2005 Mercedes-benz C230 Kompressor Sport on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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.

Mercedes pays tribute to 1955 Mille Miglia with special-edition SL

The Mercedes-Benz SL is one of the longest-running nameplates in the business, and its history has been marked with numerous achievements. But few were as impressive as the 1955 running of the Mille Miglia, and Mercedes pays tribute to that race and the results it achieved there with this latest special-edition roadster. Called the SL Special Edition Mille Miglia 417, this roadster starts with the eight-cylinder SL550 with dynamic stability management and adaptive damping and adds on several highlights. Red trim adorns the front spoiler, the stripe across the matte carbon rear spoiler, the brake calipers and the rims of the black AMG Performance wheels. The red pieces accent the matte black paint, while the interior features AMG Line sports seats with carbon-finish leather and red trim, along with a red and black nappa leather steering wheel and carbon trim. The SL arrives 60 years after the Mille Miglia in which a 300 SL driven by American gentleman racer John Fitch - bearing the number 417 and starting at 4:17 a.m. - led a 1-2-3 class finish, landing fifth overall and leaving many purpose-built racers in the dust. The special edition is confirmed for the US, arriving this fall with pricing to be announced closer to launch. SPECIAL EDITION SL "MILLE MIGLIA 417" Exclusive SL passion February 17, 2015 - Stuttgart -- Mercedes-Benz celebrates the 60th anniversary of a memorable motor racing success with an extraordinary special model of the SL Roadster. Its name commemorates the unexpected victory of a 300 SL in the production sports cars class at the 1955 "Mille Miglia", one of the world's most challenging long-distance races. What's more: the SL Special Edition "Mille Miglia 417" provides a special experience of the unique symbiosis of maximum comfort and motor racing spirit that traditionally characterizes every SL. The Special Edition adds a distinctive note, among other things, with red exterior highlights and fine materials in the exclusively appointed interior. The Mercedes-Benz SL Roadster is more than an icon. Passion shapes its character and its charisma – in the past and today. Legendary vehicles and their stories dominate the model history. One of them is told by the SL that started the famous "Mille Miglia" in 1955 with race number 417 at 4:17 am. After 11 hours, 29 minutes and 21 seconds it had completed the race distance of 1597 kilometres on public roads from Brescia to Rome and back.

US buyers show little interest in big hybrids

The idea of producing large, luxury-vehicle hybrids is turning into a "what were they thinking?" exercise in futility, USA Today reports. General Motors is discontinuing hybrid versions of the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs, while Mercedes-Benz and Toyota's Lexus division are doing the same with their S-Class hybrid and LS hybrid sedans, respectively. The culprit? Big price increases for fuel economy improvements that border on the unimpressive. Granted, the Escalade hybrid gets 31 percent better fuel economy than the standard version, but that still maps out to a combined fuel-efficiency rating of just 21 miles per gallon. That can be seen as a worthwhile increase, if it didn't cost over $8,000 extra. The 2014 Escalade Hybrid, for example, starts at $74,425 while the non-hybrid can be had for $66,295. Meanwhile, the Lexus full-size hybrid costs $6,000 more than the regular version but only gets 1-2 mpg better combined fuel economy. The result of all these high costs? Low sales. Through April, GM sold 82 of its hybrid SUVs and pickups, down from 541 a year earlier. And the LS hybrid sales were in single-digit territory for April. That isn't stopping Lexus from promoting its hybrids as the right solution (with the wrong facts), though. There are still automakers giving big hybrid vehicles a shot, though. Nissan's Infiniti division is selling a hybrid version of its QX60 and says an impressive 10 percent of QX60 buyers choose the hybrid, which costs just $3,000 more. Looks like money talks. Featured Gallery 2015 Cadillac Escalade: First Drive View 35 Photos News Source: USA TodayImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Brandon Turkus / AOL Green Infiniti Lexus Mercedes-Benz Hybrid lexus ls gmc yukon mercedes-benz s-class infiniti qx60 chevrolet tahoe