2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class Roadster

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class Roadster

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class Roadster

For the first time Mercedes-Benz is offering a choice of three variants of the lightweight-construction vario-roof for the new SLK: in just a few seconds this feature transforms the roadster into a coupe with a “fixed” roof at the touch of a button – and vice versa: The standard version is a roof painted in the vehicle color. Optionally available is a panorama vario-roof with dark-tinted glass. The third option is a world premiere – the panorama vario-roof with MAGIC SKY CONTROL. This glass roof switches to light or dark at the press of a button. In light mode it is virtually transparent, offering an open-air experience even in cold weather. In its dark state the roof provides welcome shade and prevents the interior from heating up from the sun’s rays. In other words: a comfortable atmosphere at the touch of a button.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Siemens, which employs a prototype hybrid technology, unveiled a modified version of Mercedes C-Class Sports Coupe which has a faster acceleration, more torque, fuel economy Äîand, Äîthan its gasoline equivalent. However, the company admitted that the car was "far from ready for production, " and too expensive to manufacture or sell.

Karmann also showed a concept of Sportcoupe W203 (prefacelift), which has been transformed into a convertible with hood. This prototype has never reached production status

The Mercedes SL 65 AMG Black Series is the new Premium Sports Car

Jerry under Sports cars

Picture: Michael Mura at Flickr

After the super sports car Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren was phased out of production, an extreme high performance version of the SL roadster has stepped up to fill its shoes. The Mercedes SL 65 AMG Black Series comes with a supercharged 12 cylinder petrol engine, complete with a 493 kW/ 670 HP performance and torque of 1,000 Nm. The car also uses the 6.0 litre driving gear from the SL 65 AMG, but with enhancements, including a different bi-turbocharger and a modified exhaust system.

The new model is 280 kilograms lighter than the standard version, because of the decision to manufacture numerous car body panels from lightweight carbon fibre. The sports car can go from zero to 62 mph in just 3.9 seconds, while the top speed has been electronically restricted at 198 mph. An automatic 5 gear system provides the transmission on the rear axle. The suspension has been reworked, and limited slip deferential on the rear axle should help provide for extra traction.

The open two-seater is immediately distinguishable by its expanded wings, wheel-away back spoiler, and a rear apron with fins. The completely black interior is marked by a sports car bucket seat, black speedometer, and a white RPM meter. The first editions will be released in November and, although the prices remain unknown, we can expect something in the £215,000 range.

The Mercedes SL 65 AMG Black Series is the new Premium Sports Car

Jerry under Sports cars

Picture: Michael Mura at Flickr

After the super sports car Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren was phased out of production, an extreme high performance version of the SL roadster has stepped up to fill its shoes. The Mercedes SL 65 AMG Black Series comes with a supercharged 12 cylinder petrol engine, complete with a 493 kW/ 670 HP performance and torque of 1,000 Nm. The car also uses the 6.0 litre driving gear from the SL 65 AMG, but with enhancements, including a different bi-turbocharger and a modified exhaust system.

The new model is 280 kilograms lighter than the standard version, because of the decision to manufacture numerous car body panels from lightweight carbon fibre. The sports car can go from zero to 62 mph in just 3.9 seconds, while the top speed has been electronically restricted at 198 mph. An automatic 5 gear system provides the transmission on the rear axle. The suspension has been reworked, and limited slip deferential on the rear axle should help provide for extra traction.

The open two-seater is immediately distinguishable by its expanded wings, wheel-away back spoiler, and a rear apron with fins. The completely black interior is marked by a sports car bucket seat, black speedometer, and a white RPM meter. The first editions will be released in November and, although the prices remain unknown, we can expect something in the £215,000 range.

Super Green: The New Wave Of Environmentally Conscious Exotic Supercars

It's not that easy being green, least of all if you're a builder of exotic, high performance supercars or uberluxury sedans. Recently however, there has been a move towards improving fuel economy and reducing emissions by many of the world's biggest and most well known luxury and performance brands.

Take Ferrari's stop-start equipped California HELE or Mercedes-Benz's SLS AMG E-Cell concept, for instance. And there's more on the horizon, including the plug-in hybrid 918 Spyder from Porsche and BMW's Vision EfficientDynamics, the latter of which allegedly will offer M3 performance with a CO2 emissions rating of just 99 grams per kilometer.

And it's not just these four who are in it for the environmental crowd cred: other makers including Lotus, Audi, Lamborghini, Jaguar and Bentley are also looking to green up their model ranges.

This comes as no surprise to Christoph Stuermer, an analyst at IHS Automotive in Frankfurt:

"These upper-end, high-performance cars have always been examples of the best car technology out here, and being green is now part of being technologically advanced They have to come up with something so as not to be seen as technical dinosaurs."

Enrico Galliera, the commercial and marketing senior VP at Ferrari, agrees that it's definitely something that the company's customers are all for:

"When you consider buying a Ferrari, you're considering it for the performance. At the same time, when we approached customers and said, 'Here's a way you can still have that and be greener,' the reaction was extremely positive."

So there you have it. Now you can have your cake and eat it too, though you'll have to pay for the cake part first. And with prices around €180,000 (US$252,376) for the California HELE and an expected €500,000 (US$682,260) for the 918 Spyder that is one expensive, green frosted cake.

PS: Metaphors aren't my strong point...

By Tristan Hankins

Via: WSJ

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Mercedes Builds the World’s Most Advanced Driving Simulator [with Video]

If you're a fan of realistic driving games likes the Gran Turismo, then you're really going to dig this one. Meet Mercedes-Benz's professional driving simulator that comes with a 360o, precise landscape imagery and a twelve-meter long rail for transverse movements. The driving simulator, however, was not made for racing games but to help the German manufacturer to "research the behavior of the driver and vehicle in road traffic even more intensively".

Shaped like a hexapod, the simulator cell contains a real Mercedes model inside and is mounted on six mobile legs. A 360 degree projection screen simulates a realistic traffic scene, with oncoming vehicles, moving pedestrians and urban surroundings.

The vehicle controls are linked to a computer capable of calculating the behavior of the car more than 1,000 times per second, so whatever the test driver does the effects are the same as in real traffic situations. Accelerate hard and the noise of the car rises. Brake hard and it dives.

I'm not sure what happens when you try to drift, but hydraulics and electric motors can move the cell transversely by up to twelve meters – and at a maximum speed of 36 km/h (22 mph) – so at least double lane-changes can be simulated.

Scroll down to watch a video of grown men playing in the name of science.

By Csaba Daradics

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