11 Mercedes Sls Amg Gullwing 16k Nav Pdc Cam Keyless-go 19s Heated-sts Xenons on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Hybrids to slowly replace diesels at Mercedes

German automakers have had some success bringing diesel-powered vehicles in America in recent years, but that may not last much longer. A product planner from Mercedes-Benz we spoke to in Austria apparently believes hybrid setups may be more favorable in the long run, and electrified hybrids will eventually replace oil burners. That's why most every concept car we've seen in the last few years features some sort of hybrid or plug-in hybrid setup while there have been very few diesels. "Yes, diesel is technically complex, and very expensive. The additives to reduce particulate matter are very costly. You'll see more hybrids to meet the changing regulations," according to our source. We've seen this exact scenario play out with Mazda, which has struggled to bring its 2.2-liter diesel engine to America, citing the costly process to reduce emissions in order to meet California-level standards while still maintaining suitable performance for the US market. It's certainly interesting that this news comes hot on the heels of revelations that VW, the automaker that offers the most diesel-powered models in the US, was found in violation of emissions rules on its popular 2.0-liter TDI engine. New Mercedes GLE Will Have An Active Chassis Mercedes has launched an all-out product offensive in the last two years, but the product planning think tanks in Stuttgart have a few surprises in store, too. While Benz has just launched its new GLE SUV family, GLE product planners are already hard at work on the next-generation – yes, a good 5-6 years away – and tell us it will evolve to boast new chassis technology, "something that doesn't exist today." The next-GLE is codenamed 167 – the previous ML (now replaced by the GLE) was internally referred to as 166 – and the GLE planner we recently talked to calls the platform an "active chassis." He further alluded that the next version could be electrified. Currently, the only aspect of the GLE's chassis that is 'active' today are the hydraulic pumps on the roll bars, he said. Many of Mercedes' models can already be had with an adaptive air suspension, multiple selectable driving modes, and other features that were rare or nonexistent just a couple generations ago. One More Compact Crossover On The Way The planner said we can also at least one more all-new, forthcoming compact crossover to be built on the GLA platform. In addition to the GLA, that architecture is currently shared by the A-Class, B-Class, and CLA-Class models.

Zetsche's CEO tenure extended through 2016 at Daimler

There appear to be two takes on Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche having his contract extended for three more years, to 2016. A report in The Detroit News quotes the chairman of Daimler's supervisory board, Manfred Bischoff, talking up the stability at the top, "With today's extensions of the contracts of Dieter Zetsche and Thomas Weber, we are maintaining the important continuity at the top executive level." Bischoff also stated that that Zetsche has a plan to "further enhance Daimler's overall performance."
Over at Reuters, though, the three-year extension was seen as a lack of complete confidence in Zetsche's plans, since his contract was supposedly meant to be extended by five years. A spokesman said the board decided to extend executive contracts by only three years if the person was 60 or would turn 60 during the contract, but that was news to observers. Zetsche wants to make Mercedes-Benz the top selling luxury manufacturer globally by 2020, but has fallen to third place behind Audi and BMW. It hasn't held the top spot 2005, and investors judged it valued at half that of BMW at the end of 2012 once Daimler's truck business was subtracted.
Analysts cites the fact that Daimler stock hasn't bested its rivals but twice in twelve years, and that the company revised its profit target downward last year by nearly one billion euros, warning of stagnant earnings this year and will miss its original margin target for 2013.

Car2go introduces four-seat Mercedes B-Class vehicles

Easily identified by its huge fleet of blue-and-white Smart Fortwos in cities around the world, Daimler's Car2go car sharing service is growing in Canada – both in the number of vehicles and the doors that they have. For the first time in North America, the company is renting a model with a usable backseat thanks to a new pilot program bringing 75 examples of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class to Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. The point of adding these hatchbacks to the ranks is to offer an option for those seeking more than the paltry room that the ForTwo offers. Car2Go imagines people using the B-Class to haul extra people in the back or just for the added cargo space. The vehicles wear the same blue-and-white look as the rest of the fleet, but they're specially identified for users in the smartphone app. Best of all, for this pilot program, their rental cost is the same 41 cents per minute as the tinier Smarts. The car sharing service has already started testing the waters of offering the B-Class in Germany. Its Car2Go Black pilot program was announced last year and placed 100 of the hatchbacks in both Berlin and Hamburg. car2go Just Got A Lot More Spacious Carsharing Leader Introduces Four-Door Vehicles For The First Time In North America AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 28, 2015 /CNW/ -- car2go N.A., LLC, the market leader for one-way carsharing in Canada, announced today that car2go will be introducing 75 four-door vehicles to its fleet in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. The pilot program, which officially launches today, provides over 300,000 car2go members in Canada exclusive access to the Mercedes B-Class vehicle, a roomy, versatile alternative to car2go's signature smart fortwo vehicle. The new four-door vehicles are also equipped with the latest car2go technology, allowing members the ability to control their entire car2go experience seamlessly through the official car2go smartphone app. car2go will be introducing 75 four-door vehicles to its fleet in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. CLICK TO TWEET: car2go introduces Mercedes vehicles in Canadian markets for the first time http://c2g.cc/Gdscbf "As our members embark on new life chapters – whether moving to a new residence or growing their family – we want to continue providing an affordable and convenient transportation option that allows them to go wherever life takes them," said Paul DeLong, President and CEO of car2go N.A.