2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coup

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe Base Price: $55,525

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe As-Tested Price: $63,345

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe : 5.5-liter V8; RWD, seven-speed automatic

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe Output: 382 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 391 lb-ft @ 2,800-4,800 rpm

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe Curb Weight: 3,783 lb

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 18/17.8 mpg

2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 coupe Options: P02 Premium Package including COMAND with 40GB hard-drive GPS navigation, real-time traffic data, voice control, 6GB music register, Harman/Kardon LOGIC7 surround-sound system with Dolby Digital 5.1, HD radio, Sirius satellite radio, iPod/MP3 media interface, iPod/MP3 media interface cable, power rear-window sunshade, rearview camera, heated and active ventilated front seats, bixenon headlamps with active curve illumination, adaptive high-beam assist, LED daytime running lamps, LED front turn indicators, headlamp washers, Keyless-Go ($6,350); 318 wood/leather steering-wheel package including wood/leather steering wheel and shift knob ($750); steel grey paint ($720)

Maybach May Never Be Back : Mercedes

The super luxury brand from the Mercedes stable, Maybach, may finally be nearing the end of its life-cycle. This is not the first time that news of the brand’s demise has been discussed in the media. The Maybach brand has had serious problems ever since it was brought back eight years ago.
The reasons behind the brand’s demise are many. There have been no new models in the pipeline recently. The sales figure for the brand has been abysmal, with nearly a third of what its closest rival Rolls-Royce has. Lastly, the demand for hyper-expensive, ultra-luxurious cars around the globe has fallen down considerably. All these reasons have considerably added to the slow death of the brand. Now, with theMaybach gone, Mercedes shall focus more on the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class model, refurnishing it with better design and radical styling. Mercedes is reported to be pushing the upcoming S-Class as a substitute to the Maybach models.

2010 Bahrain Grand Prix: A decent finish for Mercedes GP

MERCEDES GP PETRONAS’ Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher take fifth and sixth place respectively in the opening race of the Formula One 2010 season in Bahrain. Both drivers had to struggle with soft option tires before changing to prime tires during their one and only pit stop.

The seven-time world champion Schumacher says he had fun in his comeback race and thanks the team for their tremendous support. Head honcho Ross Brawn believes they were out of pace, but is confident the cars will be more than ready to challenge for podium on the next grand prix in Australia.

Meanwhile, it was two-time world champion Fernando Alonso’s time to shine as he plucks the first ever top podium spot for the 2010 season in his debut for Scuderia Ferrari. Teammate Felipe Massa takes second while McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton took third.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Spy Shots

Mercedes-Benz C-Class
next Mercedes-Benz C-Class undergoing winter testing, and these latest shots give us the clearest look yet at the entry-level luxury sedan's updated front and rear. The baby Benz should make its official debut later this year, and these photos clearly show that we can expect some mild yet substantive alterations to their appearance.

Mercedes Rumored to Bring its B-Class to the US

For the past couple years, Mercedes-Benz B-Class has been itching to break into the US small-car market. With the unnecessary SUV craze gasping its last few breaths and a renewed emphasis on automotive efficiency, now is the perfect time.


Most speculate that Mercedes is prepping their European B-Class platform for the US in SUV, hatchback and small car forms. The next generation B-Class is scheduled to go on sale in Europe next year and was displayed at the Geneva Show this past week.


Given the surge of economy cars and the noticeable lack of any upmarket small-car offerings in the States, the market for a pint-size Mercedes surely exists. After all, the elite can't be expected to maintain an eco-minded facade and roll around in guzzling luxo-barges, nor plebeian econo-boxes and homely hybrids.


An important draw to an American B-Class would be some sort of alternative drive-train. These days, if it doesn't have some original, cutting-edge energy saving feature, it probably isn't worth discussing. Marketability could benefit greatly from some hybrid variation or one of Mercedes' legendary diesels. Adding BlueTec technology to one of the diesels offered in the European B-Class could fair very well here.


Mercedes has also been toying with fuel cell technology for years and the B-Class is one of its prototype platforms dubbed the F-Cell. I got a chance to drive the Mercedes F-Cell at the Detroit Auto Show this year. The silent electric retained surprising amounts of interior space given its smaller exterior dimensions. The full-featured car was able to seat a rather lanky Mercedes representative in the back seat comfortably. Fuel Cells are a very promising technology, but held back by inadequate infrastructure and various other industry setbacks.

Mercedes Builds A Car To Protect Us

Mercedes-Benz has been on a relentless quest to achieve hyper-safe accident-free driving since 1959, when it introduced the first car to feature energy-absorbing crumple zones. At long last, it’s getting pretty close to reaching its goal.

The Experimental Safety Vehicle concept car essentially turns the entire vehicle into an airbag using novel metal panels that inflate moments before impact. The company’s first all-out attempt at building a perfectly safe car since the original ESF in 1974 is packed with technology designed to save us from ourselves. Mercedes recently opened the doors to its North American headquarters to tell us more about the car.

Mercedes isn’t alone on its quest. Volvo, to name one example, wants to offer an almost injury-proof car by 2020, and Sweden’s head of traffic safety says it will be the biggest revolution in the auto industry since the seatbelt. Automakers are pouring colossal amounts of money into the campaign to increase safety, something Mercedes says is imperative.

Read More http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/03/mercedes-esf-2009-safety-concept/#ixzz0i2lSeQgR

Mercedes May Help Owners Get Inexpensive Auto Insurance

Mercedes has long been known as one of the safest vehicles on the road, but that hasn’t stopped the car manufacturer from attempting accident free driving. Its newest protocol, the Experimental Safety Vehicle, demonstrates some impressive new features that could reduce injury and death, and possibly even accidents. If brought to market, you can bet you will see inexpensive auto insurance rates for drivers of Mercedes.

The car essentially turns itself into a giant airbag just before impact to protect the driver and passengers inside. Here’s how it works.

There are video cameras and infrared sensors around the vehicle that can “see” an accident before it happens and react accordingly. This foresight is what Mercedes calls “pre-safety.”

If the car detects danger, the seats move inward up to 50 millimeters, which is supposed to reduce the force of impact on those in the car by one third. Airbags are activated before impact, and get this: there is a giant airbag located on the undercarriage of the vehicle that further absorbs impact. We wouldn’t be surprised if insurers offer inexpensive auto insurance rates for this feature alone.

This braking bag is mounted at the front of the Mercedes, and can raise the car up to 8 centimeters to help the car slow and reduce brake dive caused by slamming on the brake. When the car lifts thanks to the airbag, the passengers are pushed back in their seats, which keeps them safer.

Mercedes to offer B-class and CUV to North America?

In the United States, the Mercedes-Benz product portfolio starts off with the C-Class sedan. There are no A-class or B-class players here, which makes the alphabet a bit messed up as well as displeases buyers as they have no cheaper option at hand than the rather pricey C-Class.

It seems the people over at Mercedes-Benz finally realised (part of) this aspect, and decided to offer American and Canadians the possibility of purchasing a B-Class personal car. That’s what we hear in this report from Automotive News at least

We also heard that the we hear that the F-800’s controversial snout is in fact a near match for the next-gen E, and that America could receive a sedan version of the rumored B-Class lineup as well.

So when will the U.S. get cheaper, more fuel efficient Mercedeses, be it B-Class A-Class or some-class?. No one can say for sure at this point. Joachim Schmidt, sales and marketing chief at MB:

2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet Test Drive

2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet The real tragedy of the new E-Class Cabriolet lies in the fact that Mercedes-Benz has zero plans to bring any of its clean-diesel models to our ports. European buyers will have the choice between a total of six powerful and efficient diesel mills, 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet the most impressive of which is a turbocharged 2.2-liter four-cylinder with 170 hp that manages 44 mpg on the U.S. cycle.

2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet But that gripe aside, American buyers will have the option of a honking V8, which pounds out some 382 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque. When combined with the seven-speed automatic transmission, the acceleration is positively explosive – but more on that later. If you're not into having your torso smashed into the seat every time you press the long pedal, you can have your Cabriolet in E350 trim, which uses a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 268 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The six-cylinder enlists the same seven-speed automatic transmission.

While most manufacturers are at least flirting with retractable hardtops these days, Mercedes-Benz has decided to stick with a traditional soft-top for its convertibles. We're not talking about the noisy, cold cloth contraptions of days gone by, however. The top is a multilayered unit that keeps sound and the elements at bay while not tacking on any unnecessary pounds. While hardtops come closer to replicating fixed-roof cars, they typically intrude on passenger space, a downside the E-Class does not suffer. The top does, however, dramatically reduce trunk space, when lowered, from 13.8 cubic feet to just 3.2.

Mercedes-Benz unveils C 250 CGI variant

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sdn Bhd is targeting to sell between 200 and 300 units of its latest Mercedes-Benz C 250 CGI (charged gasoline injection) Avantgarde variant this year.

Its vice-president of sales and marketing for passenger cars Florian Mueller said the company had already secured some 80 bookings for the new car.

“The interest in the C 250 CGI is high as it comes with a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine that delivers the performance of a 2.5-litre car but has a comparatively lower fuel consumption,” he said at the variant’s launch at the Sepang International Circuit yesterday.
Priced at RM287,888, the C 250 CGI which is locally assembled, will be sold alongside with the older C 200 Kompressor variant which is sold at RM248,888.

At the event, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia also launched its fully imported C 300 Avantgarde Estate variant which is priced at RM396,888.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia is aiming to sell over 4,200 cars this year, of which some 40% of the sales would be taken up by the C-Class model.

Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 Tests Future Safety

Mercedes-Benz’s ESF 2009 experimental safety vehicle made one last pitstop before a gaggle of American reporters in northern New Jersey. It offered a tantalizing glimpse of more than a dozen different systems designed to make driving (and crashing) safer.

Closest on the horizon is a new type of child seat, according to the ESF’s project manager, Michael Fehring. The Child Protect System is essentially a child seat with steel reinforced padded bolsters and a cut-out backrest to accommodate children from three to 12 years old. The steel supports and side pads are intended to protect tots from car parts penetrating the interior, and it makes current plastic booster seats look like Tinker Toys. Unfortunately, the seat, which will fit in any vehicle, probably won’t hit the market for three years, said Mr. Fehring.

Further into the future is the possibility of active door supports that pop out on the sides of the car 20 to 30 milliseconds before a crash to protect from side impacts. Complementary to this are “interseat protection” systems, including a firm air bag that deploys near the side the driver’s headrest in the event of a rollover. It’s intended to prevent driver and passenger from injuring each other.