Mercedes Benz auto news

Mercedes SLS AMG gullwing order guide revealed; includes optional $10,000 paint!

While we patiently await our turn to drive Mercedes-Benz's upcoming SLS AMG gullwing wundercar, we have a new way to occupy our time: the dealership ordering guide. Thanks to an anonymous tipster, we have the full document for your perusal, which includes all relevant details and estimated option prices for spec'ing out an SLS of your very own.

The guide doesn't provide us with many new images of the 563-horsepower production coupe, but we do see the options list and associated pricing, including lots of interesting tidbits like the model's available colors (including special $10,000 "ALU-BEAM liquid metal" paint); performance options including $12,000 carbon-ceramic brakes and a modestly priced $1,500 sport suspension kit; along with interior niceties on the order of various seat leathers, an $11k extended carbon fiber kit, a $6,400 Bang & Olufsen stereo upgrade, and so on.

What are you waiting for? Click on the gallery below to see how much money you'll need to liberate from the couch cushions before you can order the SLS of your dreams.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLS Order Guide

Officially Official: Mercedes to produce electric SLS gullwing

Mercedes-Benz has officially confirmed the rumors that have been floating around in recent days - it will build an electrically powered version of its upcoming SLS gullwing coupe. The EV version of the SLS will drive all four wheels by means of an individual motor for each corner. It will not however use wheel hub motors, since those add too much unsprung mass. The motors will be mounted just inboard of the suspension components.

Energy will be stored in a 48 kWh liquid cooled lithium ion battery pack running down the central tunnel. The combined output of the electric drive system is 392 kW (526 hp) and 880 Nm (649 lb-ft), which compares to 420 kW (563 hp) and 649 Nm (479 lb-ft) for the 6.3-liter V8 in the conventional SLS. Mercedes claims it will accelerate to 62 mph in four seconds. No range is being quoted at this time, but given that the battery capacity is lower than the Tesla Roadster and the car is larger, it will likely be well under 200 miles. No timeline for the electric version is being quoted, although earlier rumors placed it at 2015.

One of the reasons that Daimler said it was investing $50 million in Tesla Motors was the upstart's ability to move quickly and develop systems faster than could be done at Daimler. Given that, we may well see the electric SLS sooner rather than later. Check out our high-res gallery of (internal combustion) Mercedes SLS prototypes below and the official press release after the jump.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Continue reading Officially Official: Mercedes to produce electric SLS gullwing

VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG hot-laps the 'Ring

You know the stats. You've seen the leaks. Now, it's time for some video. The crew at MotorTrend were invited to the preview drive of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Germany, and the buff book's Editor-At-Large, Arthur St. Antoine, enjoyed some passenger seat time with Bernd Schneider as the five-time DTM champion put Mercedes' new gullwing supercoupe through its paces. Make the jump to check out the full 13-mile hot-lap around the Nordschleife. Top tip Dan!

Continue reading VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG hot-laps the 'Ring

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 7.15.09

	Review: 2009 Ural T sidecar motorcycle isn't as retro as it looks The 2009 Ural T sidecar motorcycle can't be described as "retro." Instead, the three-wheeled machine is a direct link to the past -- a bygone era of motorcycling that's sure to intrigue some and disinterest others.		Henderson: Chevy Caprice is being looked at as "police application" We had the opportunity to speak with GM CEO Fritz Henderson and we pressed him for more details on the Caprice plan. Unfortunately, Henderson brought his portable fire extinguisher.
	VIDEO: Tata Nano gets its crash on To all those who thought reports of the Tata Nano passing European crash testing were worthless without pics, we now have a few of those plus one better: Video.	Other news of import 2011 Hyundai Sonata coming to Detroit Auto Show Front-wheel drive, hybrid Honda S2000 "replacement" coming in 2012 Jaguar X-Type reportedly read last rites, headed for The Great Beyond 2010 Suzuki SX4 to gain front-drive SportBack trim, power boost Wagoner gets $8.2M severance + $74,030 annually w/benefits... for life

In-car VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG hot-laps the 'Ring

You know the stats. You've seen the leaks. Now, it's time for some video. The crew at MotorTrend were invited to the preview drive of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG in Germany, and the buff book's Editor-At-Large, Arthur St. Antoine, enjoyed some passenger seat time with Bernd Schneider as the five-time DTM champion put Mercedes' new gullwing supercoupe through its paces. Make the jump to check out the full 13-mile hot-lap around the Nordschleife. Top tip Dan!

Continue reading In-car VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG hot-laps the 'Ring

Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz SLC AMG Roadster?

What we have here are the first shots of what is being billed once again as the Mercedes-Benz SLC. The name was previously entertained as the tentative nameplate for Merc's upcoming gullwing supercar until it was replaced by the SLS nameplate. But if these shots from Auto Express are any indication, a roadster version is likely in the works as well.

Rather than a folding hard-top like the SL, the droptop SLS looks like it will follow the path of the SLR McLaren (not to mention the original 300SL) with a canvas roof, and presumably it will offer full automatic operation and a glass rear window. Aside from the roof, the mechanics are anticipated to carry over unchanged from the specs that just hit the web earlier today, while minimal weight gain should mean that performance will closely mirror that of its fixed-roof counterpart.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG gets driven, details revealed

The recent spate of leaks surrounding the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG were a clear indication that a few select members of the press were invited to a pre-debut debut ahead of the gullwing's official unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show and that we could expect some initial driving impressions soon. Well, with the embargo dam critically injured, the first round of reviews have hit, revealing some critical details about Mercedes' all-new supercoupe.

Get the scoop after the jump.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG gets driven, details revealed

VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz E-Class commercial features malfunctioning car

The voiceover for Mercedes' "Ignite" commercial for the new E-Class starts with "It is, quite simply, the most advanced automobile we have every created." However, during the start-up sequence before that voiceover, the actual commercial begins with a warning light: when the driver turns the car on, the message "Front Right SRS Malfunction Service Required" appears in the dash - not the type of message you expect to see when your car fires up and does its system check. Still, knowing how these things work, we suspect this commercial was probably filmed early on in a pre-production prototype with an inactive airbag - a common enough occurence with these sorts of vehicles.

In any case, to watch the commercial and to check out Mercedes' official response to the flub, hit the jump. Hat tip to Wai.

Continue reading VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz E-Class commercial features malfunctioning car

Rendered or Spied? Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG pops up on mag cover

We can't tell you for sure whether or not this image of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG on the cover of Autobild is the real deal or a well done rendering based on some spy shots, but it does appear to have that quality of an actual photograph rather than a Photochop special.

The SLS AMG will mark the first appearance of a production car fitted with gull-wing doors since, well... we suppose the DMC-12 DeLorean, though we're certain that Mercedes hopes its car conjure an image of the original 300SL on which this supercar's styling is based. The cues are all there, including a grille that looks like a guppy with its mouth wide open, fender vents aft of the front wheels and, of course, those doors.

Power will surely be provided by the biggest AMG-sourced V8 that will fit under the long hood, though we have heard rumors of an all-electric version arriving in 2015. We'll see about that, but in the meantime you can compare the shot above to spy shots of the car that were officially released by Mercedes back in April.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

Rumormill: Mercedes-Benz working on electric SLS eDrive for 2015

Green-minded fans of the upcoming SLS supercar that Mercedes-Benz AMG has been working on for well over two years, rejoice. The rumormill is buzzing with word that an all-electric version of the gullwinged monster could enter limited production in 2015. That's a ways off, but considering the gestation period of the gas-chugging version, it's pretty much par for the course.

According to the gossip-happy blokes over at Autocar, the electric SLS will share its lightweight aluminum body, gullwing doors, and most of the interior with upcoming SLS. The changes for the SLS eDrive will mostly be contained in the powertrain, which will use four 98 kW motors (one at each wheel) for a total of 392 kW (532bhp) and 649 lb. ft. of torque. A rumored 0-62 mph time of under four seconds and a top speed of 120 mph would put it in the realm of the Tesla Roadster if the SLS eDrive were available today, albeit undoubtedly at a much higher price point.

Of course, nobody actually knows what the electric gullwing will be capable of - if indeed it reaches production at all. According to Autocar, the SLS eDrive figures to have a shorter range than the Tesla, somewhere between 93 and 112 miles from a full charge that takes eight hours from a standard outlet, or five to six from a more powerful outlet.

The gasoline-powered SLS is expected to debut at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS