300 Miles Sport Wheel Pkg Heated/ventilated Seats Nav Engine Auto Stop-start on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jay Leno drives the incredible Mercedes-Benz C111-II concept

You might think that Jay Leno has driven it all, but there are a few vehicles so rare that getting behind the wheel is a special experience, even for him. This week on Jay Leno's Garage, the comedian has one of those unique experiences by taking a ride in a 1970 Mercedes-Benz C111-II concept on loan from the Mercedes Classics Center. First unveiled in 1969, the C111 concept featured an in-vogue wedge shape, gullwing doors, and a mid-mounted three-rotor engine, and it seemed like the supercar of the future. This C111-II went even further in 1970 with tweaked styling and a four-rotor powerplant behind the driver. A V8 eventually replaced the experimental mill, but that switch is also part of the reason this one is still on the road today. Leno gets the full history about Mercedes' original plans for the C111 project, but obviously the real highlight is the rare drive in this vintage concept. He clearly relishes the experience of finally getting behind the wheel of this piece of auto history, one of the few automotive dreams he hadn't yet fulfilled.

2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE priced from $52,025

Mercedes-Benz released its full 2016 model year lineup and pricing details, and we've learned that the M-Class-replacing GLE will start at $52,025, including $925 for destination. The German automaker confirmed a few changes to the rest of its lineup, as well. For the GLE, that $52,025 price gets you the base GLE350. The GLE350 with 4Matic all-wheel drive starts at $54,525. The rest of the GLE range consists of the diesel-powered GLE300d 4Matic at $53,425, the GLE400 4Matic at $65,525, the GLE63 AMG at $100,875, and the range-topping GLE63 S AMG at $108,025. Mercedes will also offer the GLE500e 4Matic plug-in hybrid, but exact pricing for that model has not been released as of this writing. The GLE models start hitting dealers in August. Pricing for the BMW X6-fighting GLE Coupe – available in GLE450 and GLE63 forms – is also unknown. Elsewhere in the range, Mercedes-Benz will offer a new, diesel-powered C300d 4Matic, which goes on sale in February 2016. We already know the C-Class gets a new C350e plug-in hybrid model this year, which will arrive in September. Finally, the C400 has been killed, replaced by the C450 AMG Sport. Pricing for these new C-Class models has not been released. The small SLK roadster will receive a refresh soon, where it will be renamed SLC. In the meantime, the base SLK250 is now the SLK300, and comes with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Finally, Mercedes confirms the CLA will get a special "Edition: Orange" model, available on the CLA250 and CLA250 4Matic, limited to just 750 units nationwide. A host of other, smaller updates are available across Mercedes' model range. Read all about them in the very detailed press release, below. Related Video: MERCEDES-BENZ ANNOUNCES 2016 MODEL YEAR PRICING AND PRODUCT UPDATES The unprecedented product offensive continues with a host of exciting new models June 12, 2015 - MONTVALE, NJ -- Mercedes-Benz USA today announced pricing and model year changes for the 2016 Mercedes-Benz product portfolio. The company continues to expand its highly desirable model range this year with the addition of the awe-inspiring new Mercedes-AMG GT S, the ultra-exclusive Mercedes-Maybach S600, the sporty and versatile GLE, the sleek and stylish new GLE Coupe and the highly anticipated new GLC that will succeed the popular GLK when it arrives in U.S. showrooms in late November. In addition, smart will also welcome a redesigned smart fortwo that will launch in the U.S. market in September.

Recharge Wrap-up: Smart Silvretta E-Car Rally, Uber's autonomous Teslas

Daimler took part in the 2015 Silvretta E-Car Rally with seven electrified cars from Mercedes-Benz and Smart. It is the automakers' sixth year competing in the competition in the mountains of Austria's Montafon region. Mercedes fielded two B-Class Electric Drives, an SLS AMG Electric Drive, C350e, S500e and GLE500e 4Matic alongside a Smart Brabus Fortwo Electric Drive Cabriolet. The Silvretta Rally sees some 150 vintage cars and 30 electric vehicles take part in the event, which took place from July 2 through 5 this year. Read more in the press release from Daimler below. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick says that he'd want to buy all of Tesla's autonomous vehicles if they were available in 2020. Venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson relayed Kalanick's comments from the Top 10 Tech Trends dinner in June. Jurvetson also praises self-driving cars, saying, "I believe they are already safer than my parents, and I would trust my kids with them. And they're just going to get better." Jurvetson also believes that taxi services will prosper from the use of autonomous cars in the future. Read more at Hybrid Cars. A Michigan legislator has introduced a bill that would count burning industrial solids — such as tires and plastics — toward the state's renewable energy mandate. Aric Nesbitt's bill would "remove unnecessary burdens on the appropriate use of solid waste as a clean energy source" in order to meet the state's requirement that 10 percent of energy come from renewable sources. Critics argue that these materials are not truly renewable, and that burning them causes pollution and emits greenhouse gases. The proposed bill would also repeal a law requiring utilities to work toward reducing energy use by one percent per year. Read more at Treehugger. Will the cars National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) builds in China bear the Saab name? While NEVS is the newest parent company to Saab after being acquired in bankruptcy from Spyker, there's no confirmation that the electric vehicles it builds at its Tianjin plant will be sold as Saabs. Swedish defense firm Saab AB, which held the rights to the Saab name, withheld permission to use it after NEVS declared bankruptcy last year. "The exact models and brands are not finalized yet," says a NEVS spokesman. The company says it is spending $200 million to build the new factory in China, with an expected annual capacity of 200,000 vehicles. Read more at Automotive News Europe.