Mercedes-Benz of Westminster

Filed under: Motorsports, Convertible, Performance, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury, Racing

Any outfit with the cash can buy a Formula One team. Integrating it into an existing automaker, however, isn't an overnight proposition. Both Lotus and Caterham are currently undergoing that process, but so is Mercedes-Benz.

The German automaker bought out what was then the World Champion Brawn GP team (previously known as Honda and before that, as British American Racing) a couple of years ago as a standalone racing team, and has been bringing it into the corporate fold ever since. This year, the team previously known as Mercedes GP has been rebranded as Mercedes AMG (as was the division that produces its F1 engines). To drive the point home, the company's broadened performance arm launched two very different cars under the same banner in Barcelona this week.

The main event is W03, the new single-seater that Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will be driving in the 2012 Formula One World Championship. Bound to the same new set of regulations as the other teams, the new Mercedes AMG W03 shares some of the same traits as the rest of the field - most notably the stepped nose section that Mercedes' PR team cleverly calls "distinctive." Since engine development remains frozen pending the launch of the new turbo six, the W03 is powered by the same FO108Z engine - all 2.4 liters and eight cylinders of it - as last year's car, and for that matter the latest McLaren and Force India challengers are, too.

While Daimler was at it, though, it has taken the opportunity to show off its new Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG Roadster for the first time. Based on the SL-Class that debuted just two months ago at the Detroit Auto Show, the SL63 packs AMG's fast-becoming-ubiquitous M157 twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 with 529 horsepower, but unburdened of 242 pounds of excess weight from the outgoing model (thanks primarily to the widespread use of aluminum and magnesium where the last model was made of steel), the new SL63 AMG can rocket from 0-62 mph in 4.3 seconds (4.2 with the optional AMG Performance Package) while returning 30 percent better fuel economy.

Check out our high-res galleries of both open-top Three-Pointed Stars and hop through to the jump to see some videos.

Continue reading Mercedes AMG launches new SL63 with W03 F1 car in Barcelona [w/videos]

Mercedes AMG launches new SL63 with W03 F1 car in Barcelona [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes unstoppable Unimog has once again captured the hearts and minds of a group of truck and special vehicle users by garnering the best cross-country vehicle of the year award in Germany. Off-road, a trade magazine that has been conducting a poll for such vehicles for more than two decades announced the results a few [...]

Filed under: Performance, Technology, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz

While the current A-Class has stood as something of an odd man out from the rest of the Mercedes-Benz line-up, the new A-Class promises to be a proper Mercedes. And fortunately, with that territory, all signs point to the German automaker planning on including an AMG version.

The trouble is that while AMG has a wealth of experience boring out big engines, the small sort of mills capable of fitting under the hood of something as compact as the A-Class is outside its realm of expertise. Fortunately, Mercedes has another division that thrives on getting the most out of compact powerplants.

That division is Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines, the Northamptonshire, England-based firm formerly known as Ilmor that constructs the F1 engines for McLaren, Force India and Mercedes' own F1 team. It happened to have been run by Ola Kallenius until he switched over to AMG. Although HPE has until now been operated largely as a stand-alone business, Mercedes has been integrating it into its broader operations, and this - according to reports - could be the first road-car project on which it's called to work.

Until recently, F1 was expecting to switch to small, turbocharged four-cylinder engines, leading HPE to work on such a unit. Since that was scrapped in favor of a V6, the development work is reportedly being applied instead to a new high-output engine for the AMG A-Class.

Tipped to be called the A25 AMG, the veritable hot hatch is targeting the 335-horsepower Audi RS3, only is expected to carry even more power. The engine is also expected to find its way into the new CLC25 AMG, which bodes well for the B-Class-based four-door coupe and shooting brake.

Mercedes-Benz taps F1 engine division for AMG version of next A-Class originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Geneva Motor Show, Videos, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

We've gotten various peeks at the Mercedes-Benz A-Class for a few months now, from the patent drawings to spy shots to QR-coded teasers. Then, of all things in all places, a cyclist with a handlebar-mounted camera gets a full-on shot of the real deal while riding in Lanzarote, Spain for what we assume is a photo or video shoot.

If you liked the look of the patent drawings, then you'll be happy with the glimpse here. It even looks close enough to the Concept A for us to give Mercedes props for truth-in-concept-car designing. There's debate as to whether this is the AMG A-Class, but regardless, the final version will be shown at next month's Geneva Motor Show. Until then, watch the video after the jump.

Continue reading Production Mercedes-Benz A-Class spotted undisguised

Production Mercedes-Benz A-Class spotted undisguised originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Standing out on the Mercedes SL63 AMG are the larger air intakes, cross-drilled and larger brake rotors, upgraded calipers...

Filed under: SUV, Mercedes-Benz, Diesel, Luxury, Off-Road, Quick Spins

Getting Deliciously Dirty With Clean Diesel



Back in July, our man Bowman got his first chance to drive the new Mercedes M-Class in the wilds of Montana, and he came away particularly impressed by the ML350 BlueTEC 4Matic. It's great news that this updated diesel powertrain finally got to the United States in November, but in Montana, we missed out on the new-generation On&Offroad Package and innovative Active Curve System.

Fortunately, we were recently afforded the chance to test all of this goodness over a small paved circuit in Austria, as well as up and down a truly hellacious off-road course. By the end of the day, we were convinced that this ML350 diesel 4x4 thus equipped can finally take it to a similarly optioned BMW X5 or Porsche Cayenne. And, as Mercedes Germany tells us, North American buyers will at long last get a crack at this On&Offroad harder-core package for 2013. Are they at risk of messing with the winning on-road recipe that has made the M-Class the world's best-selling premium SUV, with over 1.2 million sold?

Continue reading 2012 Mercedes ML350 BlueTEC w/ On&Offroad Package

2012 Mercedes ML350 BlueTEC w/ On&Offroad Package originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First introduced back in 2010 as a concept in Beijing, this new CLS variant is slotted to enter production in 2012

Found on YouTube is this clip on the making of the Icons of Style presentation. Seeing glossies on a magazine or on a web page belies the effort and logistics involved in making such a presentation. Featured as icons of style are a Mercedes SL and supermodel Lara Stone, who successfully portrays an aura of [...]