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Smart brand will be built in China as a Daimler-Geely joint

FRANKFURT/BEIJING — Daimler will build its next generation of Smart electric cars in China through a joint venture with Geely, as a way to increase economies of scale in a market segment that is struggling to turn a profit. China's Geely built a stake of almost 10 percent in Daimler last year, saying it wanted to forge an alliance to develop electric and self-driving cars to better compete against new challengers such as Uber and Google. Daimler said on Thursday it would build the next generation of Smart-branded city cars at a purpose-built factory in China, and planned to share its expertise in manufacturing, engineering and design with Geely. The high cost of electric car batteries has made it hard for automakers to build affordable zero-emissions vehicles, leading several of them to strike alliances with Chinese partners. Daimler's German rival BMW recently unveiled plans to build electric Minis in China, where production costs are low and demand for small electric cars is rising. Daimler and Geely did not disclose financial terms of their deal. The details of the joint venture will be finalized by the end of 2019, they said in a joint press release. Daimler currently develops and builds Smart cars with Renault at factories in France and Slovenia. The Daimler factory in Hambach, France, will be retooled to build Mercedes-Benz cars. Geely has been expanding rapidly through mergers and acquisitions since 2010, when it acquired Swedish carmaker Volvo from Ford. Last year, Daimler and Geely set up a ride-hailing joint venture in China. Daimler's Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said last month the German carmaker was in talks to deepen its alliance with Geely after the Chinese's group's chairman Li Shufu bought a 9.69 percent stake in Daimler in 2018.

Mercedes spotted testing hardcore AMG GT at the 'Ring

Mercedes has showcased its new AMG GT in both base and S trims, it's rolled out the GT3 racing version and the Formula One safety car. But we're only beginning to see the extent of the variants that the German automaker is expected to spin off of its new sportscar. And here is the latest. Spied undergoing testing at the Nurburgring is what appears to be an even more performance-focused version of the Mercedes-AMG GT. It seems to be packing an upgraded aero kit – complete with front splitter and rear wing – as well as larger rolling stock. You can bet there's an even more potent version underhood of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that's already producing over 500 hp in the existing model. Whether Affalterbach deems it worthy of the Black Series label or not is another question, but what's clear is that AMG is gunning for the Porsche 911 GT3 with the performance model you see here – however disguised it may be from our prying eyes. Related Video:

2023 Acura Integra, Nissan Z and a special 4Runner | Autoblog Podcast #731

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They lead off with a discussion of the cars they've been driving, including the 2023 Acura Integra, 2023 Nissan Z and 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580. After that, they move on to the news of the week. This section touches on the 2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition, 2023 BMW 3 Series mid-cycle update, the new 2023 BMW M4 CSL and rumors about the Sonata's demise. After the pair wrap up the news section, they toss it over to a sports car roundtable where multiple editors chime in on a number of new sports cars they've been driving. These include the 2022 Toyota GR86, 2022 Subaru BRZ, 2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata and the 2022 Toyota GR Supra 2.0. Features Editor, James Riswick leads the discussion, and it's one you'll want to hear. The podcast wraps up with a mailbag segment where a reader has a spring beer recommendation. Plus, Greg and Zac give their own spring beer recommendations that will hopefully serve you well in the Memorial Day holiday to come. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #731 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2023 Acura Integra 2023 Nissan Z 2022 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 News 2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition revealed 2023 BMW 3 Series update 2023 BMW M4 CSL revealed Is the Hyundai Sonata on its way out? Sports car roundtable Mailbag Spring beer recommendations Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: