Mercedes-Benz finally reveals SLS AMG Black Series

 by: Jeffrey N. Ross

Just yesterday, Mercedes-Benz released a teaser on its Facebook page showing what we could only guess was the SLS AMG Black Series, and this morning our suspicions proved true as the automaker removed the tight-fitting cover. Preparing for the car's official debut at the 2012 LA Auto Show, the latest addition to the Mercedes-Benz Black Series is by far the most impressive with extensive measures taken to improve performance and reduce weight.

Underneath the SLS' long hood, AMG has reworked the engine squeezing an extra 39 horsepower from the 6.2-liter V8 raising the output to 622 hp. And even though overall torque has dropped by 11 pound-feet, acceleration from zero to 60 miles per hour is quicker at 3.5 seconds. Top speed is 196 mph. The handling of the car has also been improved on all levels, including upgraded ceramic brakes with two-piece rotors (measuring 15.8-inches in the front and 14.2-inches at the rear wheels), adjustable coil over suspension, electronically controlled rear differential and a track that has been widened by almost an inch. For added rigidity, many of the body braces in the aluminum space frame have been replaced with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) helping to shed precious pounds.

At 3,417 pounds, the SLS AMG Black Series has dropped a total of 154 pounds compared to the SLS AMG GT. Some of the numbers are actually pretty significant, such as the 35.3 pounds saved with the ceramic brakes, 29.3 pounds cut thanks to using a CFRP engine-to-transmission torque tube rather than aluminum and 28.7 pounds from the titanium exhaust system. Showing AMG's determination to shed pounds, even the car's conventional battery has been replaced with a lithium-ion battery which is good for another 17.6 pounds of curb weight savings – possibly the first such application of a lithium-ion battery outside of a hybrid or electric vehicle.

Mercedes says that the styling of the SLS AMG Black Series was inspired by the GT3 racecar, and elements like the front chin spoiler, forged alloy wheels, rear diffuser and the vented side skirts and rear fascia help the car look the part. Many of the body panels are made of CFRP, including the flared front and rear fenders. This racecar styling is also applied to the interior of the Black Series with a sport steering wheel that features a red 12 o'clock marking and plenty of exposed carbon fiber. The car shown in the images above not only sports the Solar Beam paint exclusive to this car, it also features the optional AMG Aerodynamics package that gets an adjustable CFRP rear wing with aluminum uprights and front fascia flics, but all of the cars get a vented hood that increases front axle downforce.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class dubbed most successful launch in company history

by: Jonathon Ramsey

 

When we drove the 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class earlier this year, we called it "likely the most important Mercedes-Benz passenger car since the old 190 turned into the C-Class "Baby Benz" back in 1993." And just like that car opened all kinds of new doors for The Three-Pointed Star, the A-Class looks to be doing the same. Autocar reports that pre-orders in Western Europe number 70,000, a figure that would represent a ten-percent conversion rate of potential customers invited to pre-launch events.

That would also make the third-generation A-Class the most successful car launch in Mercedes history, an auspicious start for a car with a heavy burden. The segment continues to expand and will be a key battleground, especially as both Mercedes and Audi plan on being the number one luxury carmaker by 2020, taking over from BMW. The uptake of the standard model bodes well for the fortunes of the CLA sedan and the utility variant to come.

Mercedes-Benz exec promises C-Class convertible

by: Jeffrey N. Ross

 
Mercedes-Benz is already at work on the next-generation C-Class sedan, but USA Today reports that the automaker promises to add a convertible model for to the mix as well and will offer it in the US. The new C-Class is expected out next year as a 2014 model, and it will be the first time the C-Class has ever directly offered a drop-top model, likely to be called the C-Class Cabriolet.

Previously, the CLK-Class acted as a convertible based on the smaller C-Class, but it was sized and generally thought of as an E-Class model. There are no concrete details about this new car, but it's almost certain to be the most affordable convertible in the Mercedes lineup, slotting in under the $42,900 SLK-Class roadster well below the $59,070 E-Class Cabriolet. Cars such as the C-Class Cabriolet and the all-new CLA-Class are an attempt to draw younger buyers into the Mercedes family, according to Steve Cannon, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA.

Mercedes offers 3,000-euro discount amidst struggling sales

by: Chris Tutor

The bad economy looks to be getting deeper over in Europe. The latest evidence is German carmakers' desperate efforts to prop up badly-lagging sales. Last month, European discounts on German brands averaged 12.2 percent. And now, Mercedes-Benz is offering a 3000-euro ($3,900) trade-in incentive to customers.

Success of the discounts has been minimal at best. September car sales in Germany fell 11 percent despite the incentives. With 25 percent of Europe's car sales coming from the Germans, some expect the drop to also pull the entire continent's numbers down to 1993 levels.

"Germany's sales results are sending the signal that we're certainly not out of the woods, but are deep in the woods and aren't going to get out soon," Jonathon Poskitt, an analyst at LMC Automotive in Oxford, England, tells Automotive News Europe. "It looks like 2013 is going to be another difficult year."

And those monthly numbers are actually rosier than reality. Sales of discounted "zero-mile used vehicles," accounted for 33.5 percent of September sales in Germany. Zero-mile cars are created in a practice by German dealers in which new cars are licensed by the dealer, then sold as used at a more than 20-percent discount. It moves inventory off the lot, but is costly to dealers and manufacturers. 

Daimler to open Mercedes hybrid electric research base in MI

By: Chris Paukert

In an all-too-rare win for Detroit's automaker base, the state of Michigan and Daimler have reportedly reached a deal to see a new Mercedes-Benz hybrid and electric car research and development facility built in neighboring Ann Arbor. Among other things, the facility will develop hybrid transmissions, electric motors, and powertrain management software.

The German automaker is reportedly seeking a 65,000 square-foot facility to house the R&D works, and the development will also see the relocation of an existing facility currently located in Troy. Over the course of the next decade, the new operation is expected to represent a $9.9 million investment and generate 454 jobs – 223 of them directly. However, in order to secure the facility in Michigan (California and South Carolina were reportedly also considered), the state has had to cough up a tax break package worth some $7.5 million over 10 years.