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SRT Viper dukes it out with Mercedes SLS Black Series in new Head 2 Head

In Episode 36 of Motor Trend's Head 2 Head, now that the Corvette ZR1 is no more, Jonny Lieberman has to look overseas to the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series for a challenger with similar philosophy to the SRT Viper: long hood hiding a high-horsepower engine set way back, rear-wheel drive, tiny trunks. That puts the Viper's 8.4-liter V10 with 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque against the SLS AMG's 6.2-liter V8 with 622 hp and 468 lb-ft.
However, the congruences in philosophy and magnitude of numbers doesn't translate to the driving experiences of the two, which are literally and figuratively on different continents. Lieberman gets a handle on the two of them on Northern California roads, Randy Probst then finds out how, and how quickly, they can lap Laguna Seca.
They both get kudos for being improvements on their original sources, but only one of them can take the win. You can find out by watching the video below.

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

Mercedes-Maybach SUV concept: Vision Ultimate Luxury interior teased

Mercedes-Maybach posted a teaser video of what it calls "the ultimate in luxury" last week, saying that the featured, yet-to-be-named vehicle would be presented in the Beijing Motor Show. Now there's a teaser sketch giving us a wider look of the concept's interior, as well as a name. The concept also has a name by now: the Vision Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury. We guess that might have been coming, even if the name isn't exactly concise. But, the accompanying release also informs us that the concept is a combination of a high-end sedan and an SUV, confirming that it is indeed the high-riding vehicle that's been rumored for a while. The interior sketch also shows a very wide center console with stylized grab handles, which suit the SUV dimensions and aesthetic, without being as trucklike as the Maybach G650 Landaulet's interior. As well as the lavish two-tone color scheme and the touch of wood on the door panel, the concept interior shows a wide color instrument display ahead of the driver. The gear selectors are paddle shifters next to the chunky steering wheel rim, and the controls seem to have been grouped on the wheel's spokes, leaving just a few switches on the dashboard. Autocar reports that the concept will be followed by a 2019 production version, slated to debut at the Los Angeles show at the end of this year. It would be based on the Mercedes-Benz GLS, but with a more bespoke design inside out, as hinted by the concept. Basing it on the GLS would mean Mercedes would be manufacturing it at the Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama, making it the first Maybach built in the U.S. Related Video: Image Credit: Mercedes-Maybach Beijing Motor Show Maybach Mercedes-Benz SUV Concept Cars Luxury mercedes-maybach