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Daimler rebuffs Geely offer to buy stake

HONG KONG/BEIJING - Daimler AG has turned down an offer from China's Geely to take a stake of up to 5 percent via a discounted share placement, as the German automaker has long been reluctant to see existing shareholdings diluted, sources with knowledge of the talks said. A stake of that size would be worth $4.5 billion at current market prices. Although Daimler declined the offer, it told Geely it was welcome to buy shares in the open market, the sources added. Carmakers in China have embarked on a flurry of dealmaking, as they scramble to boost production of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles ahead of tough new quotas to be imposed by Beijing, which wants to reduce urban smog and lower the country's reliance on oil. People with knowledge of Geely's thinking said the company was keen to access Daimler's electric car battery technology and wanted to establish an electric car joint venture in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province. Geely, which also owns Swedish car maker Volvo, is still hopeful it can secure a deal in some form over the coming weeks, they added. The two automakers met in Beijing in recent weeks at Geely's behest. There, the Chinese firm, formally known as Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, offered to take a stake of between 3 percent and 5 percent if Daimler would issue new shares at a discount, the sources said. It was not immediately clear what kind of discount for the shares Geely had in mind or whether Geely was interested in buying the shares on the open market. A spokesman for Geely declined to comment. A spokesman for Daimler said the company was "very happy with our shareholder structure at present", but added that it would welcome new investors with a long-term interest in the company. Shares in Daimler were up 1 percent in early Wednesday trade, in line with the broader market.DAIMLER ALREADY TIED TO BAIC, BYD Geely, which has a market value of some $32 billion, is the leading domestic brand in China with a 5 percent market share, according to an analysis by Nomura Securities. A stake of 5 percent would establish it as Daimler's third-largest shareholder behind the Kuwait Investment Authority and BlackRock, who hold 6.8 percent and 6 percent respectively, according to Reuters data.

Mercedes AMG GT3 racecar due in 2016

Our life with the Mercedes-AMG GT has only just begun, and a full life it looks like it will be. The latest in preposterous two-doors from AMG is launching in GT and GT S flavors, but a few more branches of the family tree are already planned: a racing entry for the FIA GT3 championship is scheduled to appear in 2016, giving the current SLS AMG GT3 another year to gobble up victories before it takes a drive across the Styx. More exciting for those who only suit up on Sunday for church, whispers are that a we'll also get a streetable version of the race car - not called "GT3" because that alphanumeric is owned by Porsche, but definitely aimed at its Stuttgart rival. AMG boss Tobias Moers told Autocar the objective for that car is "more power, less weight, better aerodynamics and different suspension but the targets should be the power to weight ratio, drivability, lap time and tremendous feel." Those targets will be aided by a carbon fiber weight-loss regime of up to 220 pounds and more power - perhaps 550 horsepower - from the currently "very understressed" engine. Supposing that still isn't enough for you, then the Black Series version should curl your toes, if you can wait until 2018 for it.

2016 Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG Sport bridges the gap between C300 and C63

Mercedes-Benz is looking to its new C-Class for the second member of its new AMG Sport line, unveiling the C450 AMG 4Matic at today's 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Like the GLE450 AMG Coupe that debuted in early December, this particular C-Class bridges the gap between the standard C300 and the new Mercedes-AMG C63. Considering this, the C450 builds on the standard C400's 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6, rather than getting a bespoke, high-performance engine. Output is up from 329 horsepower to 362 ponies, while torque is turned up from 354 pound-feet to 384 lb-ft. The result of these upgrades is a zippy 0-60-mile-per-hour sprint of 4.9 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. Those figures are identical to the Audi S4, while the BMW 335i xDrive is just a smidge quicker to 60, getting there in 4.8 seconds (the Bimmer is, however, limited to just 130 mph). Shuffling the 3.0-liter's grunt to a 4Matic all-wheel-drive system is the responsibility of Mercedes 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox that, despite not being a member of AMG's Speedshift dual-clutch family, still has its own mind for performance. Along with a quick-shifting, automatic Sport Plus mode, the C450 has a full manual shifting mode that, notably, will not automatically upshift, even when the engine is bouncing off the rev limiter. The C450 AMG hasn't only had its straight-line abilities boosted. Mercedes saw fit to include an AMG adaptive sport suspension with three-stage adjustable dampers, which have been pilfered from the C63 AMG. Paired with the aforementioned all-wheel-drive system, which can send up to two-thirds of its power to the rear axle, it's a fair to say this particular sedan should be one of the brand's more agile and entertaining. Beyond the mechanical bits, Mercedes has beefed up the exterior and interior aesthetics for its second AMG Sport model. The exterior has been touched up with new, staggered 18-inch, five-spoke wheels (or optional 19s), a more aggressive front fascia, a new rear bumper with a matte iridium diffuser, distinctive AMG badges and plenty of chrome and gloss-black elements. The cabin, meanwhile, is home to black MB Tex upholstery with red contrast stitching on the dash and doors, while AMG-specific upholstery lines the sport seats. The flat-bottomed, three-spokes steering wheel, meanwhile, is finished in Nappa leather. We'll have more on the 2016 C450 AMG Sport, including live images, coming soon from the floor of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.