2010 C300 Sedan Premium 1 Panorama Roof Cpo Certified on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Daimler CEO says nobody is making money on EVs right now

What do you charge for a vehicle you're going to lose money on? If you're Mercedes-Benz and the vehicle in question is the B-Class Electric Drive, you offer it for lease for just 399 euros ($498) a month with a down payment of 8,473 euros ($10,582). If Daimler was going to price it honestly, it seems, the number would have to be a lot higher. "Nobody today is making a battery-powered vehicle that's economically viable." – Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche That's according to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who spoke to reporters in Spain recently and said that, "You can reasonably say that nobody today is making a battery-powered vehicle that's economically viable in its own right. Manufacturers will not see a return within a reasonable time on the billions they're investing now." There are ways to make money in EVs, of course. Just ask Daimler, which recently sold its stake in Tesla for a cool $780 million. Zetsche has some EV-critical company in executives like Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, who has said his company loses over $10,000 on each Fiat 500E it sells. Other automakers – e.g., Tesla, Nissan – are much more positive about their financial bet on EVs, but no one is opening all their books to the public to prove this. Tesla, which worked with Mercedes on the B-Class ED, will have an earnings call with investors later today, so perhaps we'll learn something new in a few hours. The B-Class ED lease deal is for 36 months, based on an MSRP of 39,151 euros ($48,895) in Europe, including the 19 percent VAT. You can read more in the press release below. Commercial release of Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive: Local emission-free driving from ˆ399/month Stuttgart, Nov 03, 2014 With its high-torque electric motor, the B-Class Electric Drive delivers lively and superior driving pleasure – with zero local emissions. The B-Class Electric Drive is now available to order, with deliveries set to start before the end of 2014. Prices start at ˆ39,151[1]. The B-Class Electric Drive can be leased through the Mercedes-Benz Bank from ˆ399 a month[2]. Further information on the full range of tailor-made leasing and financing offers as well as specific pricing examples are available at http://www.mercedes-benz-bank.de. Quiet and local emission-free driving is ensured by a 132 kW electric motor, which, as is typical of an electric drive, delivers its maximum torque of 340 Nm right from the start. The result is noticeably powerful acceleration from rest.

Lewis Hamilton accepts Vettel's apology, has 'utmost respect'

SPIELBERG, Austria - Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton said he still had "the utmost respect" for Formula One title rival Sebastian Vettel after accepting a public apology from the Ferrari driver on Thursday. Speaking to reporters at a crowded Austrian Grand Prix news conference, the two men addressed a "road rage" controversy that has dominated the headlines since the June 25 race in Azerbaijan. "I still have the utmost respect for him as a driver and will continue to race him hard through the rest of the season," declared Hamilton, who said at the time that Vettel had "disgraced himself" by driving into him in Baku. He said Vettel called him on the Monday after the race and then texted an apology, which he accepted. The championship leader had driven into the back of Hamilton's Mercedes while both were following the safety car in first and second places, waiting for it to return to the pits. Vettel then pulled alongside, gesticulating angrily, before banging wheels. The German, a four times world champion, later accused Hamilton of "brake-testing" him by slowing suddenly. The car's telemetry subsequently showed that was not the case and Hamilton said the accusation was one he particularly wanted correcting. Vettel was handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, and finished fourth. He was then summoned to a hearing in Paris last Monday where the governing body declared the matter closed. Initially reluctant to dwell on the matter, saying he did not want to "pump this up more than it is already", the Ferrari driver on Thursday repeated the written apology. "It was the wrong move to drive alongside him and hit his tyres," he said. "I don't think there was any bad intention (by Hamilton). I don't think he actually brake-tested me. I was upset and over-reacted. I am not proud of the moment." Hamilton, 14 points behind Vettel after eight races, missed out on victory in Baku after a headrest worked loose and he had to pit. He finished fifth. Before Baku, the two world champions had made much of their mutual respect and the budding "bromance" seemed to be back on. "It's nice to hear that we are able to move forward," Vettel said. "I think the respect we have for each other on and off track helps us in this regard." Reporting by Alan Baldwin Related Video:

Mercedes C-Class Coupe to debut in Frankfurt

Mercedes-Benz is set to launch its new C-Class Coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show this fall, according to Autocar. In addition to the standard C Coupe, the German automaker will also reportedly show a Mercedes-AMG C63 version, which AMG boss Tobias Moers says will be a "breakthrough" for the brand. Speaking to Autocar, Mercedes design chief Gorden Wagener promises the new C-Class Coupe will be "even better to drive than it looks," and says that the two-door will be sleeker and even more beautiful than the recently launched S-Class Coupe. Talk about a tall order. Specific design tweaks for the C Coupe will include revised front- and rear-end styling, while keeping the C's long hood and short rear deck to emphasize its rear-wheel-drive architecture. What's more, this revised design will need to be flexible, as Mercedes is planning a convertible version of its C-Class. Expect the interior design to carry over largely unchanged. The same goes for powertrains, including the excellent, twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V8 that will slot into the range-topping Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe. We'll know more when the sleeker, two-door C-Class is unveiled in September.