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BMW, Mercedes ponder challengers to Uber

With autonomous vehicles seemingly just on the horizon of actually arriving to consumers, companies in the auto industry are already thinking about how the innovations could radically change how they do business. For example, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are considering a time where they might transform into ridesharing companies, according to Reuters. It almost sounds like the sci-fi motoring world Bob Lutz is predicting. The German brands foresee a future where some people hail their driverless cars like taxis and use them for short trips. The automakers could run those fleets, essentially making them Uber competitors. In fact, Tesla is reportedly mulling the idea, and Google might be, too. Alternatively, ridesharing services could buy the companies' models directly. "New mobility concepts will emerge with autonomous vehicles, which are robot cars. Fleet management will become a much more significant business," Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW board of management member in charge of Mini, said to Reuters. With BMW's DriveNow and Daimler's Car2Go car-sharing services, both automakers are already experimenting with alternative ways to get their vehicles on the road. It's not too hard to imagine one of the brand's peppering a few autonomous cars into those fleets someday to test these new theories in the real world. "The ability to use a car, and then walk away is a serious business," Ian Robertson, BMW's head of sales and marketing, said about the future of driverless tech to Reuters. Related Video:

Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 teases gullwing doors in video

Because these are the times we live in, automakers tease their biggest and best debuts mercilessly before finally dropping the curtain. That's why we're writing about the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Concept again. Here's a new video, posted on Mercedes' Instagram page, showing even more of the hulking two-door coupe. For one, it looks like Mercedes is revisiting gullwing doors. There's a brief snippet of the doors in the open position with a red light – possibly a brake light – bisecting the roof. The video also gives us a couple of good looks at the taillights, which are super-model skinny, just like the lamps up front. Look close at the rear three-quarter cut, and you'll spot a strong chrome strip that accentuates and breaks up those beefy rear haunches. It's hard to tell where they fit in with the chrome strips on the front fenders and hood, so we'll probably need to wait until the big debut to see how it all works out. As we've said twice already, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 debuts on August 18. Stay tuned. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Brabus-tuned Mercedes G500 4x4 is an over-powered off-roader

Even from the factory, the Mercedes-Benz G500 4x42 is an off-road bruiser that's good for 415 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque. Apparently, those already meaty figures just aren't enough for the power-hungry folks at Brabus. The company's new tuning kit for the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 pushes things up to 493 hp and a prodigious 523 lb-ft of twist. On top of the grunt, buyers can order a heap of extras to make the SUV look a whole lot meaner. They're all going on display at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The heart of Brabus' power upgrade is its custom control module to tweak the engine management, and the result is adjusted boost pressure and the mapping for the fuel injection and ignition. There's also a stainless steel exhaust with butterflies that vary between "Sport" and an appropriately named "Coming Home" mode at the press of a button. The chrome tailpipes add an extra visual pop, too. The G500 4x42 rides on off-road tires, and even after Brabus' big boost, it's not lightning quick. The run to 62 miles per hour now takes 6.9 seconds, and the rubber also mandates a top speed limited to 130 mph. For buyers really looking to show off, Brabus has a wild body kit for the G500, too. It includes new lower bumpers and polished underbody guards. Meanwhile, the hood grows a scoop, and the headlight update adds black-tinted Xenon lights with LED turn signals to replace the units usually on the fenders. Inside, a mix of quilted leather, Alcantara and bright red stitches finishes off the brash tweaks. World premiere at the IAA 2015 BRABUS refines the Mercedes G 500 4x42 368 kW / 500 HP, 710 Nm of torque and exclusive BRABUS luxury appointments for the extreme off-roader Mercedes G 500 4x42: the new special model of the G-Class is designed for maximum off-road capabilities and offers the perfect basis for exclusive refinement a la BRABUS (Brabus-Allee, D-46240 Bottrop, phone +49 / (0) 2041 / 777-0, fax +49 / (0) 2041 / 777 111, Internet www.brabus.com). This includes an increase in the power output of the twin-turbo V8 to 368 kW / 500 HP (493 bhp) and a boost in its peak torque to 710 Nm (523 lb-ft). As a result, the tuned off-roader sprints from rest to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 6.9 seconds. Due to the all-out off-road tires, the top speed is limited electronically to 210 km/h (130 mph). The spectacular appearance of the all-wheel-drive car is bolstered further by a high-end BRABUS paint finish and targeted BRABUS bodywork modifications.