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Brabus bringing 900-horsepower Mercedes S65 to Geneva

The S-Class may be the ultimate Mercedes, but what's the ultimate S-Class? Is it the S550? Maybe in some markets, but that's just the starting point in North America. The S600? Getting closer. The Maybach? Sure, if the last word in luxury is what you're after. But if it's performance you crave, then you'll want an AMG version like the S63. But even that's not the flagship. No, in terms of outright power, it all comes down to the S65. It's got a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 churning out 621 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, for crying out loud. But Brabus thinks it's still not enough. That's why (alongside the 850-hp S63 coupe) it's bringing a version it calls the Rocket 900 to the Geneva Motor Show this week. To turn the S65 AMG into the Rocket 900, Brabus has bored out the cylinders to total 6.3 liters and fitted larger turbochargers, a new exhaust system, intake module and much, much more. The result is an output increased to 887 bhp and 1,106 lb-ft of torque. Brabus has upgraded the limited slip differential to handle the extra muscle, helping it rocket to 62 in just 3.7 seconds, on to 124 in 9.1 and up to a top speed of 217 Autobahn-crunching miles per hour. The famed Benz tuner has also fitted a carbon-fiber aero kit to keep it from flying away (however unlikely considering the vehicle's approximately 5,000-lb curb weight), along with 21- or 22-inch wheels, a retuned air suspension that drops the ride height over half an inch closer to the road and – we can only hope since the release makes no such mention – upgraded brakes as well to keep it all in check. Brabus also offers a full range of interior enhancements as well, but don't expect any of this to come cheap. As it is, the S65 starts at $222,000, but a turn-key Brabus Rocket 900 goes for 347,719 euros – or about $390k at today's rates. Related Video: World premiere at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show BRABUS ROCKET 900 The new reference for high performance in the luxury class V12 with 662 kW / 900 hp, 1,500 Nm and a top speed in excess of 350 km/h BRABUS ROCKET 900 – that is the new reference for high performance in the luxury class, which celebrates its world premiere at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. BRABUS (Brabus-Allee, D-46240 Bottrop, phone +49 / (0) 2041 / 777-0, fax +49 / (0) 2041 / 777 111, internet www.brabus.com) builds this super car based on the new Mercedes S 65.

Mercedes gets handy with Apple Watch app

Whether you yourself have been caught up in Apple Watch fever or not, automakers have been embracing the new wearable device one after the other. The latest is Mercedes-Benz. The MB Companion App for the Apple Watch initially focuses on seamless navigation. Punch in your destination on your watch or iPhone and it'll port over to the onboard navigation system in your Merc. Park the car, get out and the directions will switch back over to the Apple Watch to guide you from your parking spot to your destination on foot. It's similar to the app Mercedes had designed for Google Glass, only in this application it actually stands a chance of catching on. Designed by Benz's Silicon Valley R&D center, the Apple Watch app is being rolled out this fall in the new C-Class and S-Class equipped with the COMAND Online navigation system. It's earmarked to to spread to other models as well, with further updates to the app planned to allow it to display the vehicle's fuel level, range, odometer and maintenance code. Of course, Mercedes isn't the first automaker to release an app for the Apple Watch. It's not even the first German automaker to do so: BMW previewed its app for the device back in September, and Volkswagen got on board earlier this month. Mercedes-Benz to introduce new App: Guided all the way: Mercedes-Benz is one of the first to introduce Door-to-Door Navigation with Apple Watch May 15, 2015 Stuttgart/Sunnyvale. Mercedes-Benz creates an intelligent integration between Apple Watch and Mercedes-Benz vehicles with its new MB Companion App. The MB Companion App allows Mercedes-Benz costumers to search for directions on the Apple Watch or on iPhone initiating a complete door-to-door experience. A seamless integration unfolds: giving walking directions to the car on the Apple Watch, driving directions on the vehicle navigation system and again walking directions on the Apple Watch from the car to the final destination. The destination that the driver selects on Apple Watch is passed to Mercedes-Benz COMAND Online once the driver starts the vehicle. He then receives safe and non-distracting driving directions to his selected destination from Mercedes-Benz navigation. When the driver parks and leaves his car, Apple Watch gives him walking directions to the final destination making it the perfect guide for "Last Mile Navigation".

Mercedes mulling Renault-based entry-level X-Class?

Somewhere in between the Smart brand and the all-new A-Class (pictured above), Daimler is said to be readying a smaller entry-level product for the Mercedes-Benz brand to compete with models like the Audi A1. According to AutoBild, Mercedes-Benz will get a new hatchback based on a platform from its recent partnership with Renault-Nissan, and it could be called the X-Class.
Expected to debut by 2018, the Mercedes-Benz X-Class could be offered in sedan, hatchback and crossover variants, and it would likely have a starting price below the $20,000-euro mark. Power would come from either a 1.0-liter inline three-cylinder engine or a 1.5-liter inline-four, and the car would likely be built in a low-cost nation in order to make the financials work. Wearing the Mercedes-Benz name, the X-Class would have to exhibit more distinguishable luxury and styling to set itself apart from the models that helped provide its underpinnings.