2019 Mercedes-benz Gls Gls 550 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Audi announce Takata recalls

Daimler, Volkswagen, and Audi will recall nearly 1.7 million total vehicles in the US to replace their Takata airbag inflators. The Japanese parts supplier and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced in late January that several automakers would need to fix around five million more vehicles, and the various companies have been releasing the details since then. Daimler has a recall for 841,000 vehicles in the US, including 705,000 from Mercedes-Benz and 136,000 from the company's van division. Reuters reports the affected models consist of 2005-2014 examples of the SLK-Class, C-Class, E-Class, M-Class, GL-Class, R-Class, and SLS-Class. The vans comprise the 2007-2014 models of the Dodge, Freightliner, and Mercedes Sprinter. Autoblog reached out to Mercedes USA to confirm these details, and we're awaiting a reply. Daimler expects the repair campaign to cost 340 million euros ($382 million at current rates). The company will book the costs as part of its financial year 2015 results, and net profit for that year will fall to 8.7 billion euros ($9.8 billion). Volkswagen's recall covers 680,000 vehicles in the US to replace their driver side airbags. The affected models have Takata's SDI and PSDI-5 inflators, which could rupture in an crash, but the automaker isn't aware of any explosions for these parts in its products. This campaign includes: 2006-2010 Passat Sedan and Wagon (German Production) 2012-2014 Eos 2010-2014 Golf 2010-2014 Jetta SportWagen 2012-2014 Passat (U.S. Production) 2009-2014 CC There are also 170,000 Audi vehicles with the SDI and PSDI-5 inflators in the US, but there are no reports of the parts rupturing in the company's models. The affected products are: 2005-2013 A3 2006-2009 A4 Cabrio 2009-2012 Q5 2010-2011 A5 Cabrio VW and Audi are still working to identify the specific VINs for these vehicles. Afterwards, they will notify affected owners. Ford, Mazda, and Honda already announced details for their new round of Takata repairs. VW and Audi also recalled a small number of Tiguans and Q5s to replace their side airbag inflators from the Japanese company. NHTSA still expects BMW and Saab to detail expanded safety campaigns.

2015 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 First Drive [w/videos]

On the flight out to Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4x4 launch. I figured I'd drive down gravel and dirt roads, and then I'd take a Sprinter on a brief, pre-planned, crawling off-road course with Mercedes guides helping me along, Perrier water and fresh pastries at every third checkpoint. I've done off-road drives before, and while they do a perfectly nice job of showing the capability of a vehicle and its four-wheel-drive system, they're usually somewhat predictable and, I guess, safe. I also knew I'd be going to the middle of nowhere, but I assumed that'd just be a small town nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. You know, a city anchored by its ski resort, but with all the amenities of a fully functional community. Something like Revelstoke, BC, where I spent my first night on the trip – kind of out in the wilderness, but a place where my iPhone could still pick up a solid 4G signal. But 24 hours later I found myself in a truly remote, off-the-grid part of the world, faced with a route that was anything but pre-arranged. And I wasn't in a G-Wagen, or some other off-roader – I was going to do all of this in a Sprinter van. Of course, this wouldn't be the first time Autoblog has taken a Sprinter far, far off the beaten path, and isn't the first time we've driven this generation of Mercedes' van. Home base was the CMH Monashee Lodge in Mica Creek, BC – a location so out-there that, according to Wikipedia, it "is no longer incorporated as a village." I had lost cell signal some 50 miles back, and the lodge was the only thing around, with its small staff, my fellow journalists and the Mercedes handlers the only human beings inhabiting the area. (Wait, haven't I heard this one before?) The drive from Revelstoke to Mica Creek was easy – 56 miles, all on Canada Highway 23 that runs alongside the Columbia River. It was breathtaking, with mountain forests still covered in snow from the winter, and the (mostly) thawed river flowing peacefully to my left as I drove north. There were no telephone poles, no stoplights and no traffic save the occasional logging truck. The road signs didn't point to exits toward other towns, but instead warned of possible run-ins with moose or bears, and let me know not to stop on specific parts of the highway unless I wanted to experience an avalanche up close.

U.S. tariff threat hits European automakers' stocks

FRANKFURT, Germany — A U.S. warning that it may introduce tariffs on foreign auto imports hit shares in German carmakers BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen on Thursday, which together have a more than 90 percent share of North America's premium car market. Washington said on Wednesday it had launched an investigation into whether car and truck imports are a national security issue due to signs they had damaged the U.S. auto industry. That could lead to new U.S. tariffs — up to 25 percent — similar to those imposed on imported steel and aluminum in March. BMW and Daimler shares fell as much as 3.1 percent in early Thursday trading, while Volkswagen's dropped as much as 2.5 percent. "(U.S. President) Donald Trump is obviously not thinking about how to prevent a trade war. Import duties on cars would be a nightmare for the German auto industry and would lead to a massive sales impact," said Thomas Altmann at Frankfurt-based asset manager QC Partners. BMW on Thursday condemned the move to consider tariffs. "The BMW Group is committed to free trade worldwide. Barrier-free access to markets is therefore a key factor not only for our business model, but also for growth welfare and employment throughout the global economy," it said. Daimler, which makes Mercedes-Benz cars, and Volkswagen, which makes upmarket Audis and Porsches, were not immediately available for comment. German carmakers produced 804,000 cars at local factories in the United States and exported 657,000 German-made cars into North America last year, according to German auto industry association VDA. China took pains on Thursday to welcome German firms and investments, with Premier Li Keqiang talking up relations after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. BMW and Mercedes have expanded production capacity in the United States, but BMW, Audi, Volkswagen and Daimler have also invested billions to build new factories in Mexico in the hope of selling locally produced cars into the United States. German carmakers hiked vehicle production in Mexico by 46 percent to 620,000 cars last year, while production levels inside the United States fell by 6 percent to 804,000 cars because of a shift to Mexico, according to the VDA. BMW has its biggest factory worldwide in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and is the largest vehicle exporter among all the carmakers in the United States measured by value of goods exported. More than 70 percent of BMW's U.S.-made cars are exported.