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Mercedes Concept IAA shows its mighty morphing aero aids

Modern supercars are utilizing more active aerodynamic elements that constantly adjust, to make them some of the fastest things on the road. The Mercedes-Benz Concept Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile is using them too, but the know-how is applied here for ultimate efficiency rather than turning better lap times. In the standard design mode, the four-door luxury coupe looks like a CLS from the near future with styling that's mixed with a little of the F 015 concept. However at the press of a button or upon hitting about 50 miles per hour, the IAA transforms into aero mode to have an insanely low drag coefficent of just 0.19. To achieve the ultra-efficient shape, the rear of the concept stretches over 15 inches to guide air down the tail. Flaps in the bumpers also extend outward, and the wheels adjust to improve the flow around the sides. To trim things out underneath, a portion inside the front bumper moves, as well. Inside, passengers sit in organically shaped leather seats, but occupants have to look at a vast array of purple and blue LED accent lights. The big panoramic roof is a nice touch, though. It would be interesting to watch water tumble over this slippery shape when driving in the rain. To maximize efficiency, Mercedes powers the IAA with a plug-in hybrid that's hooked up to a gasoline engine. The result is 275 horsepower and an electronically limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. On the European testing cycle, the company figures the concept could cover 41 miles solely on electric power in aero mode. Showing the gains of the swoopy transformation, that figure falls to 38.5 miles in design mode.

2015 Mercedes-Benz GLA priced from $31,300*

Mercedes-Benz has kindly let loose the price of the 2015 GLA-Class, telling Autoblog.com that the base 208-horsepower GLA250 in two-wheel drive will go for $31,300 *not including a destination charge of $925. That makes for $32,225 in total to get one off the lot, a price predicted as early as last year and in our recent First Drive. The other two available models can push power to all four wheels, and after the destination fee is applied the GLA240 4Matic (pictured) will be $34,225 while the 355-horsepower GLA45 AMG will change lives and wallets to the tune of $49,225.
On the base scale, that puts the GLA250 just a few hundred dollar bills above the more powerful, rear-wheel drive BMW X1 and a stack of hundreds below the less powerful, front-wheel drive Audi Q3. If you're keeping in-house score, the GLA250 comes in at $1,400 above its sedan platform-mate with the same engine, the CLA250. At the high end, however, the competition doesn't have anything that can touch the AMG trim. Not that it should matter all that much - Mercedes needed something to keep these buyers in the family, and now they have it. If any of them should need even more power and more money spent, then there's always that 394-hp Brabus flavor. We'll have more info and details on each trim when Mercedes unleashes the shebang in the not-too-distant future.

Mercedes considering Audi Allroad rival

The Audi Allroad is something of an anomaly in the automotive world. Its competitors are limited to the recently released Volvo V60 Cross Country and perhaps the far cheaper Subaru Outback. The lifted premium wagon hasn't exactly done great for Audi, only selling a few hundred examples each month. Its best sales year was 2013, and even then, only 5,300 left US showrooms. Despite these limited prospects, word from Australia is that Mercedes-Benz is looking at launching its own competitor to the Allroad. "We are looking at every single niche, so we are studying this [Allroad] at the moment, but it is not confirmed," Matthias Luhrs, VP of sales and a member of the product management at MB, told Motoring.com.au. "We are looking obviously at C-Class and E-Class, but no confirmation at the moment." Fortunately, Luhrs recognizes that the Allroad isn't exactly a smash in the US. "In the US, no matter how long, short, high ... they don't like station wagons," Luhrs said, while adding that the Allroad concept is "developing quite successfully" in Italy and southern Europe. And for those hoping for a lifted C- or E-Class sedan, Luhrs also put the kibosh on that, saying, "We are not studying that." So what does this tell us? Well, it's still far from a sure thing that Mercedes will launch a lifted C-Class or E-Class Estate. And even if the company does go ahead with it, like the rest of the brand's long roofs (E-Class aside), don't expect to see it on US roads.