2004 Mercedes Benz E500 Wagon 4matic Black on 2040-cars

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First Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive rolls off line, coming to US soon

Mercedes-Benz is about to give Americans another choice of battery-powered vehicle. Offering more all-electric range than the Nissan Leaf or BMW i3, and with a smaller price tag than the Tesla Model S, the B-Class Electric Drive is officially set to arrive in the US this summer. Indeed, the first examples have begun rolling off the production line in Rastatt, Germany. Featuring drivetrain parts from Tesla Motors, the luxury compact hits all the performance parameters mentioned during its debut at last year's New York Auto Show. For a refresher, that's a single-charge range of 200 kilometers (124 miles) along with a 0-to-100 kilometer-per-hour (62 mile-per-hour) sprint in a respectable 7.9 seconds. These achievements comes courtesy of a 28-kWh lithium battery located in the floor of the passenger compartment and a 132-kW (177-horsepower) motor powering the front wheels. Torque specs for the unit seemed to have increased somewhat and are now given as 340 Newton meters (250.77 pound-feet). It boasts an 11-kW charger and can add as much as 62 miles of range to a deleted battery in an hour and a half. Sadly, it is not Supercharger compatible. The B-Class Electric Drive, which is built on the same production line as the gasoline-powered version, is going to go on sale in Europe around the end of the year and will also come in a right-hand drive version for other markets in 2015. Although pricing has not yet been announced, Mercedes execs expect it to be quite competitive with the BMW i3. Scroll below for the press release (Google translated from German). Model offensive: Mercedes-Benz launches first major series for electric cars - the start of production at Mercedes-Benz in Rastatt: B-Class Electric Drive begins For the first time large-scale production of Mercedes-Benz models with internal combustion engine and electric drive on the same line Stefan Abraham: "With the B-Class Electric Drive we are expanding our production portfolio at the Rastatt plant is a highly innovative drive variant." In the Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt today through the first B-Class Electric Drive off the line. This makes Mercedes-Benz models are produced with internal combustion engine and electric drive on the same line at the site for the first time. The B-Class Electric Drive is based on the Mercedes-Benz front-wheel drive architecture of the new Mercedes-Benz compact car generation and uses the modular component kit.

Mercedes previews sleek concept for CES

It was over two months ago that we spotted a mysterious cloaked prototype said to belong to Mercedes, but we didn't know much about it at the time. And we still don't, but at least the German automaker has given us an idea of what to look forward to. Released on Facebook is this teaser image showing a silhouette of what appears to be that same concept car. The image is accompanied only by these few words: "The future will be bolder than you've ever imagined" and tagged by an accompanying #mbCES - which tells us only that, a) it's futuristic, which we already knew, and b) that it's coming to the CES, set to be held around a week from now in Las Vegas. The sleek one-box design appears to have some sort of appendage atop its roof – just the kind of periscope that might house, say, some cameras – leading to speculation that the idea behind this concept would be to showcase autonomous driving technology. We'd also be surprised if it weren't electric powered and – given the backdrop for its reveal – all the technology Daimler can throw at it. But one way or another, we'll be finding out soon, so watch this space. News Source: Mercedes-Benz via Facebook CES Mercedes-Benz Technology Concept Cars

2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe

Mercedes-Benz upgraded its SLS flagship Coupe and Roadster for the 2013 model year, and the changes are marked with them new "GT" nomenclature. Both SLS models arrive with a retuned naturally aspired 6.2-liter V8 delivering 583 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque (the horses are up from 563, but the torque remains the same) mated to a revised seven-speed AMG Speedshift dual-clutch gearbox. Rounding out the mechanical upgrades is a redeveloped AMG two-mode adaptive suspension. Physically, the revised models are differentiated by their new "GT" badging, darkened headlight/taillight buckets, red brake calipers, unique wheel colors and high gloss finish on the front grille, exterior mirrors and hood/fender fins. Inside the cabin are new red seatbelts, Alcantara upholstery and contrasting red stitching.
As it is nearly impossible to experience the aluminum gullwing beast on public roads, Mercedes invited out to Southern California's Willow Springs to wring out the 2013 SLS GT Coupe on a racing circuit.