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Ecclestone wonders if F1's upcoming turbo V6s should get augmented sound [w/videos]

While every team on the Formula One grid is worried about making a good showing in this year's championship at the same time as they develop a brand-new car for next year's championship, Bernie Ecclestone and F1 circuit promoters have a different concern: how next year's cars will sound. The current cars use 2.4-liter, naturally-aspirated V8s that can reach 18,000 revolutions per minute and employ dual exhaust, next year's engine formula calls for 1.4-liter turbocharged V6s that are capped at 15,000 rpm and are constrained to a single exhaust outlet. Ecclestone and promoters like Ron Walker believe the new engines sound like lawnmowers and that the less thrilling audio will keep people from coming to races. If Walker's Australian Grand Prix really is shelling out almost $57 million to hold the race, every ticket counts. As a fix, according to a report in Autoweek, Ecclestone "suggests that the only way to guarantee [a good sound] may be to artificially adjust the tone of the V6s."
However, neither the manufacturers nor the governing body of F1, the FIA, think there will be a problem. Ecclestone fears that if the manufacturers "don't get it right" they'll simply leave the sport, but the only three carmakers and engine builders left next year, Renault (its 2014 "power unit" is pictured), Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari are so embedded that it would stretch belief to think they'd leave the table over an audio hiccup - if said hiccup even occurs. And frankly, these issues always precede changes to engine formulas, as they did when the formula switched from V10 to V8; fans, though, are probably less focused on the engines and more on the mandated standardization of the sport and the spec-series overtones that have come with it.
No one knows yet what next year's engines will sound like, but we've assembled a few videos below to help us all start guessing. The first is an engine check on an Eighties-era John Player Special Renault with a 1.5-liter V6 turbo, after that is Ayrton Senna qualifying in 1986 in the Lotus 98T that also had a 1.5-liter V6 turbo, then you'll find a short with a manufactured range of potential V6 engine notes, and then the sound of turbocharged V6 Indycars testing last year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Any, or none of them, could be Formula One's future.

Europe getting special Mercedes-Benz CLA Edition 1

Last week when we saw the leaked ordering guide for the 2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, one particular image caught our eye showing the interior of the new sedan with a neon yellow stripe on the seats and yellow stitching throughout the cabin. As it turns out, this will be part of a limited-edition model called the Edition 1 about which Mercedes-Benz just released some information.
Usually, automakers wait until later in a vehicle's life to introduce special models like this, but the Edition 1 will be available right out of the gate for the first 12 months the CLA-Class is on sale. The 2014 CLA-Class Edition 1 includes the more aggressive Sport package adding AMG-style fascias and wheels, Bi-Xenon headlights and a lowered suspension; it will be offered only in five colors - unfortunately, Northern Lights Purple is not one of them. In addition to the bright yellow cabin accents, the Edition 1 will get sport seats wrapped in leather and microfiber, a sporty, flat-bottom steering wheel wrapped in Nappa leather and real aluminum trim on the instrument panel.
With no mention of the US, we're only left to imagine that this car will not be arriving on our shores, but customers in Europe will definitely be able to enjoy the mean styling and funky interior with prices ranging from 35,402 euros up to 43,940 euros.

Mercedes Vision Tokyo Concept is a minivan for millennials [w/video]

Mercedes-Benz believes that the next generation of drivers would much rather interact digitally with their machines than actually be behind the wheel. To satiate the desires of these tech-obsessed passengers, the company reimagines the minivan as a rolling, autonomous lounge called the Vision Tokyo Concept. The silver lozenge debuts at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. With its rounded edges, plentiful glass, and satiny Alubeam paint, the Vision Tokyo looks like a minivan from the high-tech future out of a William Gibson story. Up front, the windshield wraps all the way around, and the side glass is screen-printed in silver for privacy. The massive grille is illuminated and can even show the sound pattern of the music playing inside. Meanwhile at the rear, red LED lights surround the oval window. While the exterior is fairly minimalist, the Vision Tokyo puts its biggest emphasis on pampering the five passengers inside. They enter through a massive gullwing door in the concept's side, and rather than traditional rows of seats, there's a wraparound couch. Once comfortable, occupants can use LED screens on the walls, and in a truly sci-fi touch there's a holographic entertainment system in the center. Should someone actually need to drive, a seat can also deploy from the couch, and a steering wheel slides into position. Riding in this metallic chariot at least isn't too bad for the environment. The powertrain combines a hydrogen fuel cell and batteries capable of inductive charging. In total, the combo would offer a claimed range of 609 miles – 118 miles purely on electricity and 491 miles from the H2. That kind of driving distance should keep the digital party inside rocking for quite a wild night. Check out the high-res image gallery above and the video below. And for more, stay tuned for our live coverage from the Tokyo Motor Show. Mobile club lounge for young, urban trendsetters Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo: Connected Lounge Stuttgart/Tokyo. The Vision Tokyo is the latest trailblazing spatial experience to come from Mercedes-Benz: its monolithic structure, futuristic design idiom and unique lounge ambience in the interior define it as luxurious, young and progressive – thus making it a fitting tribute to the sophisticated megacity and trendsetting metropolis that is Tokyo.