***1999 Mercedes-benz Slk-class - Silver/gray 4-cylinder on 2040-cars

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Automakers face reality of EVs' cost — to jobs, and their bottom line

Related: We obsessively covered the Frankfurt Motor Show — here's our complete coverage FRANKFURT, Germany — European car bosses gathering for the Frankfurt auto show are beginning to address the realities of mass vehicle electrification, and its consequences for jobs and profit, their minds focused by government pledges to outlaw the combustion engine. As the latest such announcement by China added momentum to a push for zero-emissions motoring, Daimler, Volkswagen and PSA Group gave details about their electric programs that could give policymakers some pause. Planned electric Mercedes models will initially be just half as profitable as conventional alternatives, Daimler warned — forcing the group to find savings by outsourcing more component manufacturing, which may in turn threaten German jobs. "In-house production is almost irrelevant to the consumer," Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche told reporters on the eve of the Frankfurt Motor Show, in the midst of a German election campaign in which automotive jobs have loomed large. The company set a target of saving 4 billion euros ($4.8 billion) by 2025 to help fund the cost of its electric cars. "Daimler is the first company to state explicitly how much electric vehicles are going to hurt margins," said Bernstein analyst Max Warburton. "It was brave to go first — but of course it won't be the last." Volkswagen, for its part, said it was seeking new global supplier contracts to source 50 billion euros ($60 billion) of electric car content including batteries, which are not yet manufactured competitively in Europe. "A company like Volkswagen must lead, not follow," Chief Executive Matthias Mueller told reporters. VW diesel emissions-cheating exposed by U.S. regulators in 2015 triggered global public outrage, dozens more investigations into test-rigging by the wider industry and a push by some lawmakers to ban diesel and eventually all engines. TIGHTENING NOOSE Tesla shares jumped nearly 6 percent on Monday after a Chinese minister said it was a question of when, not if, Beijing bans fossil-fuel cars, tightening the noose around the combustion engine. France and Britain have promised its outright abolition by 2040. But PSA, the maker of Peugeots and Citroens, said it was concerned about the risks if consumers were left behind in the rush, and a new generation of battery cars does not sell.

Pre-Race notes from the 2015 Nurburgring 24-Hours

Autoblog has come to the German countryside to watch the Nurburgring 24-Hour race, and just one day in, we have to say it's outstanding. Le Mans has been the highlight of our summer racing schedule for the past few years, the 'Ring 24-Hour event being the appetizer we always skipped. Earlier this year, however, while visiting Miami to check out the Cigarette Racing 50 Marauder GT S, we met Scott Preacher. He oversees digital marketing for both Cigarette and AMG during the week, then comes to Germany to compete in the VLN race series on the weekends, driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for Team Mathol. If Le Mans is the Oscars of endurance racing, the Nurburgring 24-Hour race is the Screen Actors Guild award – the one voted on by the actors, for the actors. In this case it's the race by the teams and fans, for the teams and fans, even though the increasing manufacturer presence has altered the team equation. We were told that it wasn't so long ago that true privateers could win the overall, but that's not really the case anymore. Front-running teams have heavy factory involvement – Audi Sport Team Phoenix, for instance, which finished in first and third last year, has its own 'Ring race center and is running the 2016 R8; Aston Martin is represented by Aston Martin Racing and Aston Martin Test Center, and Bentley has a Bentley Motors team and uses HPT to run another team. The fan component hasn't changed, though, and you can't talk about the race for more than 60 seconds before someone brings up the battalions of spectators. Every driver we spoke to cited them as the most incredible part of this race after the track itself. It feels to us like a giant German Sebring, with thousands of people camped out in the ginormous, forested infield, many of whom have been here since Monday erecting their ornate camping compounds. There will be parties everywhere Saturday night, and so much bratwurst on the grill that the drivers can smell it when as they're blasting full speed through Wehrseifen. Even when we drove a Mercedes S63 AMG Coupe on a lap before the race, the fans waved like it was a competition. Scott Preacher's Australian co-driver Robert Thompson said, "You come around a corner and it's like you're driving full speed through the middle of a carnival." The race field itself could also be called a carnival, with an officially invited field of more than 170 cars. Even on a track that's 24.4-km long, that's like racing on the 405 at midday.

2021 Mercedes-Maybach S 580 revealed as the biggest, most luxurious S-Class

The Mercedes-Maybach GLS-Class made a splash recently as the company's ultra-luxury crossover. But if you're a well-heeled individual looking for the true peak of Mercedes luxury, there's no replacement for the 2021 Mercedes-Maybach S 580, the biggest, fanciest sedan the company can produce. You'll be able to identify the land yacht thanks to a number of styling tweaks. The grille gets slender vertical chrome bars, and the lower intakes feature a chrome mesh. Topping the grille is a Mercedes hood ornament. The hood is restyled, too, with a center ridge running front to back with a line of chrome trim. Besides these styling tweaks, the Mercedes-Maybach has had its wheelbase stretched a full seven inches, with the space going to rear passenger room. The stretch also included rear quarter windows. Just behind those windows are illuminated Mercedes-Maybach badges. The car can also be optioned with an array of exclusive wheels and two-tone paint. The two-tone paint jobs can take up to a week to complete. Of course, the interior is what really sets the Mercedes-Maybach apart from the "average" S-Class. All examples come standard with Mercedes Designo leather upholstery, and even the headliner is finished in leather. Like other S-Class models, there is an air freshener function, and Mercedes has saved a special scent specific to the Maybach. The front seat backs are covered in wood trim to enhance the design. Rear occupants get individual 11.6-inch screens for entertainment, as well as a removable tablet for controlling various car functions. Passengers get to enjoy a 1,750-watt, 30-speaker Burmester sound system, which won't be interrupted by outside noises thanks to additional sound deadening materials around the rear arches, thicker laminated quarter windows and active noise cancelling. Foam-filled tires and laminated glass around the rest of the car are options. Speaking of options, there aren't many, but they're also quite lavish. The one we expect to be quite popular is the executive rear seating. It replaces the rear bench with two reclining chairs complete with power leg rests. These leg rests even feature massage functions, a first for the S-Class. The seats come with climate adjustments and several massage settings. The option also adds seatbelt airbags and frontal airbags for the rear passengers. Other interior options include a refrigerator, champagne flutes and electrically assisted rear doors for easier entry and exit.