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Why we can't have better headlights here in the U.S.

It wouldn't be a European auto show if we weren't teased with at least one mainstream vehicle we can't have here. At the Geneva Motor Show last week, the small but vocal contingent of shooting-brake buffs lamented that the Mazda6 wagon won't be coming to our shores, although they can take comfort in the fact that the vehicle won't get the torquey 250-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine we'll get here. Mercedes-Benz also announced a new headlight technology in Geneva that likely won't be available here anytime soon. It's just the latest in a long line of innovative and potentially lifesaving front-lighting solutions that the federal government doesn't allow in this country due to outdated standards — and a current lack of leadership at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mercedes-Benz's new Digital Light system that debuted in Geneva uses a computer chip to activate more than a million micro-reflectors to better illuminate the road ahead. The Digital Light headlamps works with the vehicle's cameras, sensors and navigation mapping to adjust lighting for the given location and situation and to detect other road users. The Digital Light technology also serves as an extended head-up display of sorts by projecting symbols on the pavement ahead to alert drivers to, say, slippery conditions or pedestrians in the road. And it can even project lines on the road in a construction zone or through tight curves to show the driver the correct path. Digital Light will be available on Mercedes-Maybach vehicles later this year, although like any technology it's bound to trickle down to less expensive vehicles. That is, if we ever get it here in the U.S. Audi, a leader in automotive lighting, has repeatedly run into snags trying to bring state-of-the-art car headlights to the U.S. The German luxury automaker's recently introduced matrix laser headlight system, which performs many of the same trick as Mercedes-Benz's Digital Light, also isn't legal on U.S. roads. And five years after the introduction of its matrix-beam LED lighting, which illuminates more of the road without blinding oncoming motorists with brights by simultaneously operating high and low beams, Audi still can't bring that technology to the U.S. either.

Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 to debut in Monterey

Mercedes surprised the car world last week when it teased an enormous, Maybach-badged coupe concept. Now we have a name and a debut date. Mercedes released the info in a second teaser image posted to its Facebook page. Called the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 – "Vision" equals concept and "6" denotes the length in meters – the new two-door will debut at Pebble Beach on Thursday. So yeah, here's another reason to get excited about Monterey Car Week. As for the teaser image, it's a head-on shot as opposed to the profile view that Mercedes released last week. The new view supports our theory that the super-skinny mirrors are cameras, and the shot also reveals new styling touches. The most noticeable are the very thin, un-Mercedes-like headlights – they flank a prominent, heavily polished waterfall grille that marks a significant departure from recent Mercedes products. A traditional Mercedes hood ornament sits above the grille's small "Maybach" designation. Kicking up the exposure in Photoshop doesn't reveal too much more detail – unlike last week's profile image – aside from a set of chrome strips that run along the sides of the hood. Autoblog's Monterey Car Week crew ships out for the left coast soon – expect more on the festivities, including the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6's debut, later this week. Related Video: News Source: Mercedes-BenzImage Credit: Mercedes-Benz Maybach Mercedes-Benz Coupe Concept Cars Luxury Pebble Beach mercedes-maybach vision mercedes-maybach 6

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.