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Honda was supposed to be working on something similar but it changes modes like this MB depending what fuel is in the tank - either gas or diesel. Sounds very promissing - it would be interesting to see how they change the compression ratio on the fly.
If you like the size, simplicity and sound of the normally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 found throughout the current Mercedes-Benz AMG lineup, better buy one soon, cuz it's about to get the ax.
Dr. Thomas Weber, member of the board at Daimler AG Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, told Inside Line that the current engine will be replaced by a twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 starting late next year. No horsepower numbers were discussed, but given the current trend toward more usable, more environmentally friendly horsepower, don't expect numbers much higher than those for the current engines.
AMG vehicles won't be the only Mercedes models getting turbocharged next year. According to Dr. Weber, all 2011 Mercedes-Benz models with V8 engines will be turbocharged. Again, no specifics were discussed, but look for standard Mercedes-Benz vehicles to get a twin-turbo V8 in the 4.5- to 5.0-liter range.
Expect to see the official announcement at the 2010 Paris Auto Show next September.
Seems like all this "turboing" that is going on with many makers is to "get around" the coming mileage rules. They can tailor the ECU to provide good numbers on the EPA test, while in the real world the real HP will happen in the boost phase with a big hit in mileage. I can see how MB will claim something like 20/30 for an AMG E class sedan, yet when most folks who use any protion of the useable 500HP they will end up getting the same miserable 15 MPG they get now and wonder what happened to the window sticker figures.
Seems like all this "turboing" that is going on with many makers is to "get around" the coming mileage rules. They can tailor the ECU to provide good numbers on the EPA test, while in the real world the real HP will happen in the boost phase with a big hit in mileage. I can see how MB will claim something like 20/30 for an AMG E class sedan, yet when most folks who use any protion of the useable 500HP they will end up getting the same miserable 15 MPG they get now and wonder what happened to the window sticker figures.
this could be interesting...i personally loved the e55 amg, my uncle has one and i got to take it out once. i wonder how the new engine will be but, you make a valid point and I could definitely see how MB is trying to be slick about it but as with any car, when you drive like a grandma you will get sticker mpg but we all know if you own an e55 amg or any car with a bigger than average engine-you didnt buy it to stay in the right lane doing the speed limit so you can expect lower mpgs with more ripping on the car
Earlier today we reported on General Motors’ efforts to develop a new generation of diesel-electric hybrid powertrains and how the American auto giant is still around five years away from bringing the technology to market.
Luckily, we won’t have to wait that long for a diesel hybrid to go on sale as several of Europe’s major automakers are racing to have the technology on sale by next year. French automaker Citroen has already confirmed a diesel hybrid powertrain for its upcoming DS5 in 2011 and Mercedes-Benz is reportedly planning a diesel hybrid version of its E-Class for next year as well.
The new diesel hybrid E-Class will be badged an E300 Hybrid and go on sale in late 2011. It will feature a 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine matched to an electric motor running on lithium-ion batteries in a mild hybrid configuration. This is the same engine found in the E250 Bluetec diesel, pictured in concept form above.
Being a mild hybrid, the electric motor will only add power to that of the combustion engine, as well as restarting it from stops. It won’t be capable of running in all-electric mode, like such full hybrids as the Toyota Prius.
In this configuration, the E300 Hybrid will be able to achieve a fuel economy above 50 mpg. Furthermore, similar set-ups are planned for other Mercedes-Benz models, including the ML, GL and GLK SUVs, the latter of which has already been previewed in concept form.
Mercedes is only doing this crap because of emissions laws in Europe. I have had few people interested in the diesels and the ones I have shown it to get this look of fear like they'll never be able to find fuel for it or the engine will pop out from under the hood and pop them in the mouth.
And the ML Hybrid is another example off foolish politics dictating car design.
This diesel-hybrid will function like the S Hybrid. At least it uses lithium-ion which doesn't destroy the environment like every other hybrid battery out there.
Mercedes-Benz is providing a glimpse of one potential technology that enables greater connectivity between the driver and his or her car. The technology is a wrist watch that connects with a car through the internet and provides feedback on vehicle diagnostics and other vehicle-related notifications.
The watch was developed by Silicon Valley-based Pebble Technology, which Mercedes has formed an alliance with and whose application programming interfaces (APIs) the automaker has early access to. The watch connects with Mercedes’ existing Digital DriveStyle app and serves as a simultaneous transmitter and receiver of information.
For example, when away from their vehicle, Mercedes drivers wearing the watch can review important vehicle information at a glance like fuel level, door-lock status, and vehicle location. When the car is on the road, the watch can alert the driver of real-time hazards through existing Car-2-Car technology, such as accidents, road construction, or stalled vehicles by simply vibrating.
On top of this, drivers can customize the three buttons on the watch to activate their favourite Digital DriveStyle app features like reporting hazards, auto-routing, Siri activation, remote-controlling media, or quickly showing nearby traffic conditions.
Mercedes and its new partner Pebble Technology will present the watch at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on January 6.
When it comes to electric vehicles, both BMW and Mercedes-Benz have, to some extent, got the hard part out of the way. Each has designed and produced, and started selling its own lineup of electric cars. As far as infrastructure is concerned though, automakers have been keen to work together and spread costs, rather than competing directly. The latest such partnership between BMW and Daimler, Mercedes' parent company, aims to develop the concept of wireless charging for electric vehicles. Each automaker sees it as the next step forward for the electric vehicle industry.
The project has three main goals: To develop a system to recharge high-voltage electric vehicle batteries that is efficient, convenient and safe. For the first goal, the German partnership is aiming for an efficiency factor of over 90 percent. The second is a natural attribute of wireless charging—no longer does a driver have to remember to plug in when they park, nor grab a potentially dirty or wet charging cable handle in inclement weather. The weather itself shouldn't be an issue either, as BMW says neither rain nor snow affects the system's ability to work.
Safety is down to the wireless charger's design. When a car parks over a wireless charger, an electromagnetic field generates current in a coil located on the underside of the car. Enough current is generated that BMW boasts a charging rate of up to 7kW—enough to charge the battery in an i3 electric car overnight. Normally, this sort of electromagnetic radiation could prove problematic—it's been linked to health issues and those with pacemakers need not apply—but BMW says radiation is kept to a minimum by the automakers' design. There are also sensors in place to curtail charging if a foreign object—a pet, for example—strays between the coils.
Mercedes-AMG models will have hybrid powertrains by the end of the decade.
According to the German automaker’s head of research and development, Thomas Weber, hybrid AMG performance cars could be on sale by 2020 due to increasing pressure on the performance sub-brand to reduce CO2 output of its model lineup.
Currently, Mercedes offers a few hybrid models including the S400 and E400 as well as the new S-Class Plug-in hybrid, and is adding many more at a rapid pace, with plans of launching at least 10 new plug-in hybrids by 2017.
Up until now, AMG has been hesitant to use hybrid powertrains because the company isn’t so sure its buyers are ready. “We haven’t done it so far, because right now the customer wouldn’t buy it,” said Weber in an interview with Autocar. “AMG customers tell us they want the sportiest performance option available in any given sector of the performance market. We don’t know when they will be ready for hybrid.”
Weber did confirm that the automaker has been planning for some time now for the inevitable switch to hybrid powertrains, or at the very least, offering them in the AMG lineup to help meet strict emissions standards. The good news is, AMG can easily reach into Mercedes-Benz’s bin of existing hybrid technology to find a simple e-boost solution that will increase performance and regenerative energy through braking.
If it's a 'hybrid' to improve performance, ala P1, 918, etc then great.
If it's a hybrid like Prius for efficiency, as long as it doesn't cause a step backwards in performance, otherwise
48v electrical is what raised my eyebrow the most.
@ a German manufacturer changing things for the sake of simplicity
Isn't it about time that the auto industry moved on from the 12v system like they did with the 6v back in the day? Probably not all too easy to get everyone on the same page, and would incur extra costs, but...
^ This is Mercedes 2nd attempt at higher voltages which as a engineer makes sense but at the same time there are so many component/subsystem manufacturers around the world that make 12VDC it wouldbe a very radical change.
They tried this with 24VDC back in the late 1990's with the new S-class and had to reverse back to 12VDC bus.
My guess is it won't happen. The electric motor for the turbo is pretty interesting though.
Mercedes-Benz plans to begin an overhaul of its lineup starting with a revamp of its A-class compact car, which will feature a distinctive "predator faced" grille, and rounder contours than the current model, the automaker's chief designer says.
After once being derided for its old-man image, Mercedes' planned revamp comes as the automaker overtook BMW in global luxury-car sales, and aims to avoid the complacency that has tripped up rivals.
"It's our job to reinvent ourselves,"Gorden Wagener said this week in Sindelfingen, Germany, where he presented a mock-up of the new A class in a blacked-out room. Wagener didn't reveal details about the new look, leaving it unclear just how different this version will be. But he provided teasers, saying: "It'll be a very sporty, aggressive car, even as it's pared back and pure."
Wagener's radical design 5 years ago, which introduced jutting grilles and broader haunches over the rear wheels, transformed Mercedes's image from stodgy to sporty and gave the carmaker the edge it needed to surpass BMW and Audi to become the world's biggest luxury-car brand. That cycle concluded with the overhaul of the E-class sedan last year, and Wagener's challenge is to avoid the repetitiveness that once weighed on the brand and is now holding back BMW and Audi.
The new A class will achieve a contoured look with light bouncing off curves, creating sporty proportions through shadows rather than metal edges that direct the eye, Wagener said. The typical Mercedes trapezoidal grille shape will change to a more aggressive, evenly elongated form with teeth-like grates.
"There will be a predator face at the front," he said, adding that the new look will reduce some of the traits that he had introduced, such as creases in the car's side, which will drop to 1 from 3. "Creases have had their day."
The new A class will appear in showrooms next year.
Fast curve
The 1st A class, introduced 20 years ago as an entry-level hatchback for young buyers, fell flat with a boxy design that seemed a better fit for pensioners. Wagener's redesign in 2012, a low-slung version closer in style to the Volkswagen Golf, has helped win back a new generation.
The current A class starts at about 25,000 euros ($27,000) and comes with Apple CarPlay infotainment and autonomous features. It competes with BMW's 1 series and Audi's A3.
The decision to visibly mix up the A-class's look after a complete reinvention only one generation ago contrasts with other luxury carmakers. BMW, once known for agenda-setting sporty and avant-garde styling, has chosen recently to only tweak the design of its flagship models, arguing that there is no need to change a winning formula.
Sales of the latest 7 series have been underwhelming while the 5 series, available to customers next month, has also failed to rouse enthusiasm. Audi has similarly battled tepid responses to timid revamps like the A4 sedan.
Meanwhile, Mercedes reclaimed its position as luxury sales leader from BMW four years ahead of target, with its 2016 deliveries growing more than twice as fast as its rival.
Going for a daring new look is risky. Chris Bangle, BMW's former design chief introduced the 7 series at the Frankfurt auto show in 2001 to protests over its high, squared-off trunk lid that came to be known as the "Bangle butt." Chrysler's retro styling with the now-discontinued PT Cruiser polarized critics, as did Nissan Motor Co.'s toy-like Cube.
But there's the promise of scoring a hit: exterior and interior styling remain the top two reasons why consumers choose 1 car over another, according to a study by J.D. Power.
Wagener is aware of the risks, but also knows that Mercedes can't afford to let its look grow stale. Taking reporters on a tour of the Mercedes Design Center in Sindelfingen, Wagener showed off a light, airy space where hundreds of employees work to develop cars. Pictures of submarines, whale fins and Star Wars figures pinned to the walls hint at how much thought they are putting into new shapes.
"The more successful you are in what you're doing, the harder it is" to stay fresh, he said.
The automaker isn't swearing off diesels completely -- just the 2017 models -- which have collectively amounted to less than 2 percent of the automaker's annual sales for the past several years.
Earlier in April, parent company Daimler AG issued a wary and judicious appraisal of U.S. regulators' approach to diesel engines, effectively suggesting that there was too much risk in offering diesel vehicles in the U.S. because it was difficult to predict which system could be labeled an "undisclosed Auxiliary Emission Control Device" by regulators. Such a label, likely in the form of a Notice of Violation from the EPA, could lead to a stop-sale order, as well as sanctions and a possible recall, in Daimler's judgment.
In its quarterly report Daimler spent a significant amount of time on the diesel matter, citing the recent uncertainty over FCA diesels as an example.
"In light of the recent notices of violation that were issued by U.S. environmental authorities to another vehicle manufacturer in January 2017, identifying functionalities -- apparently including functionalities that are common in diesel vehicles -- as undisclosed Auxiliary Emission Control Devices and potentially impermissible, and in light of the ongoing governmental information requests, inquiries and investigations and our own internal investigation, it cannot be ruled out that the authorities might reach the conclusion that Mercedes-Benz diesel vehicles have similar functionalities," Daimler said in its report.
The Daimler report in April had all but ruled that continuing to offer diesels in the U.S. was simply not worth the risk, especially given the current EPA and DOJ probes into the diesel models' emissions.
Diesel models have played a much smaller role in Mercedes' stateside offerings versus Volkswagen, whose TDI cars accounted for approximately 25 percent of sales prior to September 2015. It's too soon to tell if Mercedes will abandon diesels entirely in the States; for now, the automaker is leaving the door open pending the outcome of the EPA probe.
08-11-2007, 03:00 PM
Watch to Connect with Car
Amg
@ a German manufacturer changing things for the sake of simplicity
Predator Face
Though the A class is more akin to the GLA than the CLA. At least in the above photo.
for a daily.