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Filed under: Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes-Benz , Rumormill While there is a mad rush for automakers to make smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles for the U.S. market, many of the vehicles we crave are already available to European customers. Mercedes sells A- and B-Class vehicles were deemed too small for U.S. consumption. One product Mercedes doesn't have in either of its two biggest markets is a small crossover vehicle, but that could change in 2011. Autocar is reporting that Mercedes is looking to rectify its small crossover position with the BLK , which will be positioned to take on the BMW X1 and Land Rover LRX. If Mercedes does build the BLK, it will likely be on an all-new FWD chassis that will also accommodate the next-gen A- and B-Class, as well as other like-sized models. The guys and gals on team Benz were looking to strike a deal with another automaker to platform share, but talks apparently came up empty. Mercedes is still looking to partner up with BMW on engine development...
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Filed under: China , Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz , Misc. Auto Shows Click above to view high-res gallery of the 2010 GLK 350 Mercedes-Benz debuted the GLK last January at the Detroit Auto Show in the form of two lightly veiled concepts: the Townside and the Freeside . Until now, the only place we've glimpsed the production version is on the set of Sex and the City . This weekend Mercedes will be unveiling the production GLK sans Kim Cattrall at the Beijing Motor Show , a.k.a. the Auto China in Bejing. We've also learned that the GLK will have only one engine available when it goes sale in the U.S. next January as a 2010 model. The sole motor will be a 268-horsepower 3.5L V6, which can be paired with a two-wheel-drive or 4MATIC all-wheel-drive platform, the latter being able to hit 60 mph in just 6.5 seconds while also returning 23 mpg on the highway. The design of the GLK, meanwhile, apes other CUVs that want to look tough despite their decidedly non-SUV underpinnings, hence...
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Filed under: Coupes , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks , Mercedes Benz It's no secret that the Mercedes-Benz A-class hasn't been a resounding success and that the automaker is looking to revamp its entry-level line-up to better compete with rivals. According to Autocar , M-B boss Dieter "Dr. Z" Zetsche has green-lighted a new model that's taking aim at the BMW 1-series and Audi A3, and will accompany the rest of the revised A-class models when it debuts in 2011. The new model will replace the aging, if just recently facelifted, CLC and will initially come to market sporting a coupe body style instead of a three-door hatch. Mercedes plans to expand the rest of the A-classes to include at least three different body styles of each model, coinciding with the launch of the new B-class, which will be designed to compete with the upcoming BMW X1. Power will supposedly come from a combination of direct-injection gasoline and diesel powerplants, with output ranging from...
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Filed under: SUVs , Green , Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz Click above for a high-res gallery of the MB GL320 BlueTec Urea injection will finally arrive in the U.S. when Mercedes-Benz launches fifty-state-legal diesel versions of its ML320, GL320 and R320 BlueTec models. Mercedes says these U.S. light-duty diesels will be equipped with AdBlue injection that allows them to meet this country's strict Tier2 Bin5 emissions standards. To live up to that, Mercedes will have to ensure that vehicles are shipped before BMW gets the X5 and 335d into customers hands this fall . The Mercedes vehicles are using a 3.0L turbo diesel V-6 putting out 210 horsepower and 398 pound-feet of torque, while using urea injection (like the diesel BMWs and upcoming diesel VW Touareg and Audi Q7) to almost completely eliminate NOx emissions. Called AdBlue, it is a solution of 2/3 water and 1/3 urea that reacts with NOx to create nitrogen and water. The urea is contained in a 7-gallon (8.5-gallon in the larger...
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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , Geneva Motor Show , Green , Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz Click above for a high-res gallery of the MB GLK Hybrid When Mercedes-Benz premiered the new GLK compact SUV at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the styling struck most people as at best awkward. With the outward appearance of the full-size GL shrunk down to an Escape-sized vehicle, it still looks like a reject for a Chrysler Sebring crossover. Regardless of what you think of the exterior body work, the latest edition of the GLK that Mercedes is showing in concept form at Geneva next week seems to be capable of pretty serious mileage for an SUV/CUV. The Vision GLK BlueTec Hybrid is another in the series of models using the new mild hybrid system Mercedes is developing with BMW. In this case, Mercedes has combined it with the 2.2L four cylinder diesel for a total output of 224 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque. That's enough to move the GLK to 62 mph in 7.3 sec while getting 40 mpg (US). On the outside...
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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons , Recalls/TSBs , Safety , Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz Mercedes sold over twelve-thousand diesel-powered vehicles in the US last year, but a crankshaft issue is sending 9,004 units back to the dealer for repair. NHTSA says the problem lies in a crankshaft sensor that can fail, which causes the engine to lose power and makes you the "disabled vehicle" the traffic reporter on the radio warns your fellow commuters about. That won't do. The recall affects 2007 E320 Bluetec, ML320 CDI, and GL320 CDI models. Since the sensor defect could leave drivers stranded, we're going to go ahead and recommend that you get this one fixed right away. We're still bullish on diesel, however, because high fuel economy and gobs of torque are a wonderful combo. [Source: Auto News (subs. req'd)] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz That the R-Class has not been the most successful vehicle in the history of Mercedes-Benz is no big secret, but after staunchly espousing its virtues for year, the automaker has finally admitted it. And as any recovering addict could tell you, admitting you have a problem is the first step on the long road to recovery. Mercedes had pegged production of the crossover at its Vance, Alabama, plant at 50,000 units annually, with half of that staying in the United States. Last year, however, American dealerships sold only 18,000 units. According to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, the R-Class "has definitely not lived up to our original plans." Mercedes is planning a replacement for R-Class, and while it could retain the same big CUV/wagon set-up, the next R is more likely to take another format altogether. Mercedes biggest competitor at BMW, meanwhile, is evidently thinking otherwise with the X6 crossover it just unveiled yesterday. [Source...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz click above for 22 high-res images of the Mercedes-Benz GLK Vision FREESIDE We brought you five images of the Mercedes-Benz GLK Vision GLK FREESIDE when news broke on it last night, but today MB has released a full slate of photography showing its new soft-roader from every angle. We can't say it necessarily helps, as the GLK still looks like something you'd place on the kitchen counter to hold your good set of knives. So many sharp angles, creases and hard lines tries to impart an air of SUV-ness to the GLK that just doesn't work as well as it does on the full-size GL SUV. Nevertheless, the GLK has some promising hardware hiding underneath its butch exterior that includes a BLUETEC four-cylinder diesel, 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission and a new 4MATIC all-wheel drive that's as efficient as a two-wheel-drive set up. We're also eager to climb inside the GLK to determine how the interior stacks...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz Click the Vision GLK for a high-res photo gallery After countless spy photos and leaks, the Mercedes-Benz GLK is finally officially official. The new compact SUV from Stuttgart will get it's public debut in two weeks at the Detroit Auto Show. At 14.8 ft. long the GLK is only about three inches longer than a Ford Escape. It borrows a lot of the sharp edged styling cues of the big GL SUV but carries them somewhat awkwardly on it's much shorter body. The GLK Vision is powered by Daimler's latest 168 hp 2.2-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder paired up with a seven speed automatic transmission. The diesel uses the latest fourth-gen common rail injection system that operates at 29,000 psi on the inlet side with Bluetec urea injection to clean up the exhaust. Mercedes has reworked the 4MATIC all wheel drive system to reduce the friction to the point where it's as efficient as a two wheel drive setup....
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Filed under: Spy Photos , Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz click to enlarge var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Mercedes_Benz_GLK_caught_on_Sex_and_the_City_set'; Thank the four ladies from Sex and the City for this very early sneak peek of the Mercedes-Benz GLK, Stuttgart's new compact CUV that wasn't supposed to be seen in public until the Geneva Motor Show in March. The vehicle's being used in the upcoming Sex and the City movie and was snapped completely free of camo on an open set. Without all of the covering and cladding, it's now apparent just how sharp and chunky the GLK's styling is. Some have described it as Jeep-like, though we think it's a bit more complicated and busy than a simple slab-sided Jeep. Curiously, the GLK will not be sold in right-hand-drive markets like the UK because its 4Matic four-wheel-drive system can't be made to work with the steering wheel on the right. Where the GLK is on sale, it will be offered with a smattering of...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Wagons/Estates , Etc. , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , Supercars , Aston Martin , Audi , BMW , Lamborghini , Lexus , Maserati , Mazda , Mercedes Benz , Nissan , Volvo , Renault , Opel , Peugeot , FIAT Click the image above for a hi-res gallery of the Reventón The Lamborghini Reventón has been named L'Automobile più Bella del Mondo. Translation: The World's Most Beautiful Automobile. It earned this honor in the Special Models category of this annual automotive fashion show, recently held for the fifteenth time at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan, Italy. There are eleven categories in all, though the Special Models category is generally considered to be the big winner. Other cats include your various sizes of sedans, coupes, convertibles, station wagons, crossovers, sports cars and concept cars. The judging panel included artists, architects, designers, a historian, and a journalist. We like...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Auto Show , Podcasts , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Crossovers/CUVs , Aston Martin , Bentley , BMW , Bugatti , Dodge , Ford , GM , Jaguar , Lamborghini , Mercedes Benz , MINI , PSA , Volkswagen , Volvo , Renault , Brabus...
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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show , SUVs , Green , Crossovers/CUVs , Mercedes Benz Yet another pending debut has sprung up on the interwebs, and (surprise!) it's one more vehicle to give credence to Frankfurt's green-theme. The Mercedes-Benz ML 450 Hybrid...
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