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Mercedes-Benz expands GLC production to Valmet in Finland

Mercedes assembles the GLC (alongside several other model lines) at its plant in Bremen, Germany, just like its predecessor. But starting in 2017, it will also begin outsourcing additional production of the compact crossover to Valmet in Uusikaupunki, Finland. The move is earmarked to give the German automaker additional capacity, especially as it rolls out a right-hand-drive version for markets like the UK, Australia, and Japan. The new GLC was introduced this year as the successor to the GLK and crossover counterpart to the C-Class. It slots into Benz's realigned SUV lineup above the smaller GLA and below the larger GLE and GLS models. A four-door coupe variant is also expected to follow. Like the GLK before it, the GLC is assembled in Bremen, where Mercedes also builds the C-Class, the two-door versions of the E-Class, and the SL and SLK roadsters. This isn't the first crossover whose production Mercedes has outsourced, nor is it the first time it has contracted Valment for automotive assembly. Though only offered in China at this point, the R-Class is built by AM General in South Bend, Indiana. And the G-Class is assembled by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. Aside from past clients like Porsche and Fisker, Valmet has also produced the A-Class for Mercedes since 2013, and will continue to do so, albeit at a reduced output in order to focus on the new crossover.Related Video:   Manufacturing contract for Valmet Automotive: Mercedes-Benz Expands Production Capacities for the GLC Stuttgart, Germany, Nov 26, 2015 - From 2017, the new GLC will also roll off the line in Uusikaupunki, Finland. - The Bremen plant continues to be the main production plant. - Markus Schafer, Member of the the Divisional Board Mercedes-Benz Cars, Produktion and Supply Chain Management: "Working with contract manufacturers is an important factor in our global production strategy at Mercedes-Benz Cars." Mercedes-Benz is continuing its growth strategy and expands production capacities for the new GLC. The main production facility continues to be the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen, Germany, where the GLC has been produced since July. The Finnish contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive will produce additional volumes of the new mid-range SUV from 2017, at its plant in Uusikaupunki.

Which car should win 2015 World Green Car of the Year?

There were three finalists for the World Green Car of the Year announced about a month ago at the Geneva Motor Show: the BMW i8, the Mercedes-Benz S 500 Plug-In Hybrid and the Volkswagen Golf GTE. With the New York Auto Show upon us and the winner scheduled to be announced tomorrow, we thought it's high time to ask our readers which one should win. There were seven other vehicles named to the finalists list: the Hyundai x35/Tucson Fuel Cell, the Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine, the Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron, the BMW X5 xDrive40e, the Kia Soul EV, the Nissan e-NV200 and the Opel Adam 1.0 Direct Injection Turbo ecoFLEX Start. Would you have named one of these to the top three list instead? POLL 14386429 Green BMW Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen 2015 ny auto show world green car of the year vw golf gte

Poor headlights cause 40 cars to miss IIHS Top Safety Pick rating

Over the past few months, we've noticed a number of cars and SUVs that have come incredibly close to earning one of the IIHS's highest accolades, the Top Safety Pick rating. They have great crash test scores and solid automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning systems. What trips them up is headlights. That got us wondering, how many vehicles are there that are coming up short because they don't have headlights that meet the organization's criteria for an "Acceptable" or "Good" rating. This is a revision made after 2017, a year in which headlights weren't factored in for this specific award. This is also why why some vehicles, such as the Ford F-150, might have had the award last year, but have lost it for this year. We reached out to someone at IIHS to find out. He responded with the following car models. Depending on how you count, a whopping 40 models crash well enough to receive the rating, but don't get it because their headlights are either "Poor" or "Marginal." We say depending on how you count because the IIHS actual counts truck body styles differently, and the Infiniti Q70 is a special case. Apparently the version of the Q70 that has good headlights doesn't have adequate forward collision prevention technology. And the one that has good forward collision tech doesn't have good enough headlights. We've provided the entire list of vehicles below in alphabetical order. Interestingly, it seems the Volkswagen Group is having the most difficulty providing good headlights with its otherwise safe cars. It had the most models on the list at 9 split between Audi and Volkswagen. GM is next in line with 7 models. It is worth noting again that though these vehicles have subpar headlights and don't quite earn Top Safety Pick awards, that doesn't mean they're unsafe. They all score well enough in crash testing and forward collision prevention that they would get the coveted award if the lights were better.