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After a short break, we're back with more automotive goodness. To make up for a slow week last week, let's start with a supercar video.

By now, you have started learning more about the new AMG SLS "Gullwing." International journalists and lucky Mercedes-benz owners were recently introduced to the car at Laguna Seca. The video here is from UK's Autocar and gives us a good idea of what the car is actually like to drive.

Based on what Matt Prior has to say, this is a focused, serious Mercedes that fits somewhere between the Aston Martin Vantage ...

If you own a Mercedes-Benz and either an iPhone or Blackberry, things just got a bit more sci-fi for you. In partnership with Hughes Telematics, Mercedes has launched an application for iPhones and Blackberries that will allow drivers to lock and unlock car doors, locate their vehicles on a map, and contact roadside assistance using their devices.

Hughes developed the base software platform while Mercedes will add applications as it develops them. MBRACE will cost $280 a year.

[Source: POPSCI]

Ever wonder how you would get out of your $200,000 SLS Gullwing Benz should you roll it over and come to a rest on its roof? Worry no more, as undramatically illustrated in this video of an SLS crash test.

In order to comply with regulations that stipulate rescue teams needs to be able to open a car’s doors in the event of an accident, Mercedes-Benz has engineered explosive charges in the door hinges of the SLS that will release the doors in case a rollover takes place.

Beyond this point in the video, you will also see ...

And no, we are not just talking cosmetics. Calling it a 'C63 AMG with a shot of SLS', Mercedes-Benz has released a version of its BMW M3 fighter with a Performance Package Plus. The main piece of attraction is a 30 hp boost to bring up the already potent 6.3L V8 to a whopping 487 hp. This was achieved through the use of new, forged-alloy pistons from the car's newest supercar cousin, the SLS Gullwing. A lighter crankshaft and lighter connecting rods, coupled with a new ECU map complete the upgrade process.

The uprated C63 is now good ...

The new SLS AMG Gullwing is already being called one of the finest cars Mercedes-Benz has ever built. In this video, you will see how the company put a shiny Gullwing on top of its futuristic-looking museum in Stuttgart, Germany.

We brought you a whole collection of pictures of this new Silber Pfeile when the car was introduced, and we can now complement them with a video of the car.

In case you don't remember, here are the numbers:

Engine: 6.3L AMG V8
Horsepower: 563 hp
Torque: 480 lb-ft
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch transmission
0-60 mph: 3.7 ...

The spiritual successor to the legendary 50's Gullwing Mercedes has been one of the worst-kept secrets in the car industry. However, we can now show you the first official pictures of the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing.

The first car designed fully by Mercedes-Benz's AMG division, this new BEnz supercar features the workhorse 6.3L AMG V8. In the SLS, the V8 produces 563 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. Mercedes-Benz's first seven-speed dual clutch transmission sends the power to the rear wheels.

The SLS is made mostly from carbon-fiber, allowing for a 0-60 mph dash of ...

Those Germans, bless their hearts, are as good coming up with ridiculously convoluted car model names as they are engineering  complex vehicles (see our recent post on Mercedes' fuel cell car to see where we are coming from). This is the Mercedes-Benz BlueZero E-cell Plus concept, Mercedes-Benz's first, almost-production ready electric vehcile. The E-Cell is based on a modified A-Class chassis and will be produced in limited numbers starting next year.

As with the Chevrolet Volt, the car's electric motor is powered by an internal combustion engine mated to a generator. In other words, the three-cylinder engine sourced ...

Time to eat a little crow. A little over two weeks ago, I posted this opinion piece on fuel cell vehicles and complained that Daimler-Benz had seemingly forgotten about its promise to bring a fuel cell vehicle to the market by 2010. I stand corrected, as Mercedes-Benz has launched its first production fuel cell vehicle, the ingeniously-named B-Class F-CELL.

As the name suggests, the car is based on the B-Class, 200 of which will be built later this year and delivered to European and American lease customers in 2010. Mercedes seems to have gotten around the perennial problem with fuel ...

Would you drive down the world’s best, most dramatic road, the famous Stelvio Pass,  without headlights at night? Well, to showcase the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class’ Night View Assist Plus Technology, MotorTrend did just that.

Of course, you never want to do something this mad under normal circumstances. The Night View Assist is designed to highlight children and animals that may suddenly jump out in front of you in the dark. However, as you can see in the video, the infrared technology works well enough to guide the MotorTrend editor safely down the treacherous pass.

[Source: MotorTrend via Youtube]

The Mercedes-McLaren SLR Stirling Moss edition is the last iteration of the exotic joint venture between the German giant and the racing powerhouse. After this, McLaren will build its own cars independently while Mercedes-Benz will imminently unveil its new supercar, the SLS Gullwing.

In the meantime, you can enjoy watching the Stirling Moss edition being driven around a test track by Mercedes-Benz DTM driver Bruno Spengler. Needless to say, this car celebrates the legendary 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Mille Miglia race car in which Stirling Moss set his still-unbroken record (historic video below). Only 75 of these $1.01M, 650 ...

Yesterday, I was reading an article that made me think the automotive end times are here: BMW and Mercedes-Benz are working on three-cylinder cars to be released in the next five years. And no, we are not just talking cars like the above Smart.

Now, anyone who has driven a Smart surely knows how rough and harsh-sounding three-cylinder engines can be. Their only saving grace is fuel-economy, which is obvious. Mercedes-Benz does not seem to care, given that it already makes a three-cylinder junker for the Smart, and apparently thinks that a C-Class and a three-cylinder would go well together ...

OK, so admittedly, this is not the most technical of tests. The British TV show Fifth Gear sets out to figure out whether the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a clear choice over the now-aging BMW 5-Series.

The new Mercedes is packed with technologies such as a driver alert system and a hood that pops up in a pedestrian crash in order to reduce injury. In fact, Mercedes-Benz calls the E-Class the most advanced car they have built.

A new BMW 5-Series is not that far off. For now though, this is how two comparable models of the two cars stack ...

We all know that of late, Mercedes-Benz has been very good at creating obscenely powerful engines that outdo its own....obscenely powerful engines. However, more power and torque do not always translate to superior performance.

Every once in a while, Mercedes seems to get it right, as is the case with the C63 AMG. However, as Jeremy Clarkson finds out in this review of the ultra-rare Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series, the Stuttgart giant has a long way to go to learn about finesse when it comes to ueber-performance cars. However, if you still want one, you will be ...

These pictures are being referred to as 'leaked' in the blogosphere, and we are happy someone was a bit naughty. We showed you spy pictures of the baby Bimmer SAV a few weeks ago and as you can see here, no surprises: a handsome vehicle with typical BMW design cues inside and out.

With the X1, scheduled to be unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show this fall, BMW takes straight aim at its German rivals: Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLK, and Volkswagen Tiguan. Aah, nothing like a good duel.

The rivals:

Audi Q5

Mercedes-Benz GLK

Volkswagen Tiguan

2010 BMW X1

[Source ...

Mercedes-Benz the brand has always been synonymous with safety. The company is in fact responsible for many safety breakthroughs including front and rear crumple zones, anti-lock braking (ABS) and traction control. Within this context, the S400 Hybrid called the Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESF in German), a rolling demonstrator of the company's safety technology, is right at home.

The novel technologies being shown in this demo car include the braking bag, a panel that juts out underneath the car in the case of emergency stops and reduces speed through the creation of additional drag. The system also prevents the car ...

Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, has made an investment in California-based Tesla Motors in return for a 10% stake. This is a smart move for Daimler and a strategic home-run for Tesla. The electrification of the vehicle is still in its infancy, what with range, battery life and maintenance infrastructure a long way from readiness for mass-adoption.

Through its investment, Daimler not only buys itself a stake in the immense buzz and public goodwill toward the first full-electric vehicle of the US market of recent times, but it also taps into the technology pioneered by Tesla, allowing it to ...

You be the judge, but this must be one of the strangest car commercials in recent history, if not ever. My first reaction after watching it was, "huh?" We get, but...dude, stay off the 'shrooms!

[Source: YouTube via Autoblog]

Yes, yes, I know you know that things have not been going, shall we say, ‘that well’ for the car industry of late. Given the downturn, it is inevitable to see major shifts in the center of power among the big corporations. But two recent pieces of news really demonstrate just how bizarre the car industry has become. Tell me I am not alone when I think that the below would make for one heck of a corporate thriller celebrity gossip rag, replete with courtships, breakups, back-stabbing and unpredictable behavior:

VW gets weak - Porsche buys VW - Porsche gets weak - VW ...

It seems as though news of the current “green” hype has not yet reached Stuttgart: Mercedes-Benz reveals a most naughty E63 AMG today, ahead of its official debut at the NY Auto Show.

Here’s what you need to know:

Engine: 6.3L V8

Horsepower: 518hp

Torque: 465lb.ft

Transmission: 7-speed MCT Speedshift

0-62mph: 4.5sec

Top speed: 155mph (limited)

You may now drool away!

[Source: Autocar]

The 2009 Brand Image Awards by Kelley Blue Book has named BMW the ‘coolest’ car brand, as well as the ‘best performance brand’ and ‘best exterior design brand’. Its arch-rival Mercedes-Benz, was voted as the ‘best prestige brand’.

The full results are as follows:

BMW: coolest
BMW: best performance
BMW: best exterior design - luxury
Cadillac: best comfort
Cadillac: best interior design
Ford: most rugged truck
Mercedez-Benz: most prestige
Nissan: best exterior design – non-luxury
Toyota: best value
Toyota: Most family

So, the question is, which would you rather be: cool, or prestigious? Do you agree with the other awards? Leave your ...

OK, so this is REALLY a sign that the automotive apocalypse is nigh: bitter arch-rivals BMW and Daimler, Mercedes-Benz’s corporate parent, are reportedly considering a mutual 7% cross-ownership agreement. This follows older reports of the two companies planning joint purchasing activities with a view toward cutting costs, and the news today is within the same context.

The billionaire Quandt family, which owns 46% of BMW, is said to be against the deal, fearing an eventual takeover by Daimler. Furthermore, the German government has yet to rule on whether the agreement would be a violation of Germany's anti-trust regulations ...

Yesterday, I said we planned to post about only the most stunning cars at the Geneva Auto Show. However, today, our pick has to do more with significance than looks, even though the car in question is decent-looking to say the least. Here is the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe, whose four-door brother was unveiled in Detroit in January. The E-Class has always been Mercedes-Benz’s best-seller. The E-Coupe more or less replaces the CLK, which itself sold quite well.

In the US, the E Coupe, which will hit the market this summer, will come equipped with a huge panorama sunroof ...

Wolfgang Bernhard, former head of the VW brand and prior to that, COO of Chrysler when it was owned by Daimler, is returning back to Daimler AG to head the Mercedes-Benz Vans unit.

Bernhard is one of the auto industry’s hotshots and was destined to some day take over the entire Mercedes-Benz unit. However, his blunt views on how to overhaul the ill-fated DaimlerChrysler irked former CEO Jürgen Shcrempp enough to cause his ouster.

Bernhard, 48, started out as a McKinsey consultant on the S-Class line and quickly climbed the ranks, earning a reputation as a cost-cutter. He ...

We have new pictures of the all-new 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class with the optional "AMG" look exterior styling option. The true AMG model, with the magnificent 6.2L V8 already in the C63 AMG, is about a year away. What do you think of the new E-Class? I think it's a bit ungainly in the back and a bit too reminiscent of the GLK in the front. Leave your comments below.

[Source: Autocar]