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Four-door Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG suggested by patent filings?
22 February 2012, 3:28 pmFiled under: Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Government/Legal, Design/Style, Luxury
Perhaps more than most, Mercedes-Benz has proven to be remarkably adept at platform sharing, pulling and pushing at their various architectures to create new models. Take, for example, the marque's E-Class range, which in addition to sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon variants, spawned the CLS 'four-door coupe' - a model that itself inspired a whole slew of imitators. The rakish CLS will shortly spawn a load-lugging shooting-brake variant, too - Benz's offspring are having offspring. Could the same thing be in the cards for the SLS AMG?
Mercedes has already extended the supercar's appeal with a new Roadster variant for 2012, but as Autoblog can exclusively reveal, an alleged German patent filing suggests that the SLS may be in for an unexpected third bodystyle - that of an unconventional four-door. As shown here, Mercedes appears to be considering a set of rear-hinged demi doors to go along with the vertically sweeping main gullwing doors that would give access to a small back seat. In typical patent-ese, the paperwork suggests that the automaker is particularly concerned about minimizing weight gain and preserving structural rigidity, though it appears there is no fixed B-pillar present.
It isn't immediately clear if these alleged Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt documents are indicative of a production model, a show circuit-only concept, or just a bit of ambitious blue-sky designer thinking. For its part, when shown these documents and asked for comment, Mercedes-Benz officials wouldn't say anything beyond the standard "We won't take the liberty of sharing comments for any potential future products." We specifically asked if they would like to deny the materials, and they declined.
The paperwork shown here doesn't give away much else, certainly not touching upon whether any modifications would be made to the SLS' 571-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 or its rear-drive power delivery. The drawings accompanying the filing clearly suggest an extended wheelbase to accommodate the extra doors, as well as what looks like a second COMAND multi-function control knob on the console between the seats, but that could just be a bit of artistic license or perhaps some lazy cut/paste work in Photoshop duplicating the front seats.
Presumably, if a four-door SLS AMG were to come to market, it would likely come at a premium price for the extra engineering - the coupe model starts at $192,175 delivered, so we'd wager that the pricing would start with a "2" at the front, putting it in the hunt with cars like the Aston Martin Rapide and perhaps the Porsche Panamera Turbo.
Four-door Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG suggested by patent filings? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsMercedes AMG launches new SL63 with W03 F1 car in Barcelona [w/videos]
21 February 2012, 3:28 pmFiled under: Motorsports, Convertible, Performance, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury, Racing
Any outfit with the cash can buy a Formula One team. Integrating it into an existing automaker, however, isn't an overnight proposition. Both Lotus and Caterham are currently undergoing that process, but so is Mercedes-Benz.
The German automaker bought out what was then the World Champion Brawn GP team (previously known as Honda and before that, as British American Racing) a couple of years ago as a standalone racing team, and has been bringing it into the corporate fold ever since. This year, the team previously known as Mercedes GP has been rebranded as Mercedes AMG (as was the division that produces its F1 engines). To drive the point home, the company's broadened performance arm launched two very different cars under the same banner in Barcelona this week.
The main event is W03, the new single-seater that Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will be driving in the 2012 Formula One World Championship. Bound to the same new set of regulations as the other teams, the new Mercedes AMG W03 shares some of the same traits as the rest of the field - most notably the stepped nose section that Mercedes' PR team cleverly calls "distinctive." Since engine development remains frozen pending the launch of the new turbo six, the W03 is powered by the same FO108Z engine - all 2.4 liters and eight cylinders of it - as last year's car, and for that matter the latest McLaren and Force India challengers are, too.While Daimler was at it, though, it has taken the opportunity to show off its new Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG Roadster for the first time. Based on the SL-Class that debuted just two months ago at the Detroit Auto Show, the SL63 packs AMG's fast-becoming-ubiquitous M157 twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 with 529 horsepower, but unburdened of 242 pounds of excess weight from the outgoing model (thanks primarily to the widespread use of aluminum and magnesium where the last model was made of steel), the new SL63 AMG can rocket from 0-62 mph in 4.3 seconds (4.2 with the optional AMG Performance Package) while returning 30 percent better fuel economy.
Check out our high-res galleries of both open-top Three-Pointed Stars and hop through to the jump to see some videos.
Continue reading Mercedes AMG launches new SL63 with W03 F1 car in Barcelona [w/videos]
Mercedes AMG launches new SL63 with W03 F1 car in Barcelona [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsMercedes-Benz co-opts car keys for clever interactive subway ads
18 February 2012, 8:01 pmFiled under: Truck, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury
It's quite apparent that technology, in addition to helping us avoid advertising (thank you, DVR), has simultaneously enabled much more of it, and in many more places. And when used properly, technology has made some ads a lot more interesting.
Mercedes-Benz constructed an interactive ad for its Viano minivan in Berlin's Friedrichstrasse subway station. To promote the chasmic space inside the people-hauler, the ad allowed riders waiting for trains to open the door of a virtual Viano using their own car keys, then watch what kinds of things climbed out and how many of them there were. Follow the jump to check out the video.
Continue reading Mercedes-Benz co-opts car keys for clever interactive subway ads
Mercedes-Benz co-opts car keys for clever interactive subway ads originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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