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Mercedes may end Tesla supply agreement for B-Class Electric Drive

The Mercedes-Benz B Class Electric Drive has only been rolling off the production line for 17 months, each one equipped with a battery pack and drivetrain from Tesla Motors, but already there is talk of big upcoming changes. According to a report from the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, the next-generation version of this model will see an end to the Tesla-supplied tech and a hugely improved range. Currently, the electric sedan gets an EPA-rated 87 miles of range, using 28 kWhs of its 36-kWh battery, though its now-standard "Range Plus" package takes advantage of more of the pack, stretching that driving to 100 miles or so. It may take a year or several – the model just had a refresh – but expect those distance digits to double. The rumored range is said to be 500 km (310.7 miles), but since that would likely be calculated using the European drive cycle, expect something significantly lower stateside; say 220-ish official miles. This would be in keeping with expectations from a number of battery-powered competitors in the 2017-2018 time frame. It is unknown if this supposed next-gen B Class Electric Drive is in any way related to the rumored "Ecoluxe" program. The Tesla/Daimler relationship stretches back to 2009, when the Stuttgart-based outfit made a significant investment in the California automaker, quite possibly saving it from extinction in the process. We have reached out Mercedes-Benz about this report, but as of this writing, have not had a reply. We will update this post when we hear back. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive: Paris 2014 View 13 Photos Green Rumormill Mercedes-Benz Tesla Electric Sedan electric drive electric drivetrain

Lewis Hamilton blasts to pole position for British Grand Prix

SILVERSTONE, England - Lewis Hamilton took pole position for his home British Grand Prix for the third year in a row on Saturday with a sensational lap that left him one step away from Michael Schumacher's Formula One record. Hamilton's championship-leading Ferrari rival Sebastian Vettel, who has a 20-point advantage after nine of 20 races, qualified third. The Mercedes driver was half a second quicker than Ferrari's second placed Kimi Raikkonen and his time of one minute 26.600 seconds was so outrageously quick there were gasps before the crowd erupted. "I always try to leave the best to last," the Briton told retired champion Jenson Button in post-qualifying interviews on the grid. "I had to make sure I got that lap in. I couldn't do it last weekend (in Austria) so I made sure I could here." Hamilton still faced a nervous wait after race stewards announced they were investigating an incident involving French driver Romain Grosjean, who complained he had been blocked earlier in the session. They swiftly decided to take no further action. The Briton's mastery of a damp but drying track lit up an overcast afternoon and the pole was the 67th of his career, sixth of the season, and gave him every chance of equalling Schumacher's record 68 before the August break. The triple world champion has won the last three British Grands Prix and can equal the late Jim Clark's feat of four home wins in a row, and five in total, on Sunday. Saturday ensured he has already matched Clark's 50-year-old record of five British Grand Prix pole positions. "I feel amazing in front of a great crowd like this. I hope you liked the lap," Hamilton told the grandstands full of cheering fans. "I generally like it to be dry, but I like it when the conditions are tricky." Hamilton's Finnish team mate Valtteri Bottas, winner in Austria, was fourth fastest but has a five-place penalty following a gearbox change. That promoted Red Bull's Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, who has suffered five retirements in the last seven races, to the second row. Renault's Nico Hulkenberg and his former Force India team mate Sergio Perez filled the third row. There was good news for beleaguered McLaren, who raised a cheer when Fernando Alonso made the most of improving conditions to set the fastest time in the first phase of qualifying, with Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne qualifying ninth.

Mercedes C111 concept in commercial spoof A Fistful of Wolves

A Fistful of Wolves is a spoof of fashion advertising, commissioned by Mercedes-Benz to spread a cheeky word about Berlin Fashion Week. Yet, in the lampooning of sartorial gobbledygook, plenty of automotive advertising gets doused with cold water, too - like the ads that subscribe to the importance of being earnest (looking at you Matthew McConaughey and Kate Walsh), or the ones that try to convey just how unimaginably cool you'll be once you've jumped into the three-year-lease hole (looking at you, um... Mercedes-Benz and every other German luxury brand). We appreciate a brand that can make fun of itself, though. Led by Australian Justin O'Shea driving the Mercedes C111 through Berlin, it's beautiful satire as O'Shea tries to be fashion-forward while his friends go on about their daily lives, wondering why he never seems to be listening until he's offered cake, or why he's trying to walk in slow motion. Check it out in the video above. News Source: Mercedes-Benz via YouTube, Car and Driver Celebrities Humor Marketing/Advertising Mercedes-Benz Coupe Concept Cars Videos spoof