1990 Mercedes Benz 300sel W126 Sedan - Two Owners, Classic Luxury Car on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Mercedes GLE to debut in NY, will get plug-in variant

On the eve of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of Daimler AG, said that 2015 will be the "Year of the SUV" at Mercedes-Benz. This means a host of new and updated sport-utility and crossover models, kicked off with the debut of the GLE-Class Coupe (pictured above) – in 450 AMG Sport and Mercedes-AMG GLE63 variants – here in the Motor City. But there's far more in store throughout the year. First, Mercedes has confirmed it will debut the non-coupe GLE-Class – the M-Class replacement – at the New York Auto Show in April. It will share most of its architecture with the GLE Coupe revealed here in Detroit, but will also come with a plug-in hybrid option. Mercedes-Benz debuted an S-Class Plug-In Hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, and will expand this technology to other core models in its range. First, we will see the C350 Plug-In Hybrid, which also makes its debut here in Detroit. Beyond that, Mercedes has confirmed that the GLE-Class will benefit from a plug-in option, as will the upcoming GLC-Class crossover – the renamed replacement for the GLK. No official timing has been given for the GLC, but Mercedes confirms that both it and its largest utility vehicle – the GLS-Class (currently known as the GL-Class) – will debut "later this year." Year of the SUV, indeed. Featured Gallery 2016 Mercedes-AMG GLE63 Coupe View 9 Photos Green Detroit Auto Show New York Auto Show Mercedes-Benz Crossover SUV Hybrid Luxury PHEV 2015 Detroit Auto Show mercedes glk-class mercedes gl-class mercedes gle-class mercedes glc-class mercedes gls-class

Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG coming to the New York Auto Show

Mercedes-Benz showed off the CLA45 AMG at a private event on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show, but was determined not to let it be photographed. We can talk about it, though - after all, a teaser image was released to promote the new Sony game Drive Club. The CLA45 AMG will use the same powertrain as the A45 AMG, which means a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 360 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. And that means a small four-door coupe sedan with the highest horsepower-per-liter in the segment. It will shift through the same seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, should also run out of speed at 155 miles per hour and have that three-stage stability control system.
As with its hatch sibling, the CLA is already so aggressive on the outside - and the parent company so anxious not to demolish the sedan's 0.22 coefficient of drag - that not much has been done to the cranked-up CLA. Even the rather thin tires on the standard only get a little less thin on the hotter variant. Inside will be the telltale AMG signs, with lots of red detailing and that flat-bottomed wheel among the giveaways. We'll know more later this month when the wraps come off at the New York International Auto Show.

X1, 3 Series power BMW back into global luxury autos sales lead

BMW managed to eke ahead of Audi for the global luxury sales crown in February. According to Bloomberg, BMW saw deliveries swell by 7 percent in February, besting the 3.2 percent jump enjoyed by Audi and giving BMW a 407-unit delivery lead over its rival last month. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, continued to falter, with the brand selling some 37,229 fewer machines than BMW, whose factories are running at full capacity to keep up with demand. Models like the X1 (shown above) enjoyed a sales increase of 40 percent in February while the company's bread-and-butter 3 Series jumped by 26 percent.
Mercedes-Benz hopes to stem its continued market share loss with the addition of the entry-level CLA sedan to its portfolio in April. The company is set to roll out an updated version of its cash-cow E-Class at the same time, and a new-generation S-Class will follow along shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, the company is increasing production to meet demand for its A and B-Class models.