Magic Sky Control roof in Mercedes-Benz SLK turns invisible(transparent) with touch of button

New year Mercedes will showcase its new SLK model with a Unique sky roof touch. This new sky roof, at the touch of a button it can be made either transparent or darkened.

In transparent mode it will offer an open-air experience during cold weather, while in darkened mode it will afford a haven of shade and prevent the interior from heating up in direct sunlight.

Mercedes-Benz will be the first auto maker to offer the new glass roof called the panoramic vario-roof with MAGIC SKY CONTROL as an optional extra in the new SLK next year.

This innovative glass shields against the sun�s rays far more effectively than conventional thermal insulation glass or sunblinds, there giving the user max climatic comfort .

The operating principle is based on the physics of a plate condenser: if the glass structure is subjected to an electrical voltage, particles in the structure position themselves so that light is able to pass through the glass. If the voltage remains switched off, however, the particles position themselves randomly. This partially blocks the light, and the glass remains dark. The control unit and converter are integrated into the front section of the roof, and the switch is in the overhead control console.

The panoramic vario-roof with MAGIC SKY CONTROL will be available to order as an optional extra for less than 2000 euros.

Source: emercedesbenz

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Mercedes-Benz all set ready for the launch of B-Class Electric Cars.

With the latest collaboration with BYD, Mercedes-Benz is going to manufacture electric cars on the outgoing B-class.

A lightly modified version of the car�s front-wheel drive platform will be used, according to insiders involved in the early stages of its conception.

It is said to be sold exclusively in BYD�s domestic Chinese market, the new zero-emissions hatchback will be marketed under an as-yet-undisclosed brand.

Benz is going to take advantage of the B-class�s layout, Mercedes and BYD plan to use the soon-to-be-superseded model�s flat-floor structure for the stowage of lithium ion batteries.

The floor was originally designed for that purpose, but was never utilised in series production.

Placing the batteries low down within the platform provides for a lower centre of gravity than in more conventional applications, where they are usually mounted beneath the rear seat and boot floor.

The underfloor space taken up by the standard B-class�s petrol and diesel engines will be dedicated to an electric motor that will be used to power the front wheels.

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Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG gets new engine, more power.

Last month Mercedes had told that it is coming with the refreshed design of its coupe. The tweaks includes larger headlamps, a restyled grille, more heavily contoured hood and re-profiled bumpers .

Here is the good news for the zappers. The most significant changes is that is going to replace CL63 AMG's naturally 6.2-liter V-8 engine, to the new model sports a more powerful twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V-8 as previewed at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.

With 536 hp at 5,500 rpm and 590 lb-ft at 2,000 rpm in its standard state of tune, the new AMG is considerably more powerful than its larger capacity predecessor.

It is likely to be available in the United States in November.

Mercedes-Benz claims the new 4,542-pound CL63 AMG hits 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph -- or can improve to 4.3 seconds and 186 mph, respectively, when running the optional performance package. With new fuel-saving features such as automatic stop/start and an improved brake energy regeneration system that serves to automatically decouple the alternator under acceleration, it's also claimed to improve fuel economy considerably.

Meanwhile, the revised version of the CL65 AMG also is coming. It receives much of the same visual changes but retains its existing twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 engine with 621 hp and 738 lb-ft -- sufficient to endow the big 4,784-lb coupe with the same 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and a 155-mph top speed as the new CL63 AMG.

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Mercedes-Benz reportedly working on nine-speed automatic.

According to Autocar, Mercedes-Benz engineer are working on a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Autocar's sources says the gearbox will be "introduced on large-capacity engines."

Motor Trend reported that the baby SLS would get a nine-speed double-clutch transmission for it's twin-turbo-V6-hybrid engine, and Automobile said that all of the next generation S-Classes, arriving in 2012, would "have hybrid powertrains and a new nine-speed automatic transmission."

Mercedes engineers thinks that "nine ratios is the maximum that is technically possible, as well as being the most that customers will be able to cope with"

Src: autocar.co.uk

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2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG : NYTimes

Mercedes-Benz, the two-seat time capsule is the new SLS AMG. This sports car�s quest takes buyers back to the 1950s, by evoking the classic 300SL coupe, including its space-age gullwing doors. But the SLS�s greatest misfortune � aside from its uninspired rear-end styling � is to have landed plop into the still-sour economy of 2010. Any megaplex denizen could have told Mercedes that a $200,000 sports car should have set course for, oh, the dot-com bubble of 1999.

And that�s what�s great about the 2011 SLS. As the first car created entirely by the company�s AMG performance division (rather than adapted from a civilian Mercedes), the SLS can�t match the visual fantasia of the scissor-doored SLR, or that car�s terminal speed of 207 miles per hour. (A mere 197 m.p.h. must suffice.) Yet I had more fun driving the SLS because I felt much more confident in it, my mind focused on the next curve and not on indemnity clauses. Since various SLR McLarens were priced between $450,000 and roughly $1 million � the latter for the Stirling Moss Roadster edition � Mercedes might argue that a supercar replacement that starts at $185,750 is, by comparison, a recession-priced Kia. As it stands, Mercedes will be satisfied if roughly 300 Americans ante up for an SLS in its first year.

Those buyers will get an appealing 563-horsepower mix of ferocity and luxury, with a decidedly Germanic style that is very different from the usual Italian supercar. Whereas many Ferraris or Lamborghinis mount their engines behind the driver, the Mercedes takes the approach of front-engine, long-snout classics like the Jaguar E-Type.

But another front-engine monster, the Dodge Viper, came to mind when I stared down the SLS�s mammoth hood: it�s like a Stonehenge monolith tipped on its side.

That hood is something to behold, along with those sky-walking doors. Wherever I swung them open, a crowd magically appeared to gawk and snap photos. The price for this instant conversation-starter is clumsy entry and exit over bench-size door sills, and the odd whack of the noggin against the raised portals. Once seated, shorter occupants stretch and strain to reach the raised door handles, though Mercedes plans to offer helpful grab straps at an unspecified date.

The other con is the thick front roof pillars that block too much of the view. As for safety, if the SLS should ever land on its roof, pyrotechnic charges blow out the doors� hinge bolts, allowing occupants or rescuers to free the doors.

The SLS looks so bodacious from the front that you almost wish Mercedes had grafted the hood onto the back, so you could enjoy the view in stereo. But after the magnificence of that six-foot-long proboscis, the rear is a bland vestigial tail, with a tucked-in spoiler that rises above 75 m.p.h.

Where the original �50s Gullwing was wrapped in elektron, a magnesium alloy, the SLS�s chassis and body are entirely aluminum, aside from a composite decklid. Other fat-trimmers include a carbon-fiber driveshaft that weighs a mere 9 pounds, and optional ceramic composite brakes. At 3,573 pounds, the Mercedes weighs about 300 less than the largely carbon-fiber SLR McLaren, and a remarkable 700 less than the SL63 roadster. The SLS�s power-to-weight ratio tops the Aston Martin DBS and Porsche 911 Turbo (though the Porsche�s all-wheel-drive makes it faster), and it�s within sight of the Ferrari 599 GTB.

The SLS is a screamer: 3.5 seconds from 0 to 60 miles per hour, according to Car and Driver magazine, and 11.6 seconds in the quarter-mile.


The SLS�s 7-speed dual-clutch automated manual is the latest. Driven in Comfort mode, the transmission can smooth out gear changes a bit too much for the impatient driver, especially while trundling in traffic. The Sport Sharp or Manual settings take care of that, snapping off shifts in less than 100 milliseconds.

There�s also a welcome Sport setting for the stability-control system, which shows off both the SLS�s surprisingly high limits and smooth recovery when the tires do break loose.

The Mercedes still can�t match the steering feedback of a typical Porsche, or the hard-core purity of exotics like a midengine Ferrari. That judgment was reinforced when I happened to hop from the Mercedes into the new Porsche Boxster Spyder. There�s still a bit of the old grand-touring Gullwing in this Mercedes�s blood, a recognition that the SLS will spend more time at fancy hotels than in racetrack paddocks.

That message is evident inside: the SLS is rich, bedecked in soft leather, aluminum and optional carbon fiber. But aside from some details � including aircraft-style aluminum vents � the mature cabin assures a Mercedes-Benz buyer that he hasn�t gone crazy from a midlife crisis. One wild touch is Alubeam paint, a $12,500 option that wheels your SLS to a separate German factory for a hand-applied paint that looks like liquid chrome.

At $186,000 to start, the SLS�s price is also an eyebrow lifter when compared with some rivals: $30,000 more than Audi R8 5.2, $50,000 beyond the Porsche Turbo, just $12,000 less than a Lamborghini Gallardo. You�ll have to ask yourself: how much do you love those crazy doors?

Src & Text: [nytimes]

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TOP 10 FUEL EFFICIENT CARS

Here's the top 10 most fuel efficient cars, according to the 2008 Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy's fuel economy guidebook, published this Saturday. Prius tops the charts.

2008 Model Year Overall Fuel Economy Leaders

Class Model City/Highway MPG

10. Honda Fit (manual) 28/34
9. Toyota Corolla (manual) 28/37
8. Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD 29/27, Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4WD ", Mazda Tribute Hybrid 4WD "
7. Toyota Yaris (automatic) 29/35
6. Toyota Yaris (manual) 29/36
5. Toyota Camry Hybrid 33/34
4. Ford Escape Hybrid FWD 34/30, MazdaTribute Hybrid 2WD ", Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD "
3. Nissan Altima Hybrid 35/33
2. Honda Civic Hybrid 40/45
1. Toyota Prius (hybrid-electric) 48/45

If you want to save on gas, hybrids are the way to go.

Lowest Fuel Economy by Vehicle Class for 2008 Model Year

Class Model City/Highway MPG

Two Seater Lamborghini Murcielago (manual) 8/13
Minicompact Car Aston Martin DB9 Coupe, Volante (manual) 10/16
Subcompact Car Bentley Continental GTC 10/17
Compact Car Bentley Azure 9/15
Midsize Car Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (auto) 9/16
Large Car Bentley Arnage RL 9/15
Small Station Wagon Audi S4 Avant (manual) 13/20
Midsize Station Wagon Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon 12/18
Sport Utility Vehicle* Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG 11/13
Minivan* Toyota Sienna 4WD 16/21
Pickup Truck* Rousch Performance Stage3 F150 11/15
Van (Passenger and
Cargo)*
Passenger Chevrolet G1500/2500 EXPRESS 2WD 12/16
" Chevrolet H1500 EXPRESS AWD "
" GMC G1500/2500 SAVANA 2WD "
" GMC H1500 SAVANA VAN AWD "
Cargo Chevrolet G15/25 VAN CONV 2WD "
" Chevrolet H1500 VAN CONV AWD "
" GMC G15/25 SAVANA 2WD CONV "
" GMC H1500 SAVANA AWD CONV "

*Trucks over 8500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating are currently exempt from federal fuel economy requirements

Highest Fuel Economy Models by Vehicle Class for 2008 Model Year

Class Model City/Highway MPG

Two Seater Audi TT Roadster (2 liter engine,auto) 22/29
Minicompact Car Mini Cooper Convertible (manual) 23/32
Subcompact Car Toyota Yaris (manual) 29/36
Compact Car Honda Civic Hybrid 40/45
Midsize Car Toyota Prius (hybrid) 48/45
Large Car Honda Accord 4Dr Sedan (manual) 22/31
Small Station Wagon Honda Fit (manual) 28/34
Midsize Station Wagon Passat Wagon (manual) 21/29
Sport Utility Vehicle Ford Escape Hybrid FWD 34/30
Mazda Tribute Hybrid 2WD "
Mercury Mariner Hybrid FWD "
Minivan Dodge Caravan 2WD 17/24
Chrysler Town & Country 2WD "
Pickup Truck Ford Ranger Pickup 2WD (manual) 21/26
Mazda B2300 2WD (manual) "
Van (Cargo&Passenger)Chevrolet G1500/2500 Van 2WD 15/20
(4.3 liter engine)
GMC G1500/2500 Savana 2WD Cargo "
(4.3 liter engine)

Lowest Overall Fuel Economy Models* for 2008 Model Year

Rank Manufacturer/Model City/Highway MPG

1. Lamborghini Murcielago (automatic) 8/13
2. Bugati Veyron 8/14
3. Lamborghini Murcielago (manual) 9/14
4. Bently Azure/Arnage RL 9/15
5. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (automatic) 9/16
6. Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder (manual) 10/15
Ferrari Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (manual) "
Bentley Arnage (auttomatic) "
7. Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder 10/16
Aston Martin DB9 Coupe "
Aston Martin DB9 Volante "
Mercedes-Benz Maybach 57 "
Mercedes-Benz Maybach 57S "
Mercedes-Benz Maybach 62 "
Mercedes-Benz Maybach 62S "
8. Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe (manual) 10/17
Bentley Continental GT (automatic) "
Bentley Continental GTC (automatic) "
Bentley Continental Flying Spur (automatic) "
9. Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG 11/13
10. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD 11/14
Mercedes-Benz Ml63 AMG "

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