Mercedes' smallest convertible will be getting a significant refresh for the 2012 model year and will bring feature the brands more upright, pedestrian-friendly grill. The retractable hard top will remain in place but the car will also get a significant butt-lift to match the nose job. The interior will also get revisions emulating the SLS including round vents and simplified controls.

So what is there to see in this leaked dealer guide we were handed by way of secure courier our tips e-mail? Well, from a performance perspective, the car will deliver as expected on the power front with a 6.3-liter V8 generating 563 HP and 479 lb-ft of torque, and it'll be mated to a seven-speed dual clutch automatic transaxle. Stopping comes from standard two piece cross-drilled rotors clamped by four piston calipers or an optional set of six piston carbon ceramic discs. On the interior front there are plenty of goodies including both Napa and designo leathers, various kinds of technological doo-dads, and some outrageous carbon fiber options in the "Special Section." Peruse the slide show at your leisure, you impoverished troglodytes. Our favorite is the $10,000 "Liquid Metal" paint job, we're hoping it's some kind of obnoxious factory chrome body available only in the middle east.

Replacing the Mercedes AMG SLR as the top shelf offering from Mercedes, the SLS Gullwing is taking a page out of company history and aping the gull wing doors from the legendary 1954 Mercedes 300SL, but it's not looking back for much else. The interior takes inspiration from modern luxury jets, pretty much everything not covered in leather is raw carbon fiber or aluminum. We're really digging the row of buttons and knobs on the center console, though the 8000 RPM redline and 330 KPH (205 MPH) top speed marked out on the dials are pretty exciting too. The 571 HP V8 will mate to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission with the option to row your own at the shifter or through the steering wheel paddles. The knob on the center console looks to be a suspension and tune control with four different setting. We can also see the doors will get a power close feature as their outfitted with a pair of linear actuators. Not too shabby a working environment if you ask us.

The details are sparse, but this first look at the first aftermarket package for the new E-class goes the way of most Wald vehicles, with more aggressive front fascia with quad fog lamps, we're assuming it'll do the full-bodywork-monty and get custom fascias all around, big gaudy wheels and at least be lowered with a more taut suspension. From this front look, it's actually not too shabby, but we're betting the kind of money they'll be asking for puts you pretty close to the price range of the 2010 E-Class AMG. [Carscoop]

Yes, it's got a twin-turbo V12 good for 735 HP and 870 lb-ft of torque, yes it'll do 0-62 MPH in 3.8 seconds and top out at 205 MPH — the hardware isn't what we're in a fluster about, it's the horrifying bodywork they've wrapped over the mechanical marvel. Calling this wide body CL a fug monster is like saying the sun is sort of warm. What did we all do as a motoring public to deserve this kind of thing? The terrible part is the majority of the mods look fine, it's that ghastly grille which ruins it all, ruins it hard. Someone take the sketching pencil away from ASMA.
[ASMA Design]

The three tests we have are between the Honda Accord and the Honda Fit, the Toyota Camry and Toyota Yaris, and finally the Mercedes C300 and the Smart ForTwo. With each we get a full speed offset frontal crash with both cars traveling at 40 MPH, destruction and carnage ensue and rightly so, there's a lot of energy involved here. These are hardly scientific tests, and they represent the absolute most extreme crash scenario for these speeds, especially for the smaller cars. Ratings got from "Good" at the top of the scale through "Acceptable" and "Poor." Considering this is one car bashing into another, the evaluation is somewhat subjective, but it gives an idea of relative performance. Let's take a closer look at each.

Smart ForTwo Versus Mercedes C300

The Smart ForTwo is the poster child for Micro-Machine scale automobiles. With a tiny, tiny footprint and virtually zero front overhang, the 1808 lb ForTwo relies on a super-strong safety cage and airbags for protection. It's cold comfort against the much bigger Mercedes-Benz C300, tipping the scales at 3,560 lbs. Considering the circumstances, the little Smart held up pretty well, even though it bounced off the Benz like a pinball. The Benz scores a Good while the Smart gets a Poor, which is pretty harsh under these conditions. We like watching the three-pointed star float past the Smart in the slo-mo.

Honda Fit Versus Honda Accord

The Fit is one of our favorite little cars, with the new design maintaining the fun character of the original while giving it a little more room inside. The Fit uses traditional crumple zones for crash force dissipation but with such short overhangs there's not much room to slow absorb energy in a collision. When Accord meets Fit, we get an seriously mangled mess with the Fit. There's significant damage to the safety cage with the A-pillar crumpling and the wheel well smooshing up into the footwell. However, the front and side airbags kept the driver's head from bashing into hard parts. The 2489 lb Fit scored a Poor while the 3297 lb Accord was Good.

Toyota Yaris Versus Toyota Camry

The Yaris scores a Poor and the Camry gets an Acceptable, but this one seems like it needs another level of bad. In this crash the Yaris crumples up into a pretzel, with the A-pillar severely kinking, the wheel occupying the space where the driver's feet used to be and the door flying open. Yikes. The 2288 lbs Yaris is 200 lbs lighter than the Fit and the Camry is only 30 lbs less than the Accord, but the results seem more out of proportion than the differences in heft.

The two tennis players and a raft of others are in Miami for the Sony Ericsson Open which starts on Wednesday, and this little stunt is obviously meant to draw attention to the tournament. The players were happy to ham it up for the camera, no-doubt happy to get a paycheck out of the show. Also, that dude in the blinged-out Magnum is totally looking up Venus' skirt. [TimesOnline]

Photo credit: Getty Images

The car puttered to a stop after only one lap on the 'Ring and pulled off at the Brünnchen section. The two passengers jumped out of the car fire extinguisher in hand and quickly inspected the situation. There was no dramatic and schadenfreude-inducing drama like the time an Audi R8 V10 went up in flames, but this is good enough. [WorldCarFans]

The car was built because when you're a billionaire and you got nothing better to do with your money, then why wouldn't you get the oldest auto company in the world to bastardize one of its most sought-after classics? The completely camouflaged car has been equipped with completely upgraded mechanicals including a 6.0-liter V8 and we're assuming an automatic transmission.

Some things money shouldn't be able to buy, like self-respect. We could understand if an outside tuner shop created this abortion, but for Mercedes to have a hand in this is just so wrong on so many levels. [HypeBeast]

The car is purported to contain all of Mercedes top-shelf technologies and boasts a carbon fiber and fiberglass body structure, a compact 1.2 kW fuel cell for power generation and a top speed of 25 km/h. The car also does away with silly inventions like the steering wheel and goes back to a joystick for control, which is like an updated version of the tiller found on the 1886 Benz Patent Motor Car. Oh yeah, there's also the big, silly spoked bicycle wheels.

We can't help but actually like the shape and compactness of the car. Put some real wheels and tires on it and a high strung four cylinder in the back and we'd take it over a McLaren SLR Stirling Moss. Press release below:

Mercedes-Benz F-CELL Roadster - trainees build a car of the future

* Young people unite high tech and tradition

* Alternative drive systems as a training topic

In a hitherto unique project bridging various fields of profession, the trainees of Daimler AG at the Sindelfingen Mercedes-Benz plant have built a Roadster with fuel cell drive. For about a year, more than 150 trainees and dual education system students worked on the overall concept, development, assembly, and completion of the F-CELL Roadster. This project involved junior employees from the fields of automotive mechatronics, model-building, electronics, coating technology, manufacturing mechanics, product design, and interior appointments. The prime objective of the project was to integrate the topic of alternative drive systems into training with hands-on experience.

"This project impressively demonstrates that the topic of sustainable mobility has become an integral part of our vocational training," said Human Resources Board member and Labor Relations Manager Günther Fleig. "I am delighted to see how much initiative and creativity the young people have put into this project."

Tradition meets the future

The F-CELL Roadster uniquely combines state-of-the-art technologies with the history of vehicle construction. As an allusion to the Benz Patent Motor Car from 1886, the vehicle is fitted with large spoked wheels. Moreover, the F-CELL Roadster incorporates stylistic elements from diverse eras of automotive history, such as the carbon-fiber bucket seats with hand-stitched leather covers and the distinctively styled fiberglass front section, based on the component from the Formula One racing bolides.

The F-CELL Roadster is controlled with drive-by-wire technology, and a joystick takes the place of a conventional steering wheel. The vehicle is powered by the emission-free fuel cell system located at the rear. With a power rating of 1.2 kW the F-CELL Roadster reaches a top speed of 25 km/h and has an operating range of up to 350 km.

We decided it was in our best interest and for the health of our tipster that we should maybe remove the numbers from this car's plates, you know, just in case Alexi the Alligator should maybe not find his car and its number plate flying around the internet all that funny. In any case, this particular example of fine taste coupled with expendable cash was found in an airport parking garage in Nice, France, where it was no doubt guarding a nest of baby SLKs.

We're not sure if this would have been funnier or more disturbing if this had been done to a Porsche Cayman. Oh well, give it time. If you wish to bask in the full high-resolution glory of this magnificent piece of "art," check it in in full size HERE. (Thanks for the tip Alexander)

We question the absolute legitimacy of these photos, but they could quite possibly be the first official images of the 2010 Mercedes E500 Coupe. The 2010 E-Class sedan has already been revealed so the front design doesn't tell us anything new, but the rear end and the profile have been tidied up nicely to create the coupe. No official information is available, but we expect the new E-Class Coupe to receive not only the V8, but the whole range of engines offered to it's sedan sibling.

[via autoblog.nl]

We're at the point of saturation on seeing the lightly camouflaged E500 Coupe all over the place, and the only really notable thing about these images, aside from revealing the name, is the blue Tesla Roadster in the background. These pictures are like spotting a Yeti in the background of pictures of the Lock Ness monster, talk about coincidence.

Verboten shots of the new E-Class sedan snuck out a couple weeks ago, but these show the sleek and aggressive new look for the Coupe version, long overdue update to the stylish two door. This one may even be an AMG, but that's totally speculative. The new E-coupe gets a more edgy set of headlights, pronounced body lines and a built-in diffuser at the back, though we'll bet our hats its all style for that bit. Head over to World Car Fans to get a better look.

When we first learned of the Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO, which will come to Detroit attached to three different powertrains (one fuel cell powered, one with an all-electric drive system, and one designed as an extended range electric — all sort of like the Chevy Volt only backwards) we thought them fine concepts and nothing more. But now the complete press release has come out, we perhaps need to rethink this idea. It was Mercedes which made a pledge to have a gasoline free lineup by 2015 after all.

The BlueZERO concepts offer a peek at one way Daimler is approaching the problem, by going completely modular on the powertrains, divorcing platform and powertrain development, so one motivation source can be swapped for another with very little cost. In the BlueZERO concepts, Mercedes is using the sandwich floor concept it developed for their A-Class to house the drivetrain components. This approach keeps heavy batteries and engines down low, improving vehicle dynamics while maintaining cabin space and crash safety.

We've seen this modular powertrain idea before in the Chevy Volt, with its easy swap T-pack battery and engine bay designed to accept a range of options from an additional battery to a fuel cell to the internal combustion engine that will be coming to market. This BlueZERO concept seems to have taken this concept and refined it for reductions in manufacturing costs. It looks good on paper, and sounds great in a press release, but Daimler has been showing off whiz-bang concepts like this for a while now, and still sells S600's pretty happily, so we'll maintain our healthy skepticism at the balance of public relations versus reality.

Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO: Three-fold proof of the everyday practicality of zero-emission vehicles

Stuttgart – Mercedes-Benz is showing the way ahead in environmentally responsible electromobility by presenting its near-series Concept BlueZERO at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Based on a single vehicle architecture, this intelligent, modular concept allows three models with different drive configurations, all of which are able to meet customer requirements in terms of sustainable mobility:

-The BlueZERO E-CELL with battery-electric drive and a range of up to 200 kilometres using electric drive alone
-The BlueZERO F-CELL (fuel cell) with a range of well over 400 kilometres using electric drive
-The BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS with electric drive and additional internal combustion engine as power generator (range extender). This version has an overall range of up to 600 kilometres and can cover a distance of up to 100 kilometres using electric drive alone.

The three BlueZERO variants are based on the unique sandwich-floor architecture which Mercedes-Benz introduced some ten years ago, initially for the A-Class and then for the B-Class, one of the aims being to integrate alternative drive systems. Advantages of the modified construction include the positive effect of the major drive components on the centre of gravity, their space-saving design and the fact that they are extremely well protected within the vehicle underbody. The five-seater BlueZERO concept cars also set standards in terms of lightweight design, interior layout and body form.

"The flexible BlueZERO concept allows electromobility for every requirement and highlights the fact that Mercedes-Benz is the world's only car manufacturer to already have in place all the key technologies for electric cars offering full everyday practicality", says Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The BlueZERO principle: flexible design, compact exterior, generously sized interior

All three BlueZERO variants share the same key technical components, while the design and vehicle dimensions are identical. Measuring just 4.22 metres in length, the BlueZERO models combine compact exterior dimensions with a generously proportioned and variable interior and luggage compartment. Five fully-fledged seats, a payload of around 450 kilograms and a luggage compartment capacity of over 500 litres make for outstanding everyday practicality. Thanks to their sandwich construction with a raised sitting position, the cars also offer an exceptionally high level of crash safety for the passengers and the technology, not to mention excellent all-round visibility.

Compared to electric cars based on conventional vehicle platforms and originally only designed for use in combination with internal combustion engines, Concept BlueZERO offers the following conclusive advantages:

Interior space is retained in full. As the energy accumulators/generators are integrated into the spacious sandwich floor, no compromises are necessary when it comes to passenger space, luggage capacity or variability.
The powertrain technology built into the sandwich floor ensures a low centre of gravity and, consequently, extremely reliable and agile handling.
Crash safety is of the extremely high standard associated with Mercedes thanks to the sandwich concept and the housing of major powertrain components between the axles.

As a result, the BlueZERO models are very different to conventionally constructed electric cars, which have the heavy and voluminous storage battery housed in the boot or in the rear-seat area, for example.

Modular design ensures flexibility and efficiency

"Our modular system allows different drive configurations for every customer requirement", says Dr Thomas Weber, the member of the Daimler AG Board of Management responsible for corporate research and development at Mercedes-Benz Cars. "The modified sandwich-floor platform provides the perfect basis for a wide model range with electric drive systems. We are also developing a new, additional platform for future compact models with power units based on optimised internal combustion engines. The intelligent networking of both architectures enables us to develop our product portfolio extremely flexibly and efficiently. From 2009, we will be producing the first Mercedes fuel-cell cars on a small scale. Small-scale production of Mercedes-Benz cars with battery-electric drive alone will then commence in 2010. This means we are extremely well equipped for the future."

All three BlueZERO models feature front-wheel drive, which is typical for this class of car. The Mercedes engineers have put together a modular system comprising several flexibly combinable drive components. These include state-of-the-art liquid-cooled lithium-ion batteries with a storage capacity of up to 35 kWh and the compact electric motor with a maximum output of 100 kW (continuous output 70 kW), which develops a peak torque of 320 Nm. All three variants accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 11 seconds. Their top speed is electronically limited to 150 km/h in the interests of optimal range and energy efficiency.

Electric drive systems with a range of 100, 200 and well over 400 kilometres

With a charging capacity of 15 kW, the powerful lithium-ion batteries in the BlueZERO E-CELL and the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS can store enough energy for a range of 50 kilometres within 30 minutes. In terms of purely electrical drive, one or two hours of charging time is needed for a range of 100 and 200 kilometres respectively. The charging times are doubled if the charging capacity is 7 kW, as would be the case in a normal household. Both of these BlueZERO vehicles incorporate an electronic control unit that supports intelligent charging stations and billing systems.

At the rear, the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS has the same 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine as the smart fortwo as an additional range extender. This compact three-cylinder powerplant has an output of 50 kW at a constant 3500 rpm. If required, it can recharge the 17.5-kWh lithium-ion battery by means of a similarly rated alternator. A range of up to 600 kilometres is possible on a single tank. The purely electrical, locally emission-free range is up to 100 kilometres. The BlueZERO F-CELL with fuel-cell drive achieves a range of well over 400 kilometres with zero emissions (as per NEDC).

BlueZERO design: both elegant and functional

Leading-edge technology is uniformly and attractively packaged in all three BlueZERO variants. The unique and distinctive Mercedes design idiom displayed by the body highlights the progressive nature of Concept BlueZERO straight away.

The powerfully elegant front end is dominated by the radiator grille with its centrally located star. The excellent aerodynamics of the BlueZERO are partly due to the closed front apron, whose design means that cooling air intakes are not required. The 20-inch wheels have also been aerodynamically optimised, while low-friction tyres reduce rolling resistance.

The striking character lines along the flanks lend the BlueZERO an extremely dynamic side line and accentuate its bionic structure inspired by nature. This characteristic feature of the Mercedes-Benz bionic car was adapted and modified for the BlueZERO models. These elements lend the body its dramatic power.

New-quality light production

The compact rear end of the Concept BlueZERO is characterised by tail lights in the shape of a curved "L". In addition, the Mercedes designers have achieved a new-quality light production: transparent lenses produce a red light curtain which tapers smoothly towards the sides, creating a lightly diffused effect. This effect is repeated, albeit in white this time, by the front headlamps. What's more, the front lights feature new lens technology and a plexiglass edge to produce "C" shaped daytime driving lights with the help of state-of-the-art LED technology.

Intelligent technology made visible

Translucent surfaces make the normally concealed technology visible. The light-grey tailgate is made completely from lightweight but highly robust Lexan that allows a view of the aluminium structure that makes up the rigidifying frame, for example. At the same time this transparent tailgate provides a view of the vehicle interior, making the advantages of the sandwich-floor platform obvious at a glance: for maximum customer benefit, the luggage compartment and passenger area remain fully usable, since there are no technical components that need to be accommodated here.

"It was very important for us to ensure that the guiding Mercedes-Benz principle of 'Fascination and Responsibility' was clearly reflected in the design of the Concept BlueZERO", says Mercedes-Benz design chief Gorden Wagener. "This is yet another clear statement that environmental awareness and driving pleasure will continue to go together in our vehicles in the future. We want people to realise at first sight that the Concept BlueZERO is definitively not a lesser option."

The Mercedes-Benz designers have emphasised this aspiration by introducing paint finishes in three new ALU-BEAM colours. Each of the three variants makes its individual mark: the BlueZERO E-CELL is painted in a fresh ALU-BEAM Yellow, while the BlueZERO F-CELL has ALU-BEAM Green paintwork. Confidence-oozing ALU-BEAM Orange was chosen for the BlueZERO E-CELL PLUS.

[Source: Daimler]

The Mercedes Benz BlueZero Concept will be debuting at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show in three versions, each equipped with the industry buzz-words able to improve fuel economy: all-electric, hybrid and fuel cell. The Concept BlueZero E-Cell runs a lithium-ion battery, can recharge on two hours of plug-in time, and delivers a 62-mile range. The Concept BlueZero F-Cell runs on the same electric motor but gets its power from an on-board fuel cell.

The most interesting version is the Concept BlueZero E-Plus Cell, which takes advantage of the buzz around an extended range electric vehicle (think Chevy Volt) as it uses a generator to charge the batteries with good old internal combustion when the batteries run dry.

While it is a major faux pas to show off a concept car that doesn't run on puppy dog dreams and emit stardust these days we're more interested in the curious styling. It appears Mercedes has picked up the language it developed with the Bionic concept and added the flame-surfacing design language out of BMW's wastebasket and dusted it off for the BlueZero concept. The result looks like an Opel Meriva that ran into a BMW Z4, swiped the rear hatch off an Audi Q7, then ran through the Tron-wash. Why Benz is recycling widely panned BMW styling language is anyone's guess, but someone had to do it. [Auto Motor Und Sport via PaulTan]