2007 Mercedes Benz R-350 Navigation Sunroof Heated Seats 3rd Seats Sat. Radio on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mercedes-Benz launching midsize pickup by end of decade

The pickup is about to get a rethink from Germany. In a rather surprising announcement, Mercedes-Benz says that it's planning to have a midsize truck on the market before the end of the decade. Before you get too excited to drive a pickup with the brand's famous star on the grille, there's some disappointing news. Mercedes is quite clear that the US isn't among the intended markets for the midsize truck, and the company specifically outlines the model for Latin America, South Africa, Australia and Europe. Also, this is a product being developed by the more commercially-minded Mercedes-Benz Vans division responsible for the Sprinter and upcoming Metris. With that in mind, don't expect the interior of an S-Class with a bed in the rear. In fact, at the moment Mercedes isn't giving away many details about its truck, although the company suggests a payload capacity of around 2205 pounds. Inciting this development is the current boom in the midsize truck segment. We're seeing that happen with models like the latest Ford Ranger, the next Toyota Hilux (in development) and a future FCA vehicle. "As part of our 'Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global' strategy, the pickup is the ideal vehicle for the international expansion of our product range with a newly developed model," division boss Volker Mornhinweg said in the brand's announcement. Rumblings of a possible Mercedes pickup came up years ago as a possible partnership with Nissan, but those reportedly would have been badge-engineered models. This latest truck appears to be something wholly Mercedes. "We will enter this segment with our distinctive brand identity and all of the vehicle attributes that are typical of the brand with regard to safety, comfort, powertrains and value," said company boss Dieter Zetsche. Get ready for the Mercedes-Benz among pickups: Mercedes-Benz Vans to launch midsize pickup Stuttgart, Mar 27, 2015 Expansion of product range for sustained global growth Market for midsize pickups primed for first model from a premium manufacturer Mercedes-Benz to enter the high-volume midsize segment before end of decade Main markets: Latin America, South Africa, Australia, and Europe Stuttgart – Before the end of the decade, Mercedes-Benz will expand its product range into a promising segment by launching the first pickup from a premium manufacturer. Thanks to their versatility, all-round utility, and payload of about one metric ton, pickups are popular across the world and thus have good sales potential.

Rosberg survives the Mexican mess | 2016 Mexican Grand Prix recap

Roughly ten messy laps defined the Mexican Grand Prix – five laps at the start and five at the end. Those laps included a couple of actual wrecks and a few more near wrecks that turned the entire day into chaos. To have any chance of winning the 2016 Driver's Championship, Lewis Hamilton needed to get his Mercedes-AMG Petronas across the finish line ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg. Once again we got a weekend full of vintage Hamilton, the Brit dominating the from Friday to Sunday, except for the first corner of the first lap. Pole-sitter Hamilton reached Turn 1 clearly in front of the field. But he couldn't make the corner and stay on track, so he zipped into the runoff area and over the grass, rejoining at Turn 3 still ahead of the field. The stewards didn't penalize Hamilton, one commentator's explanation being that Hamilton "was not battling another car." The non-action left car #44 to enjoy a lights-to-flag win. At that very same corner, Rosberg also availed himself of the runoff area. His infraction seemed destined to incur a penalty until replays showed that Max Verstappen in the Red Bull slid wide and bumped Rosberg, causing the German to go off track. No penalties were handed out there, either. Verstappen would return to hound Rosberg later in the race when angling for second place. Verstappen took a stab through Turn 4 on Lap 50 of the 71-lap race, but ran off the track and lost touch with the Mercedes by Lap 55. Ferrari got half of its strategy right in Mexico, putting Sebastian Vettel hard on the charge in the final stint. The German got within DRS range of Verstappen on Lap 67, with Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo a little more than a second behind Vettel. On Lap 68, Verstappen pulled the same move as Hamilton at the beginning of the race: the Dutchman ran wide through Turn 1, zoomed over the grass and rejoined the track at Turn 3, staying ahead of Vettel the whole time. With three laps remaining, the stewards chose to investigate after the race. In spite of Verstappen's own team telling he probably needed to cede position to Vettel, Verstappen stayed in front and slowed just enough to put Vettel under threat from Ricciardo. On Lap 70 Ricciardo had closed up to Vettel's gearbox. Headed for Turn 4, Vettel swung outside to take the corner. When Ricciardo moved inside to pass, Vettel moved inside to block the Aussie while both cars were in the braking zone. The Ferrari made light contact with the Red Bull, but Vettel held his position through Turn 5.

Win a trip to the Porsche Experience Center, including track time in a 911

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. Enter this sweepstakes today and get 150 bonus entries by signing up for the Autoblog Newsletter right here! The feeling of getting a new car is wonderful. Winning that new car, especially your dream car, feels even better, or so we would imagine. And Omaze is here with a chance to experience that feeling. Plus, between now and March 4, if you enter to win a car you'll also be entered to win a trip to the Porsche Experience Center. According to Omaze, one winner and a guest "will receive receive a one-day performance driving experience at the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles or Atlanta, which will include: 1.5 hours driving either a Porsche 911 GT3, a 911 Turbo S, or any vehicle available at the Porsche Driving Experience Center of equal or greater value (actual vehicle to be driven is subject to scheduling availability), on Porsche's private race track with a professional driver." Flights and accommodation will also be covered.  You’re probably asking yourself, what does it take to win? First of all, according to Omaze, "no donation or payment is necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes." $10 will get you 100 entries in this sweepstakes, while $50 will get you 1,000 entries and $100 will get you 2,000 entries. The best part? Each paid entry raises money for a worthy cause. See more about these causes at Omaze. Here are our favorite vehicle giveaways weÂ’ve found online this week. Win a 1958 Porsche 356 A - Enter at Omaze Every now and then, a car comes along in a sweepstakes that makes you wonder why in the world they would be giving something so beautiful away for pennies on the dollar.