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Mercedes-Maybach GLS could become the most expensive car made in America

Mercedes-Benz International, the German automaker's manufacturing facility near Vance and Tuscaloosa, Ala., already builds the GLS SUV. Autonews reports that the coming ultra-luxe version of the large crossover, the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, will be built in Alabama as well for global markets. The most recent timelines mark the reveal in production or near-production form in China, with sales to commence next year. The next-gen series-production GLS goes on sale later this year. The gilded sub-brand previewed a wild concept last year in China called the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury, which blended the tall profile of an SUV with the truck of a sedan on donk wheels. Based on spy shots, none of that fancy will make it to production. Both the Maybach and AMG versions of the GLS ride on fat rubber but look thoroughly traditional. The treasure will be inside. Autonews said China accounts for roughly 75 percent of Maybach S-Class sedan sales. That suggests the GLS in baroque trim will emphasize chauffeured luxury touches like rear captain's chairs and lots of rear legroom. Pricing estimates figure $200,000 to get in the door. That would put the SUV right in line with the Lamborghini Urus and a couple stacks of Benjamins above the Bentley Bentayga, with much the same likely audience. One analyst said, "The ultra-high-net-worth kids want something different, and these ultraluxury SUVs certainly fit that," while another opined on its "appeal to the Kardashians and hip-hoppers, if they want something slightly different to the G-Wagen." A $200K MSRP would also comfortably make the Maybach GLS the most expensive new car built in America, taking the title from the Acura NSX. With a great price comes great power, said to be a twin-turbo V8 with more than 560 horsepower. The coming GLS 450 will make do with somewhere around 360 hp. The Alabama plant, which also builds the GLE, GLE Coupe, and C-Class, is also undergoing a $1 billion upgrade to more than double the size of the facility, making lines for battery production and EQ-series vehicle assembly,

2015 Belgian Grand Prix is a return to scheduled programming

With summer intermission over, the second half of the Formula One season commenced in the Belgian countryside at Spa-Francorchamps. After qualifying, it looked a lot like the first half of the season with just a few minor changes. Lewis Hamilton was even more dominant in his Mercedes-AMG Petronas than usual, regularly taking half a second out of his teammate in just the middle sector of the circuit. Teammate Nico Rosberg tightened it up a tad for his final hot lap, but Hamilton still took pole by 0.45 seconds ahead of Rosberg in second. With his Williams back at a power track, Valtteri Bottas got himself up to third, although more than a second behind Hamilton. Romain Grosjean in the Lotus in fourth had his best qualifying performance since his fourth-place grid spot at the 2013 US Grand Prix. This was a huge boon for Lotus, the team facing another financial issue off track that threatened to have its cars impounded as soon as they left the circuit. Grosjean had to have his gearbox changed before the conclusion of six races, however, so the five-spot penalty meant he'd actually line up ninth for the race. Sergio Perez put the Sahara Force India in fifth, where we're more used to seeing his teammate Nico Hulkenberg, just ahead of Daniel Ricciardo in the Infiniti Red Bull Racing in sixth. Felipe Massa got the second Williams in seventh, in front of the second Lotus of Pastor Maldonado in eighth. Then came the first and only Ferrari in the top ten, Sebastian Vettel qualifying ninth after a disappointing Saturday for the scuderia; teammate Kimi Raikkonen suffered gearbox issues and qualified way down in 16th. Carlos Sainz took tenth in the Toro Rosso. A new start procedure in Belgium meant drivers had to handle clutches on their own, without the engineers finely tuning bite points between the garage and the start line. That was in conjunction with another rule limiting the kinds of radio messages possible between engineers and drivers, aiming to put more of the car in the drivers' hands. After an aborted start when Hulkenberg's car quit while sitting on the grid, Hamilton made the most of the new procedure. His start wasn't amazing but he beat everyone else off the line, while those behind were alternately getting bogged down or leaping ahead. Midway through the first lap the top ten was Hamilton, Perez, Ricciardo, Bottas, Rosberg, Vettel, Maldonado, Grosjean, Massa, Marcus Ericsson. At the end of 43 laps, Hamilton would still be in the lead.

Mercedes C350e PHEV will start at 51,000 euros

Mercedes-Benz will start selling its C350 Plug-In Hybrid in Europe next month, for a somewhat reasonable price. The Daimler division has announced the sedan will cost about 51,000 euros ($58,000 US). Which isn't insanely expensive by Benz standards. Mercedes first showed off the model stateside at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month, and the specs were pretty impressive. The car delivers a combined 275 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque from its gas-powered engine and electric motor. The C350 PHEV also offers a 112 miles per gallon equivalent fuel efficiency rating (using the more lenient European driving cycle) alongside a 0-60 mile per hour acceleration time of less than six seconds. And the car can go as far as 20 miles on electricity while reaching a top speed of 130 miles per hour. Both lead-footers and tree-huggers can rejoice at that. Americans won't be that far behind their European brethren, as the model will go on sale as a 2016 model-year version in the US this fall. In the meantime, for some more information on a sedan that we think qualifies as a bit of guilt-free fun, take a look at Mercedes's press release below. Sales release for the C 350 e: Future inside Stuttgart, Feb 02, 2015 Stuttgart – As a plug-in hybrid, the new Mercedes-Benz C 350 e combines an extraordinary level of efficiency, dynamism and comfort. In both its Saloon and its Estate guise, the performance of a sports car makes it a convincing proposition, especially combined with certified consumption figures of just 2.1 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres and a range of up to 31 kilometres in all-electric mode. Both the Saloon and the Estate model are equipped with air suspension and a pre-entry climate control system as standard, delivering a unique level of driving and climate comfort. The C 350 e is available to order now from 50,961.75 euros for the Saloon and 52,627.75 euros for the Estate (prices include VAT). Both vehicles will be at dealerships from March 2015. As a plug-in hybrid, the C 350 e combines a combustion engine with an electric drive system and a high-voltage lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 6.38 kWh, which can be charged from an external power source. Thanks to an intelligent on-board charging system, this takes approximately one hour and 30 minutes at a wallbox. A charging time of around two hours is achievable via a socket.