2006 Mercedes-benz Cls500 Sedan 4-door 5.0l, 70k Miles, Drives Excellent on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff takes a stake in Aston Martin

LONDON — Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff has taken a stake in British sportscar maker Aston Martin, whose executive chairman Lawrence Stroll runs the Racing Point F1 team, according to company filings. A Mercedes F1 spokesman said Wolff's move was purely an investment on the Austrian's part and would be diluted by a rights issue on Monday from 4.77% to less than 1%. "Fully diluted following the pending rights issue, this investment will represent a 0.95% stake in the company," he added. "It is a financial investment and Toto's partnership and executive role with Mercedes are unaffected by the transaction." Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli has also bought a 3.38% stake which will be similarly diluted. Wolff previously had a 16% shareholding in former champions Williams but sold that after he joined the Mercedes team, where he serves as principal and owns 30%. Canadian billionaire Stroll, whose son Lance drives for Racing Point alongside Mexican Sergio Perez, is close to Wolff. The Silverstone-based team — to be renamed Aston Martin next year — use Mercedes engines and gearboxes. Mercedes-Benz's parent Daimler also has a small stake in Aston Martin. "It's clear that Aston are now Mercedes' B team," the Daily Mail quoted one Formula One insider as saying. Wolff's future at Mercedes has been the subject of some media speculation, with the 48-year-old linked variously to senior management roles with Liberty Media-owned Formula One and at Aston Martin. His Aston Martin shares were bought from Yew Tree Overseas Limited, a vehicle controlled by Stroll who acquired a roughly 25% percent holding in Aston Martin with a consortium of investors. Mercedes have won the past six Formula One drivers' and constructors' titles but have six times world champion Lewis Hamilton out of contract at the end of the 2020 season, which has yet to start due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hamilton, who has also been linked to Ferrari, had told reporters before the global crisis changed the sporting and financial landscape that his decision would depend on Wolff's plans. The Briton is now expected to stay at Mercedes, with a radical overhaul of Formula One's sporting and technical regulations postponed to 2022. Related Video: Motorsports Aston Martin Mercedes-Benz

Next Mercedes E-Class to get quad-turbo inline-six, augmented reality

It's been 10 years since an inline six-cylinder engine sat up front in a Mercedes-Benz road car, but the straight-six shooter returns with the 2016 E-Class. According to a report in Car we'll see a modular family in gasoline and diesel versions, and Auto Evolution adds that the bore and stroke will be shared by both fuel types. Car says a 2.9-liter diesel variant arrives first in global markets, putting out 313 horsepower when twin-turbocharged and "over 400bhp" when fitted with two more battery-powered turbos. Auto Evolution's numbers match those and add torque figures, with 516 pound-feet for the former and 627 lb-ft for the latter - but it makes no mention of the two extra turbos. AE believes the gas versions will ring in at 367 hp and 479 lb-ft, and 435 hp and 553 lb-ft. Keep in mind that until we hear it from Stuttgart, this is all (exciting) speculation. Elsewhere in E-ville, more aluminum and that scalable MRA platform mean a weight loss of somewhere between 154 and 330 pounds compared to today's car. Seven bodystyles (including the CLS-Class) will continue to make up the range, with the coupe and convertible growing a bit to provide proper four-seater comfort. It will bear the new standard for Daimler technology, showcasing the next step in the company's Intelligent Drive with features like phone-controlled self-parking in confined spaces and augmented reality in the heads-up display. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mercedes-Benz E-Class Spy Shots View 12 Photos News Source: Car, Auto Evolution Rumormill Mercedes-Benz Technology Diesel Vehicles Hybrid Luxury Performance Sedan augmented reality

Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer to leave in favor of AMG chief Tobias Moers

Aston Martin Chief Executive Andy Palmer is leaving the business as part of a management shake-up and will be replaced by Tobias Moers, CEO of Mercedes-AMG, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday. The luxury carmaker said in an emailed statement that it is reviewing its management team but declined to comment on Palmer's fate. Palmer and Germany's Daimler, which owns a 5% stake in Aston Martin and supplies the carmaker with Mercedes-AMG engines, also declined to comment. The Financial Times newspaper had reported earlier that the Aston Martin chief was going to leave as part of a shake-up of its leadership, with an official announcement expected on Tuesday. Palmer had not been informed of the upcoming announcement, the newspaper reported. Aston Martin, famed for being fictional secret agent James Bond's car of choice, has seen its share price plummet since floating in October 2018. The 107-year old British luxury carmaker earlier this month posted a deep first-quarter loss after sales dropped by almost a third due to the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The company has been banking on its sport utility vehicle to drive sales in a new segment, and said production was on track. In January, dire conditions forced the company to bring in Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll who bought a roughly 20% stake for nearly 200 million pounds ($263 million), as the ailing carmaker sought to raise funds. The coronavirus pandemic and shutdowns caused by it have hit demand and forced factories around the world to suspend production, negatively impacting many industries, including car manufacturers. "We were obviously fairly significantly hit by COVID-19, starting with China in January but more clearly in what we saw as it came across towards Europe and the United States," Palmer told Reuters earlier in May. Related Video: