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Mercedes-AMG working on a successor to the SLR?

It's been mere days since Mercedes-AMG chairman Tobias Moers told journalists at the LA Auto Show that his brand would not develop a super coupe to challenge the likes of the Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari - at least, not right now. Nevertheless, German magazine Auto Bild has the story that AMG is "considering" a successor to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, which, technically, wouldn't need to be a competitor at the great-white-shark end of the supercar spectrum. According to Auto Bild's sources, Considerations have apparently gone far enough for engineers to be debating whether to develop such a car on the brand's Modular Sports Architecture (MSA) that will support the next-generation SL-Class, which would necessitate a front-engined car, or to do a mid-engined monster. An MSA-based coupe would use a supercharged V6 to power the rear wheels with an electric motor working the fronts, and somewhere around 650 horsepower would get the help of active aerodynamics to make the most of its potential. Production numbers of roughly 3,000 units per year are tied to a price of at least $260,000 or more. Discussions around a mid-engined supercar, on the other hand, go all the way with composite body wrapped around a supercharged V8, a total of of supposedly 1,050 horsepower with the aid of two 125-kW motors on the front axle, all-wheel drive and lots of ground-effects aero to tame it, and a price of "over one million euros" for a limited run of no more than 750 units. Either car would begin with a coupe model, followed by a roadster, a Black Series, and a GT3 version. The SLR could be considered in between these two, but closer to the MSA-based car. A collaboration between Mercedes and McLaren, it made 617 horsepower from a front-mounted, supercharged 5.4-liter V8 and cost $450,000 at a time when the Porsche Carrera GT cost $444,000 and the Ferrari Enzo cost $643,000. It's biggest problem was that it wasn't very good as a supercar, and Auto Bild posits that AMG might want to correct that blemish on the corporate record. Moers said at the auto show that AMG doesn't have the engineering capacity right now to do this kind of car. He also said he thought the marketplace wouldn't accept AMG as a hypercar brand, but talks with customers in prime markets "give me a different view to that." Related Video:

First official shot of Mercedes S-Class Coupe leaks out

With the official debut for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe expected tomorrow, it shouldn't be a surprise that some clicky fingers have already managed to uncover an official image of the car before the unveiling. Outside of this sole image, though, there's precious little detail on the new car.
First posted by Autofilou and then picked up by WorldCarFans, the production S-Class Coupe isn't far off from the concept car we saw a few months back in Frankfurt. Like the concept, the leggy production model appears related, albeit distantly, to the S-Class Sedan. The hood and front fascia are longer and lower, befitting of a two-door, while the character lines in the profile are more pronounced. Obviously, the beltline and slim, B-pillarless greenhouse are coupe-only items. We can't see any details on the back of the car, although it does appear that the long hood has a correspondingly short rear deck.
We'll have all the details on the official replacement for the CL-Class when it makes its full debut tomorrow. Until then, what do you think of this lone image? Does it appear that Mercedes has got it right? In terms of design, where would you rank this with the departing CL-Class? Have your say in Comments.

Mercedes Alabama ops ordered to allow workers to discuss unionization

A decision last week by the National Labor Relations Board has bolstered the efforts of the United Auto Workers at Mercedes-Benz's Tuscaloosa, AL factory, as the union continues its attempts to represent the factory's workers. According to Reuters, the NLRB ruled that Mercedes-Benz US International, the proper name of the company behind the Tuscaloosa factory, can no longer prevent workers from discussing unionization in work areas while off the clock. While MBUSI maintains that it's not taking a side on unionization and that it wants the "the decision left to our team members," the UAW is still arguing that the US facility should take the same position on unions that the rest the world's Mercedes-Benz plants take and. Speaking to Reuters, the UAW says that stance "acknowledges the human right to form trade unions" and "respects the right of collective bargaining." According to Reuters, the Alabama factory employs 3,500 workers – 2,500 full time and 1,000 "temporary" – and is the only Daimler-owned factory on the planet not to offer employees the opportunity for representation. Presently, the Tuscaloosa facility assembles Mercedes' C-Class, GL-Class and M-Class vehicles.