Geneva Preview: Mercedes-Benz F800 Style a sneak peek at next CLS-Class
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mercedes Benz, Geneva Motor Show
Mercedes-Benz F800 Style – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Mercedes-Benz F800 Style concept car that’ll debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month is highly-touted by Mercedes-benz’s press release scribes for its green-car tech, but what’s probably of greater interest to most of you is its styling, which is everyone’s first peek at what the next-generation CLS-Class sedan is going to look like. To that end, get ready for a nose section whose grille apes that of the SLS AMG, plus enough flame-surfaced bodywork to make one envision Chris Bangle, sporting a set of Groucho glasses to mask his true identity, clandestinely moonlighting at Benz. The rear doors are sliders, because it’s a concept, and you need to give the people a clear view into the swoopy, sci-fi passenger cabin. Props to Mercedes PR for gamely making it sound as if there’s an actual practical application for those doors, though (see the attached press release).
Mercedes-Benz also touts the concept’s flexible powertrain platform. The realistic option is a plug-in hybrid system that’s basically an offshoot of the V6 light-hybrid setup found in the S400 sedan. Mercedes says this new plug-in gas-electric system, which is good for over 400 combined horsepower, gives the car an EV-only driving range of 18 miles. The automaker has announced that a new plug-in system is headed to the next-gen S-Class, so don’t dismiss the F800′s hybrid setup as trendy green pandering. Save that cynicism for the concept’s other powertrain option: a compact fuel cell/electric setup evolved from the one used in the current F-Cell cars. We have no doubt that the technology itself is genuinely impressive, and we’re sure news of its development will be a hit with all the jet-setters at the next snowbound climate change conference. From a mass-production, real-person’s-car standpoint, expect to see the fuel cell system in Benz showrooms right after Mercedes intros a 700-horsepower inline 3-cylinder that runs on unicorn milk. Alas, we digress.
The F800 concept also introduces two new technologies that will doubtless appear in upcoming models. Distronic Plus Traffic Jam Assistant is an enhanced version of Mercedes’ active cruise control system, which can now steer the car through curves as long as it’s traveling under 25 mph. Neat. Also new is the Pre-Safe 360-degree system, which expands the existing Pre-Safe collision detection/mitigation system to the rear of the car. Now, if Pre-Safe senses that a rear-end impact is imminent, it’ll apply the brakes in a bid to keep the car from getting into an additional chain-reaction accident involving other cars or pedestrians.
We’ll be in Geneva to see the sheet come off the Mercedes-Benz F800 Style in person, and will have plenty of firsthand observations and live photos then. For now, feast your eyes on the gallery below, and check out the Mercedes PR included after the jump.
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Ford SVT Raptor outselling estimates, black most popular color
Filed under: Truck, Ford
2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor – Click above for high-res image gallery
While we wholeheartedly love the F-150 SVT Raptor, part of us wondered whether there’d be many takers for a $40,000 truck that was purpose-built for the sand dunes. Looks like we needn’t have worried, as it appears demand is very strong for the Raptor. In fact, Ford had its flacks issue a press release bragging about just how successful the Raptor’s been so far. The factory super-truck has reportedly found 5,300 takers to date, and F-150 marketing manager Mark Grueber says Raptor “is so popular that we actually wound up building more 5.4-liter V-8 models than we had originally anticipated.”
The reason Ford thought customers might be interested in waiting to pull the trigger on a Raptor is the spring availability of the Dearborn, MI-based automaker’s new 6.2-liter V8 engine. The new 6.2 promises 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque, or 91 more ponies than the soon-to-be-mothballed 5.4. Ford’s already taking orders for the 6.2-liter model, and we’re thinking they’ll only increase in number over the coming weeks and months.
After filling out 5,300 orders, Ford also has a better idea of which amenities customers want in their Raptors, and the content story is a good one for the automaker. Ford reports that customers are checking option boxes for the luxury package, reverse-sensing camera and moonroof at a rate of at least 79 percent. Ford’s expensive but fantastic touchscreen navigation with SIRIUS Travel Link[TM] is being chosen in 62 percent of Raptors sold. And while we loved the Raptor in Molten Orange, 52 percent of customers are opting for Tuxedo Black. Hit the jump pore over Ford’s bragfest press release.
[Source: Ford] Read more…
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Spotted in SoCal: Vauxhall VX220, a Lotus Elise in disguise
Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Vauxhall, UK
Vauxhall VX220 in a La Jolla garage – Click above for high-res image gallery
If you spend any time hanging out in the same areas frequented by the affluent, you’ll inevitably stumble across plenty of exotic motorized conveyances. Beverly Hills, Newport Beach and La Jolla, California are riddled with Bentleys, Porsches, Ferraris and Aston Martins. Since those vehicles are readily available for sale here, anyone with enough liquidity can wander in to a dealer and pick one up.
Every once in a while, though, you’ll stumble across something genuinely unusual, that clearly took some effort to acquire. Such was the case the other day when we came across this diminutive silver speed demon in a La Jolla parking garage. Those familiar with the Lotus Elise and Tesla Roadster will recognize the lineage. However, this machine is far more sharply chiseled than its cousins.
This is the Vauxhall VX220, complete with the steering wheel on the right-hand side of the cockpit. During the first half of the 1990s, Vauxhall and its continental counterpart, Opel, collaborated with Lotus to produce a rebodied and stretched version of the Elise powered by General Motors Ecotec four-cylinder engines. We have no idea how this car came to make its way to the Golden State, but if the owner (we’re probably safe in assuming there is only one person in California with a VX220) reads this and cares to enlighten us, we’re all ears.
Spotted in SoCal: Vauxhall VX220, a Lotus Elise in disguise originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Chrysler legal turns into schoolyard bully over use of Ram logo
Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Chrysler, Dodge
About the same time Chrysler and Fiat executives were running through a marathon eight -hour look into the future with the world’s automotive, Pentastar lawyers were working over the principal at Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary, Florida. You may be asking yourself what Chrysler lawyers would want with principal Michael Kotkin when, just six months earlier, The Pentastar needed billions of taxpayer dollars to exit bankruptcy. Good question, for sure, but the answer is pretty lame.
Moto Bullet reports that Chrysler’s legal department was reportedly all up in Kotkin’s grill because the school’s logo was a near-perfect match for the Dodge Ram logo. Team Pentastar ordered the school to replace the company’s favorite goat head as the school logo or risk having to drive a Sebring head into court. Chrysler lawyers even had several photos of the logo being used at the school in several different spots. The Seminole County School District decided that the logo wasn’t worth an expensive legal battle, so the school, ranked in the top 1.4 percent nationally for academics, reportedly has until June 15 to remove it from the premises. But while avoiding court will likely save the district plenty of money, the school won’t get out of this mess scot-free. Removing the horned-head from the school’s gym floor alone will reportedly cost the school (read: local taxpayers) $15,000, or roughly the cost of a new science book for about 300 kids.
We don’t want to pretend that we’re experts on branding rights and corporate logos, but we just can’t see what the harm is to Dodge if the brand and the school share the logo. After all, we’re assuming the school isn’t going to start making a competitive truck in wood shop. Principal Kotkin is still putting a positive spin on the situation, saying that Chrysler’s actions have “galvanized my school,” but unfortunately for Team Pentastar, the school’s new battle cry sounds something like “I’ll never buy a Chrysler as long as I live.”
[Source: Moto Bullet]
Chrysler legal turns into schoolyard bully over use of Ram logo originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Hyundai hybrids: Everything in place for greatness
In a class of its own?
I’ve been very excited about the potential of Hyundai hybrid cars ever since Hyundai announced its lithium-polymer powered Hybrid Blue Drive at the 2008 LA Auto Show. According to many experts, Hyundai’s lithium-polymer technology might give Hyundai an edge in lithium battery production.
And, now that the Hyundai Sonata hybrid is just months away from hitting US dealerships, my excitement is beginning to percolate.
In recent weeks we’ve learned that the new Sonata is cheaper and lighter than all other vehicles in its class. Moreover, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has now given the Sonata its Top Safety Pick. What more could you want?
A hybrid version with class leading fuel economy at the lowest price in its class, of course.
IIHS Names New Hyundai Sonata As Top Safety Pick
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has selected the 2011 Hyundai Sonata model as the Top Safety Pick this year. This award has been given to the vehicle after it successfully completed a list of crash testing performed by the IIHS.
For winning the Top Safety Pick award, a car must earn the highest rating of “good” in front, side, rear and rollover crash tests. In addition to the car’s ability to handle itself well in all these test categories, it should have the electronic stability control (ECS) readily available as an option. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that ESC reduces single-vehicle crashes by 35 percent and single-vehicle fatalities by 30 percent in passenger cars.
Hyundai is committed to both active and passive safety technology leadership. In addition to ECS, the Sonata has advanced airbag technology and a robust ultra-high-strength steel body structure. It provides six airbags- dual front, front seat-mounted side-impact, and front and rear side curtain airbags along with active front-seat head restraints. The Anti-lock Breaking System (ABS) incorporates the Brake Assist and Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) technology.
A new roof strength test was added to the list of qualifications this year, making the selection procedure much tougher than the earlier ones. The roof strength must be double than that of the current Federal requirements, in order to guarantee safety in a rollover accident, says the new rule. Because of this new rule, many of the earlier vehicles that were awarded the Top Safety Pick in past years were discarded in 2010. While other Hyundai models like the Genesis have been named Top Safety Picks earlier, this is the first time a Sonata has received this honor.
[Source: IIHS via Hyundai Motor America]
