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E.U. executive conditionally approves Daimler, BMW car-sharing deal

BRUSSELS — The European Union's competition authority said on Wednesday it had approved the plan of German luxury carmakers Daimler and BMW to combine their car-sharing businesses, subject to conditions. Under the deal, which includes car-sharing units Car2Go and DriveNow as well as ride-hailing, parking and charging services, Daimler and BMW will each hold 50 percent stakes in a joint venture. They have offered concessions to address E.U. antitrust concerns over the deal they hope would let them better compete with U.S. rival Uber and China's Didi Chuxing. The European Commission has found the deal would raise competition concerns for free-floating car sharing services in Berlin, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Munich and Vienna. It said Daimler and BMW agreed to a remedy package in the six cities. "The commitments thus fully address the Commission's concerns as they will reduce the barriers to entry for competing free-floating car sharing providers," the Commission said in a statement. "Therefore the Commission concluded that the proposed transaction, as modified by the commitments, would no longer raise competition concerns. The Commission's decision is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments." Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Philip Blenkinsop. Related Video:

Car cocktails and Risky Business Porsches with Brett Berk | Autoblog Podcast #502

On this week's podcast, Mike Austin and David Gluckman are joined by a special guest, Autoblog contributor Brett Berk. The three discuss cars in film and TV as well as Brett's series on car-themed cocktails. There is of course a recap of what they've all been driving lately, and the episode wraps up with Spend My Money buying advice to help you, our dear listeners. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And if you have other questions or comments, please send those too. Autoblog Podcast #502 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics and stories we mention 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV - Autoblog's 2017 Technology of the Year Car award winner 2017 Ford Shelby Mustang GT350R 2016 Kia Soul EV 2017 Audi A4 sedan The story of the Risky Business Porsche 928 The Taxi Cocktail took us for a ride The myth and mystery of The Bentley Cocktail Used cars! Rundown Intro - 00:00 What we're driving - 01:50 Brett Berk interview - 21:12 Spend My Money - 39:44 Total Duration: 54:02 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Podcasts Audi Bentley BMW Chevrolet Maserati Mercedes-Benz Porsche kia soul ev Chevrolet Bolt porsche 928 ford shelby mustang gt350r cocktails

2024 Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV tops $180,000

The 2024 Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV is staking claim to the "next era of driving pleasure," but that pleasure will come at a steep price. The company officially announced Wednesday that the super-lux, battery-electric SUV starts at $181,050 (assuming the $1,150 destination fee doesn't increase for 2024) — $50,000 more than the standard Mercedes-Benz EQS 580. And you can order one starting today.  While U.S. figures are still partially up in the air, we do have some preliminary specs. To go with its 649-horsepower output, the EQS 680 SUV was rated at 600 km of total range on the WLTP cycle, which works out to about 373 miles. While Mercedes-Benz doesn't have EPA figures to offer, the EQS 580 is rated at approximately 340 miles with the same pack and a very similar (613 km) WLTP-certified range. 0-60 comes in just 4.1 seconds on the way to a top speed of 130 MPH. Charging the EQS 680 SUV back up from 0% will take a bit longer — nearly 13 hours on a Level II AC charger — but DC fast charging (10-80%) takes just 31 minutes at its max throughput rate of 200 kW.  The Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 SUV is available with five different two-tone color combinations. All of the two-tone options will feature the lighter color on the bottom half of the SUV, since the darker tone up top better accentuates the vehicleÂ’s aerodynamics. Maybach-specific design details include vertical metal-look lines in the EQSÂ’ faux grille and a Mercedes-Benz star ornament on the hood.  ThereÂ’s a Maybach logo on the D-pillar and the taillights have a unique running light pattern. Mercedes-Benz says 21-inch wheels are standard for now; larger 22-inch wheels, as well as a sixth two-tone paint option, will come later. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.