medical clearance, but a follow-up scan by the FIA showed fractured ribs and a damaged lung, ruling him out. And we thought Ferrari might have the pace to conquer Mercedes-AMG Petronas this year – and they might yet, but not on Saturday. That's why the Bahrain race began with another Mercedes one-two, Lewis Hamilton ahead of Nico Rosberg, Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen behind. The Australian outback is plagued with rabbits, which must have something to do with how Daniel Ricciardo keeps pulling them out of his helmet; the Aussie got his Red Bull up to a surprising fifth on the grid. Williams drivers Valtteri Bottas in sixth and Felipe Massa in seventh would need to get him out of the way quickly to show what the car can do after an unsatisfying race in Australia. Nico Hulkenberg lined up in eighth for Sahara Force India. As proof the qualifying format failed again with its sophomore attempt, the last five minutes of Q2 were disappointing. Hulkenberg had the track completely to himself for his quali run, the only two cars on track after him were the Williams duo who weren't setting a time, but getting a set of soft tires ready to start the race on. As for Q1, the only reason for on-track action in the last three minutes was because Hamilton flubbed his first timed run. Romain Grosjean continued Haas F1's fruitful start to the season with ninth place, ahead of Max Verstappen in the Toro Rosso closing out the top ten. At the end of a long red light to start the race, Rosberg claimed his right to victory before Turn 1.