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Mercedes plotting E-Class Maybach, next A-Class for the US?

Mercedes-Benz has opened 2015 by hinting at a host of new products. Dieter Zetsche nudged the idea that there'll be a Maybach-branded SUV. AMG chief Tobias Moers told Motor Trend that "We want to be seen by the public on the same level as the other sports car maker in Germany" when asked if his crew was working on a car to rival the Porsche 918 Spyder. That and a few other tidbits have people thinking that we'll eventually see some sort of celestial AMG supercar. The latest handful of hints came from Mercedes USA CEO Steve Cannon during an interview on the marque's move to Atlanta. Cannon told Automotive News that we'd "see more from the Maybach brand," leaving the impression that there "could" be an E-Class draped in the superluxury trim. If such came to pass, there's plenty of pricing room between the E and the S-Class to slot a higher trim in. The top non-AMG E-Class starts at $62,350, the S-Class opens the bidding at $94,400. Even if you slapped the E-Class with the $23,000 premium it takes to make an S600 a Maybach S600, you've still got plenty of breathing room between the midsized and full-sized sedans. At the antipodal end, Cannon told AN that we could get a front-wheel-drive Mercedes smaller than anything here right now. That leaves the A-Class, since we've already got the B-Class. Getting the next-gen A-Class here would help with CAFE numbers, and since it will be built in the new factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico it won't have far to travel to get here. We're told it won't be like the current car, however; Cannon said, "The A-Class will change from what you have seen and from what you are used to." We hope that's a good thing, because we really like the current car. Related Video:

Mercedes-AMG could use electric turbos

Mercedes-Benz is joining Audi in analyzing electric turbochargers for its production cars. But while Ingolstadt will roll out its first e-turbo in its A8 luxury sedan, Stuttgart is studying the technology for use in small performance cars, like the A45, CLA45, and GLA45 AMG models. Auto Express spoke to Mercedes-AMG compact car boss Steffen Jastrow about the cutting-edge tech, which reduces turbo lag, improves fuel economy, and occupies less space under the hood than a standard turbo. "Of course we need more power for the next-generation of cars, but electrification does not mean we have to use an electric drivetrain." Jastrow said. "They have to be faster and e-turbos are an option. We use them in motorsport, but the technology has to be payable for the customer." As AE tells it, bringing the price of e-turbos down from the A8's luxury car level to the relatively affordable sums demanded by compact AMG models will still take some time. So don't count on seeing a Mercedes with an electric turbocharger until the new A-Class arrives in 2017, at the earliest. Related Video:

2016 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix recap: another wild show on and off track

Normally we use this space to provide a lengthy recap of the weekend's Formula 1 race, but we're going to try something different since most folks reading this know what happened at the Shanghai International Circuit on Sunday. Instead, we'll alight on what we saw as the big issues in and around the race. Let us know what you think in Comments. Proper qualifying is back. Thank goodness. It only took a month of embarrassment to fix it. And so is passing! For the third race in a row, big performance improvements at the ten teams behind Mercedes-AMG Petronas and a wider tire selection at this race graced us with opening stints filled with dicing cars. Seeing the McLarens on screen doesn't make us cringe. Manor doesn't only make the global feed when it's being lapped. We've been complaining about parade races for so long that we forgot excitement was possible without rain or wholesale regulation changes. Yes, Mercedes is still the king of the jungle, but there are some other proper midfield beasts on the hunt, too. Malfunctions up and down the grid did help the show in Shanghai, like Lewis Hamilton suffering perpetual troubles, Nico Hulkenberg's runaway front wheel which red-flagged Q2, and Sebastian Vettel's and Kimi Raikkonen's flubbed hot laps in Q3 that let Daniel Ricciardo slip by into second on the grid. Come race day things went all Grand Theft Auto at Turn 1 on the opening lap, sending some of the best cars to the pits. Then came Ricciardo's puncture while leading, then came the Safety Car – all by Lap 5. Nico Rosberg got 38 seconds of airtime on the way to victory – at the start and the finish, and that happened to be his margin of victory, too – otherwise he was a ghost. Everyone else was struggling and juggling. Rosberg's win at the Bahrain Grand Prix put the German at five consecutive victories going back to last year's Mexican Grand Prix. The history books show that any driver who's won five straight contests has gone on to win the championship. With his triumph in China, the German has won the season's first three races, the history books again show that the other nine drivers who've pulled that off have gone on to win the championship. Rosberg, 36 points ahead of his teammate in the standings, is having none of it. He said of the other victors, "But they didn't have Lewis Hamilton as their team-mate." Perhaps Mercedes was right not to make an engine deal with Red Bull last season.