2009 Mercedes-benz Cl-class Cl63 Amg Package on 2040-cars

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2016 Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet airs out the good life

Mercedes-Benz has finally dropped the top on its range-topping model, the long-lived S-Class. The new cabriolet takes the handsome, sophisticated good looks of the hardtop model and adds a three-layer canvas roof that can be lowered or raised in just 20 seconds. On top of the unlimited headroom, the new S-Class Cabriolet adds Mercedes' popular AirScarf neck-warming system, as well as a new nine-speed automatic transmission on the S550 model. As we previously reported, the S63 AMG will continue to use the seven-speed AMG Speedshift transmission. Both cars match their hardtop and four-door counterparts in terms of output. On top of AirScarf, Mercedes also fitted the Thermotronic climate control system. It uses 12 sensors and 18 actuators to measure a wide array of metrics, all in the pursuit of keeping the cabin temperature at the driver's ideal temperature. Scroll up for our full gallery of photos of the new S-Class Cabriolet from the floor of the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. We also have the official press release from Mercedes down below. Check them out. The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet Open-top luxury Stuttgart. The new S-Class Cabriolet is the fourth variant of the current S-Class family in the U.S. market and the first open-top flagship four-seater from Mercedes-Benz since 1971. It offers a distinctive, sensual and exclusive design, the cutting-edge technology of the S-Class and a comprehensive warmth and wind protection concept which includes intelligent climate control for convertibles. The elegantly sporty model will have its world premiere at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September. Also on display in Frankfurt will be a superlative dream car from Mercedes-AMG in the guise of the S63 4MATIC Cabriolet. Its 5.5-liter V8 biturbo engine offers an output of 577 hp and peak torque of 664 lb-ft, AMG Performance 4MATIC all-wheel drive with rear-biased torque split as standard and acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. "After 44 years we are once again able to offer Mercedes aficionados an open-top car in the S-Class. The new S-Class Cabriolet symbolizes our passion for individual and timelessly exclusive mobility, which we share with our customers," remarks Ola Kallenius, Board Member of Daimler AG, Mercedes-Benz Cars Sales. The new S-Class Cabriolet is exceptionally rigid.

Recharge Wrap-up: 2015 Honda CR-Z now on sale, Daimler and Linde building hydrogen stations in Germany

The 2015 Honda CR-Z hybrid is now available at dealerships, for slightly more money. The CR-Z starts at an MSRP of $20,145 (plus $790 in destination charges), up from the $19,995 price of the 2014 model. For those who don't want to row their own gears with the six-speed manual transmission, the available CVT adds an extra $650 to the price, but also offers better fuel economy, especially in the city. The manual-equipped CR-Z gets 31 mpg city/38 highway/34 combined, while the CVT version is rated at 36/39/37 mpg. The 1.5-liter engine and electric motor provide a combined peak 130 horsepower. The manual CR-Z offers 140 pound-feet of torque, with the CVT version providing 127 pound-feet. Customers can also soup up their new CR-Z with upgrades (including a supercharger) from Honda Performance Development. Learn more in the press release below. Daimler and Linde are teaming up to build hydrogen fueling stations in Germany. The automaker and gases and engineering company, with the help of a few oil and gas companies, plan to install 13 new stations by the end of 2015. The installations precede a push by Daimler to get more fuel cell vehicles on the road. "From 2017, we are planning to bring competitively priced fuel-cell vehicles to market," says Daimler's Herbert Kohler. "So now is the time to build a nationwide fuelling infrastructure." Linde will supply the stations with fully renewable hydrogen. Read more in the press release below. In 1899, an EV set a world landspeed record, and Wired has revisited the story with a nice look back at the "La Jamais Contente" and its driver, Belgian engineer Camille Jenatzy. Jenatzy built an electric car to race in a hillclimb, which he won while clocking a top speed of 17 miles per hour (measured the old-timey way - without radar guns). Just a few weeks later, another man set a landspeed record of 32 miles per hour, beginning a back-and-forth series of setting new records. Then, on April 29, 1899, "The Red Devil," as Jenatzy became known as, surpassed 100 kph (62 mph) when his torpedo-shaped electric car set a record of 65.8 mph. It was powered by two 25-kilowatt electric motors. Read the whole story over at Wired.

AMG could have a hybrid model on sale by 2020

European CO2 regulations are driving every carmaker to previously unthinkable solutions in order to reduce emissions. And so far those unthinkable solutions, like a turbocharged Ferrari, have been pretty good. AMG has its development eye on the year 2021, when EU regulations will include every car sold by Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler when calculating fleet average emissions, and says that the deadline could mean a hybrid AMG by 2020. Those are the words of the company's R&D boss, Thomas Weber, to Autocar. Weber says a hybrid system right now wouldn't work only because AMG customers "wouldn't buy it." In five years, though, not only will the pressure have forced the situation, but the low-six-figure segment might also be populated by heresies like a diesel and hybrid Bentleys, and a hybrid or electric Porsche 911, to break the ice. Acceptance is coming down from the top via supercars like the McLaren P1 and Porsche 918, and up from the bottom with the near-term incorporation of electric turbos and e-boost systems. And whenever the German challengers to Tesla arrive, that will be another huge step to changing the public's mind. E-boost is what Weber said the division is looking at right now, perhaps like the kind in Mercedes' Bluetec Hybrid that employs an innocuous battery and motor. Regenerative braking would keep the battery charged. Weber said he likes it because it's proven, it's light, it's cheap, and it's already used in high-volume applications. But we would not be surprised to see a more robust implementation by the time 2020 gets here.