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Mercedes-Benz killing Maybach in 2013, replacing with S600 Pullman

According to an unnamed Mercedes-Benz source speaking with AutoWeek, the German automaker is killing off its Maybach line in 2013.
The unsurprising news comes after the brand was resurrected in 2002, but failed to meet sales expectations with its two core models, the Maybach 57 and 62. Further solidifying its fate, a deal with Aston Martin to aid in the development of future Maybachs fell through earlier this year.
According to the AutoWeek insider, the plan is to continue to sell both Maybach models through the end of 2013, after which the fifth-generation S-Class will go on sale. When that happens, three new variants of the S-Class will be available, including an all-new, range-topping S600 that brings back the Pullman moniker and may be better suited to competing with the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

As US exports top 2 million, is America becoming the world's source of cheap cars?

North American auto production is booming with 2014 figures just shy of the of the 17.3-million vehicle record set in 2000. With more models being built on the continent, even more are being shipped overseas. Factories in the US exported 2.1 million cars last year – the highest number ever. About half of those went to Canada and Mexico, but more than ever have been heading to places like the Middle East and China. The upswing comes in part from from after-effects from the Great Recession, according to The Wall Street Journal. With a weak dollar and lower production costs after the financial crisis, building vehicles in the US was relatively cheaper and more competitive in the world. At the same time buyers around the world are going crazy for crossovers. According to the WSJ, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are already exporting the majority of their US production of these models overseas. Both automakers have also announced investments to expand production further here to send more vehicles abroad. Even Honda has been shipping more models out of the country than it imported here. There is a concern this international strength could start slowing because the dollar is strengthening against other currencies, though it's too early to know what the actual effect of this could be, according to the WSJ. "Of course, we closely watch currency exchange, but we don't make changes in production or allocation based on temporary fluctuations in the exchange rate," Ford North American boss Joe Hinrichs told the newspaper. Related Video: News Source: The Wall Street Journal - sub. req.Image Credit: BMW Plants/Manufacturing BMW Ford Honda Mercedes-Benz exports us auto production

2016 Mercedes-Benz C350 Plug-In Hybrid on sale this fall

The Mercedes-Benz C350 Plug-In Hybrid can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than six seconds and can travel 20 miles in all-electric range. As for the more practical issues related to the new PHEV, well, those details will have to wait a bit longer. The C350 Plug-In Hybrid makes its official debut at the Detroit Auto Show this week. The electrified Mercedes will start US sales this fall as a 2016 model. The sedan's four-cylinder, 1.9-liter, turbocharged gasoline engine will be paired with an electric motor that will deliver a combined 275 horsepower. The car will also have such goodies as regenerative braking and collision-avoidance systems, not to mention a top speed of 130 mph. We're still waiting for the car's estimated fuel economy, of course. Not to mention its sticker price. Spy shots of the C-Class PHEV started popping up in May, as well as reports that the Daimler division was testing prototypes in Germany. Meanwhile, this past summer, Mercedes-Benz started taking payments for the S500 Plug-In Hybrid, the German automaker's first production plug-in vehicle. That model, which started European deliveries last September, can zip from 0 to 60 in about five seconds. It also costs about $146,000.