1991 500sl Mercedes Benz Convertible Hard Roof Option on 2040-cars

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Aston Martin and Mercedes will share F1 safety car duties

LONDON — Aston Martin is set to join Mercedes next season as a provider of Formula One's official safety cars, according to media reports on Tuesday. Racefans.net reported that Aston Martin would supply safety and medical cars at 12 of the 23 scheduled races in key markets, with the existing Mercedes cars used at the rest. It said Aston Martin's new DBX SUV, which uses a Mercedes-AMG V8 engine, would be used as a medical car. There was no official confirmation from Aston Martin or Mercedes. Sources indicated to Reuters that the report was accurate, however. Mercedes has been the official provider of the cars, which are deployed in the event of an incident or bad weather to keep the field lapping safely, since 1996 but that deal runs out at the end of this year. A shared supply would make sense for both carmakers, who already have close ties. Aston Martin's executive chairman Lawrence Stroll also owns the Racing Point team, who will race as Aston Martin from next season with four times world champion Sebastian Vettel arriving from Ferrari. Mercedes, a part of Daimler, is set to raise its stake in Aston Martin to up to 20% by 2023. Toto Wolff, principal of the Mercedes factory team, also has a private stake in Aston Martin. Related Video: Motorsports Aston Martin Mercedes-Benz F1

Mercedes-AMG Sprinter63 S is a perfect April Fools' prank

The pranksters at Mercedes-Benz USA need to check their calendars because April Fools' Day isn't until tomorrow. Still, the folks over there deserve points for taking something that should be absolutely absurd and making it look great. Meet the Mercedes-AMG Sprinter63 S. This utilitarian van can seriously haul the mail thanks to the performance division's latest 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 boasting 503 horsepower under the hood. With a retuned suspension and rear diffuser, it should hold the road with aplomb while delivering packages at very high speeds. We really have to give Mercedes credit on the renderings too because they almost look realistic. However, the company misses the chance to really take things over the top by not basing the AMG Sprinter on the latest 4X4 model. When driving a performance van with over 500-horsepower putting your foot down should mean billows of tire smoke from the front and rear axles. Related Video: Introducing the all-new Mercedes-AMG Sprinter63 S. A combination of legendary performance and driving dynamics from Mercedes-AMG with the utility and capacity of a Sprinter Van. Ready to attack corners with its AMG custom-engineered sport suspension, the Sprinter63 S is powered by a 503hp handcrafted 4.0-liter biturbo V-8-which means it's also ready to haul a lot more than just cargo. It's exactly what you'd expect of our high performance division, if they were given the keys to a Sprinter van.

Daimler chairman agrees with German Greens on reducing emissions

Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche spoke at a Green Party congress in Germany earlier this week and said he agreed with the party's urge to dramatically cut transportation-based greenhouse-gas emissions by expanding plug-in vehicle sales, Reuters says. Zetsche stopped short of backing the Greens' suggestion to ban gas- and diesel-powered vehicles by 2030, though. The man must keep his job, after all. Zetsche did say that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from the transportation sector was "necessary," and his company has made plans to do just that. Daimler representatives said at the Paris Motor Show earlier this year that Smart and Mercedes-Benz both planned to debut more than 10 electric vehicles within the next decade, and that plug-ins may account for as much as 25 percent of Mercedes-Benz's sales by then. Moreover, Dr. Thomas Weber, Head of Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, said in June that Mercedes could be selling as many as 100,000 EVs a year by the end of the decade. Last month, Mercedes-Benz announced that its EQ electric-SUV concept would go on sale by 2020, and that the Bremen factory that's producing the model will broaden its plug-in vehicle production further. Zetsche's cautious support notwithstanding, the German government appears to be doing its own part to reduce emissions from the country's light-duty vehicles. Earlier this year, Germany enacted a plan that provides as much as 4,000 euros ($4,270) in perks for people who buy new electric vehicles, with German automakers agreeing to foot about half of the estimated $1.4 billion bill. German lawmakers had also floated the idea of a 10-year moratorium on electric-vehicle taxes for cars purchased before 2020. Related Video: News Source: Reuters via Automotive News Europe-sub.req.Image Credit: Ralph Orlowski / Reuters Government/Legal Green Mercedes-Benz smart Electric