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Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe caught on a presentation slide

The Internet can define the word "patience," but the Internet doesn't have any. The Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe is slated for reveal in just a few days and it's been teased by the company, but we now have our first look at the real thing thanks to some sneaky camera technique during a presentation. Someone photographed two slides showing the coming Affalterbach coupe from the front three-quarter view and the rear. The C-Class coupe was just officially unveiled several days ago and It's not like we don't know the formula for this, but we still think this is a good looking sharpening of the coupe shape. Assuming the usual AMG model bifurcation, there will be a standard AMG C63 Coupe with a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 putting out 469 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, and an S model with 503 hp and 516 lb-ft, both working through a seven-speed transmission. In addition to its greater power, the S gets a higher top speed. In a couple of days we'll have the rest of info and a lengthy press release.

Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

As leaders for the United Auto Workers gather in Detroit for their Special Convention on Collective Bargaining to work out the negotiating stance for this year's new labor agreements with the Detroit 3 automakers, what they most want to do is figure out how to eliminate the two-tier wage scale. However, the lower Tier 2 wage has allowed the domestic automakers to reduce their labor costs, hire more workers, and compete better with their import competition. As it stands, per-hour labor rates including benefits are $58 at General Motors, $57 at Ford, and $48 at Fiat-Chrysler – a reflection of FCA's much greater number of Tier 2 workers. The Center for Automotive Research released a study of labor rates (including benefits) that put numbers to what the imports pay: Mercedes-Benz pays the most, at an average of $65 per hour, Volkswagen pays the least, at $38 per hour, and BMW is just a hair above that at $39 per hour. Among the Detroit competitors, Honda workers earn an average of $49 per hour, at Toyota it's $48 per hour, Nissan is $42 per hour, and Hyundai-Kia pays $41 per hour. The lower import wages are aided by their greater use of temporary workers compared to the domestics. Automotive News says the ten-dollar gap between those foreign camakers and the domestics turns out to about an extra $250 per car in labor, which adds up quickly when you're pumping out many millions of cars. That $250-per-car number is one that, come negotiating time, the Detroit 3 will want to reduce, as the UAW is trying to raise both Tier 1 and Tier 2 wages. Another wrinkle is that the domestic carmakers are considering the wide adoption of a third wage level lower than Tier 2. Some workers who do minor tasks like assembling parts trays kits and battery packs already make less than Tier 2, but the UAW will be quite wary about cementing yet another wage scale at the bottom of the system while it's trying to fight a bigger battle at the top. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., BloombergImage Credit: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions BMW Chevrolet Fiat Ford GM Honda Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Nissan Toyota Volkswagen labor wages collective bargaining labor costs

Aston Martin and Mercedes-AMG bicycles: Luxury branding has no bounds

Luxury automobile companies are never quite satisfied with building high-end cars. They often stray into other types of branded merchandise that can have little to do with cars, such as the BMW Active line of clothing and accessories. Splitting the difference between branded merchandise and actual vehicles are these two limited-production bicycles from Mercedes and Aston Martin. The bike above is a collaboration between Mercedes-AMG and German bicycle brand Rotwild, a builder that has been around since 1996, according to the company's website. The bicycle in question is the R.S2 "Beast of the Green Hell." It's inspired by the Mercedes-AMG GT R sports car that was promoted with the same nickname. It uses a carbon frame and wheels, as well as disc brakes. It's also painted in green and black to match the Green Hell Magno color available on the GT R. Only 50 of them will be built, and each will carry a pricetag of over ˆ7,000, or nearly $8,300 at current exchange rates, including tax. View 4 Photos The second bicycle is from Aston Martin and another German bicycle company, this one called Storck Bicycles. This bike company has also only been around since 1995. The bike is called the Fascenario.3 Aston Martin Edition, and it will be a bit less rare than the Mercedes bicycle, with 107 total units. It's still a cool vehicle, though, featuring a carbon frame and wireless shifters. In total it weighs 13 pounds. It does lack the disc brakes of the Mercedes bicycle, though. Pricing hasn't been announced for the Aston Martin bike, but don't expect it to be cheap. Related Video: Featured Gallery ROTWILD R.S2 Limited Edition Mercedes-AMG GT R bicycle View 9 Photos Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz, Aston Martin Green Weird Car News Aston Martin Mercedes-Benz Performance mercedes-amg