2003 Mercedes C230 Kompressor Sport on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mercedes-Benz concept car takes driverless vehicles into the future

A new Mercedes-Benz concept car is looking to give Google a driverless run for their money. Unlike the cars we drive today, the Mercedes-Benz F015 will drive us -- acting as a personal chauffeur so passengers can relax or worry about important things like work, while the automated vehicle worries about the roads. We have to admit, it looks significantly more comfortable than Google's experimental driverless cars. Keeping up with their luxury brand, the car is more of a lounge. Front seats can rotate so passengers can face each other, a touch screen coffee table extends into the middle of the space with just a tap, and touch screen monitors are built into the doors. In case you want to drive the old fashioned way, just swivel around and use the steering wheel and fold away pedals. On the outside, the vehicle communicates with pedestrians and other drivers using lights and vocal cues. If a pedestrian crosses the street in front of the car, a laser will project a crosswalk and a voice will let them know it's safe to cross. The F015 is really just a concept car and will likely never be sold on a car lot, but it may force Google to step up their game. Their current driverless car prototypes look like something out of a retro cartoon, whereas Mercedes' looks like it's straight out of the future. Weird Car News Mercedes-Benz driverless car

Mercedes Pullman limo, C-Class Hybrid coming to Geneva

Mercedes-Benz is preparing to show the pinnacles of its engineering and luxury prowess at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show in March. Towering in physical size among these new vehicles is the long-awaited debut of the S-Class Pullman, according to Reuters. If you think the nearly $200,000 Mercedes-Maybach S600 (pictured above) is the ultimate in opulence available on Mercedes' flagship sedan, think again. The Pullman is the true top dog at a rumored 21-feet long and at a price of around $1 million for the armored version. Earlier patent photos suggest what this behemoth might look like. The driver reportedly sits in a partitioned cabin up front, and the plutocratic passengers are nestled in two facing rows of seats in the rest of the extremely long body. It's possible that Mercedes might not even build the Pullman in-house and leave the duty up to Brabus. However, there's also a rumor that the massive model might not be offered in the US. According to Reuters, the German company is also proving that it can be green by displaying the C-Class Plug-in Hybrid in Geneva. If Mercedes' display of luxury and efficiency don't strike your fancy, then the automaker is bringing some performance with its future Mercedes-AMG GT GT3 racer to the Swiss show.

Lewis Hamilton takes pole as Mercedes speed stuns rivals

MELBOURNE, March 16 (Reuters) - Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton blazed to a record-extending eighth pole and sixth in succession at the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday to lead Valtteri Bottas to a Mercedes sweep of the front row of the grid. Hamilton struggled with a brake problem during the frenetic final session at Albert Park but edged his Finnish team mate by 0.112 seconds with a searing second lap of one minute 20.486 seconds that set a record at the lakeside circuit. The one-two punch by Mercedes left Ferrari and their championship rivals stunned, with Hamilton's chief challenger Sebastian Vettel, who qualified third, more than seven-tenths of a second off the five-times champion's pace. "Oh man, I'm shaking it was so close out there," Briton 34-year-old Hamilton said after extending his pole record to 84 on a warm, sunny afternoon in Melbourne. "Coming from winter testing, we had no idea where we would be. We were hoping to be where we are ... Valtteri did an exceptional job out there, it was very close." Hamilton matched Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher for the record number of poles at a single race track. Senna took his eight at Imola, with Schumacher dominating the Suzuka circuit. Four-times champion Vettel, bidding for a third successive win at Albert Park, was separated from his new team mate Charles Leclerc by fourth placed Max Verstappen of Red Bull. It would have felt like 'deja vu' for Ferrari, having trailed Mercedes by nearly seven-tenths of a second in qualifying at last year's race. "Certainly Mercedes are the clear favorite," Vettel told reporters with a touch of resignation. "I'm certainly surprised (by their pace), I think everybody is, probably even themselves." "I think, there is still a bit of margin (to improve) but certainly the gap is there today, and it was a surprise," the four-times champion told reporters. "We didn't expect it coming here but now it is that way. ... Obviously there is a lack somewhere, because we are too slow – but didn't feel like it." German Vettel's new team mate Charles Leclerc qualified fifth fastest behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen but the highly regarded 21-year-old was harder on himself than the car. "I'm not happy with myself. I didn't do the job in Q3, which is a shame," said the Monegasque, who locked up in turn one of a "messy" second lap.