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Looks like the next Gen A and B series will be heading to America afterall.
According to a new article in Automotive News, Mercedes-Benz chairman Dieter Zetsche has indicated that America will likely receive the next A-class and B-class. As you may recall, the latter was scheduled for U.S. consumption earlier, but plans were scuttled due to the weak dollar.
With rising fuel prices driving up demand for small cars in America, Mercedes is evidently reevaluating the business plan for the front-drive subcompacts. The next generation models are due in 2011, and the lineup is expected to see both a coupe and a small crossover variant.
It is unclear whether the next A and B will arrive commensurate with their European counterparts or whether all models in the range will make the trip to U.S. shores, but with flat sales of some of Mercedes’ more profit-rich models like the M-class, officials at the Three-Pointed Star are obviously keen to grab downsizing buyers, and perhaps grab a few premium-minded buyers who might otherwise be looking at the Toyota Prius for a green statement. Report: Mercedes to Import A- and B-Class | NextAutos.com and Winding Road
AMG is giving a facelift to its tuned S-Class models. The view from the front suggests that the car will receive lower bodywork. At the back, the quad exhaust pipes have had their tips removed, which also hints that a new design is on the way. Both models (S63 and S65) are set to keep their current engines – a 6.2-liter V8 in the S63 and a 6.0-liter V12 in the S65 – but will likely receive some technology upgrades. The base prices of $127,875 for the S63AMG and $194,000 for the S65 AMG will also rise with the restyle.
Mercedes-Benz has gotten off to a good start in the “convertible season” with its updated models. Since spring of 2008, the new generation SL-Class has been carrying on the brand’s unparalleled sports car tradition, which began in 1954 with the legendary “gull-wing” 300 SL. The latest - and now the fifth - generation of the SL-Class has so far been chosen by 145,000 customers.
The world’s most popular premium roadster in its class features a new design emphasizing the car’s sporty character, and it offers even more athletic performance and enhanced comfort and safety. Since the beginning of the year, more than 8,000 customers around the world have purchased SL-Class models. Demand for the SL is particularly high in the U.S., where half of all SL-Class roadsters are sold. The SL 500 is by far the most popular model among customers who choose SLs.
The compact SLK-Class roadster also continues to be very popular among customers: Since the roadster’s market introduction in March 2004, Mercedes-Benz has sold about 200,000 vehicles of the latest production series - 20,000 units in this year alone. Since the beginning of April 2008, Mercedes-Benz has been offering an even sportier SLK generation. The SLK is a particularly admired by German customers. One third of all... [Read More]
It sits there, all tension and sinew, ready to pounce on lesser cars. Start it up and it barks with a clear V8 voice that thumps off the neighbor's house, setting them discreetly peeking from behind their lace curtains. This is an SLK? Oh yeah. No longer a blocky Benz with dwarfism, the SLK55 AMG ripples with muscle and delivers speed like a spin kick to the temple. A bad-ass Mercedes, indeed.
Of course, the SLK55 AMG is still relatively small – about the size of an MX-5, with a bit more nose. Ignoring the hand-built 5.5 liter V8 for a moment, there's plenty of Mercedes-ness to make you happy, if that's your thing. COMAND is without humor, but tries to compensate by having lots of buttons and a clunky GUI. Once you figure out how to work it, COMAND isn't actually that bad, but we'd be plenty happy paying more to just get the ease and simplicity of single-function switches for commonly used items and stripping out all the multimedia gimcrackery.
Leave the nav and the Harman Kardon stereo at the dealership. As nice as that stuff is, even a fully loaded iPod plugged into the glovebox-mounted interface will go unused from the first moment the smart key is twisted around clockwise. Corvettes sound like this, hot rods too. But a Mercedes? The muscular voice AMG has bestowed upon this roadster is even more of a... [Read More]
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