Gl450 Suv 4.6l Cd Awd Air Suspension Active Suspension Power Steering Fog Lamps on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mercedes-Benz to build new ML coupe-crossover in Alabama in 2015

Mercedes-Benz will expand its factory in Tuscaloosa, AL, to build the ML Coupe, a new crossover that will join its lineup in 2015. Mercedes will also ramp up production to build facelifted versions of the M-Class and GL-Class SUVs, lifting the factory's total production capacity to about 300,000 units annually in 2015. It made 185,000 vehicles in 2013. In addition to SUVs, the Tuscaloosa site also makes the C-Class sedan.
The plans come as part of Mercedes' strategy to capitalize on Americans' increasing demands for SUVs. The company said the SUV market was up 12 percent in first half of 2014, and expects it to grow at twice the rate of the regular market in 2015 and 2016.
"We are seeing climbing demand for SUVs." - Dieter Zetsche

Daimler chairman agrees with German Greens on reducing emissions

Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche spoke at a Green Party congress in Germany earlier this week and said he agreed with the party's urge to dramatically cut transportation-based greenhouse-gas emissions by expanding plug-in vehicle sales, Reuters says. Zetsche stopped short of backing the Greens' suggestion to ban gas- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2030, though. The man must keep his job, after all. Zetsche did say that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from the transportation sector was "necessary," and his company has made plans to do just that. Daimler representatives said at the Paris Motor Show earlier this year that Smart and Mercedes-Benz both planned to debut more than 10 electric vehicles within the next decade, and that plug-ins may account for as much as 25 percent of Mercedes-Benz's sales by then. Moreover, Dr. Thomas Weber, Head of Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, said in June that Mercedes could be selling as many as 100,000 EVs a year by the end of the decade. Last month, Mercedes-Benz announced that its EQ electric-SUV concept would go on sale by 2020, and that the Bremen factory that's producing the model will broaden its plug-in vehicle production further. Zetsche's cautious support notwithstanding, the German government appears to be doing its own part to reduce emissions from the country's light-duty vehicles. Earlier this year, Germany enacted a plan that provides as much as 4,000 euros ($4,270) in perks for people who buy new electric vehicles, with German automakers agreeing to foot about half of the estimated $1.4 billion bill. German lawmakers had also floated the idea of a 10-year moratorium on electric-vehicle taxes for cars purchased before 2020. Related Video: News Source: Reuters via Automotive News Europe-sub.req.Image Credit: Ralph Orlowski / Reuters Government/Legal Green Mercedes-Benz smart Electric

Mercedes A-Class refresh includes crown-stealing 381-hp A45 AMG

We're sure the 362-horsepower Audi RS3 Sportback enjoyed its brief reign at the top of the hot-hatch horsepower charts. But now, Mercedes-Benz updated the A-Class so that it reclaims the throne, castle, and jewels: the Mercedes-AMG A45 4Matic comes with 381 hp from its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, a significant bump of 36 hp, and 350 pound-feet of torque, an increase of 18 lb-ft. The seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox gets shorter ratios from third to seventh gears, so its 0-62 mile-per-hour time has dropped from 4.6 seconds to 4.2 seconds. The A45 gets a Dynamic Select system – driving modes controlled by a rotary knob – that comes standard with four modes: Comfort, Sport, Sport +, and Individual. Opt for the AMG Dynamic Plus package and you get a mechanical locking differential on the front axle, the two-stage AMG Ride Control sport suspension with adaptive damping, and a Race mode. Outside, additional aero aids are applied to the nipped-and-tucked bodywork changes made to the entire A-Class range. The spoiler lip under the new front bumper, rear roof spoiler, and rear diffuser, create more downforce than before. Inside, the new flat-bottomed steering wheel is joined by sport seats that allow bolster depth adjustment. And for all those upgrades, fuel economy has stayed the same at 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers on the European cycle. Even away from that tectonic shift, Mercedes made plenty of changes to the A-Class landscape. The new front bumper is said to be "more arrow-shaped," in homage to the the Concept A-Class from 2011, that stretches its look horizontally. LED headlights, standard on the A45, are optional here, and are paired with interior ambiance lighting. In back we get new taillights and some angular exhaust finishers laid into a diffuser-like insert, an alteration we're seeing across the entire Mercedes line-up. Inside, you'll find a redesigned instrument cluster with new graphics, higher-quality finishes on the switchgear, seats with adjustable bolster length, and new color options. Four driving modes are incorporated into the Dynamic Select system: Comfort, Sport, Eco, and Individual. The Eco mode has been tweaked to return even more fuel savings. This Mercedes is also the first to incorporate Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink for the non-iOs smartphoners.