Audi has the E-tron and BMW has just announced their new i line-up, but what about Mercedes? British magazine, CAR, suggests that Mercedes is considering a new E Superlight saloon for the 2015 model year. This new model will bethe same size as the CLS and will have the S-Class’ price, but will combine design elements from concepts like the F800 and the F125.
The new E Superlight sedan will be based on the platform of the next generation E-Class and will feature short rear pantograph panels that swing out and back. It will come with a stiff and strong carbon fiber structure that will help it reduce its weight considerably - down by about 350 kg/772 lbs, thanks in large part to the carbon fiber’s 1300 kg/2,866 lbs weight - as well as its cost and complexity.
Mercedes will opt for a load-based confectioning scheme that will allow the suspension and the drivetrain to be integrated into the monocoque. The car’s hybrid system will combine a 150 HP fuel-cell which drives the rear wheels in sync with a 50 HP electric motor.
The Mercedes E Superlight will go on sale as a limited edition in 2015, but by 2017, Mercedes hopes to sell about 20,000 units.
There are so many auto shows throughout the course of the year that it’s hard to keep up with all of the cool concepts brought to each one. Then again, some of these concepts are so outlandish that they will never see the light of production day anyway, leaving us with the feeling of being offered a delectable chocolate cake only to be reminded of our New Year’s weight loss resolution.
Even if production chances are slim for some, concepts hold a special place in all of our hearts because of the attention to detail automakers put into them. Automakers use these concepts to put out just how much they are capable of doing and quite possibly may do on their future models.
From three different, color coordinated layers of information to V12 engines with spectacular power outputs, concepts have a way of getting underneath our skin and staying there until the production model is attained. This year, our choices are unmistakable and in no particular order: the Jaguar C-X16 Concept, the BMW i8 Concept, the Aston Martin V12 Zagato Concept, the Chevrolet Mi-Ray Concept, and the Nissan Juke Nismo Concept.
Hit the jump for details on each of these imaginative concepts.
Full story
Toyota is offering their customer a glimpse on what the next Prius will bring with the unveiling of the NS4 Plug-in Hybrid Concept today at the Detroit Auto Show. When designing the new NS4, Toyota engineers were challenged to design a new mid-sized concept for potential global market introduction by 2015.
"In this digital age, cars are becoming another spoke in the wheel of our electronic connectivity," said Jim Lentz, TMS president and chief operating officer. "NS4 demonstrates Toyota’s take on the human connection to the car with technology that considers both emotional and rational relationships, person-to-car and car-to-society."
Also, the new NS4 concept offers a glimpse on the next-generation Hybrid Synergy Drive plug-in system by reducing component size and weight. As a result the fuel economy will be significantly improved, but also the car’s acceleration and the all-electric range. In the same time Toyota focused on maintaining a short charge time.
Hit the jump to read more about the new Toyota NS4 Plug-in Hybrid Concept.
Full story
With the 2012 Detroit Auto Show getting closer, more and more automakers are announcing their line-up for the show. Now Mercedes has announced two new E-Class Hybrid models, the first being the E 300 BlueTEC Hybrid, available as a Saloon and Estate, and the second the E400 Hybrid. Both models will go on sale later in 2012.
The E300 BlueTEC Hybrid combines a 204 HP four-cylinder engine with an electric motor producing 27 HP and 184 lb-ft of torque. The system makes the E 300 BlueTEC Hybrid the most economical luxury-class vehicle in the world: it delivers a fuel economy of 55.9 mpg.
The E400 Hybrid combines a 306 HP V6-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor producing 27 HP and 184 lb-ft of torque. The consumption figures based on the American CAFE standard are: City 24 mpg, Highway 31 mpg, Combined 27 mpg.
"With these two E-Class models we are now continuing our comprehensive hybrid offensive. The modular technology opens up a quick way for us to complement other model series with hybrid models", explains Professor Dr. Thomas Weber, Daimler Board Member for Group Research and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.
Porsche has announced that the GT3 R Hybrid will make a return for the 2012 racing season. The vehicle made its first appearance in 2010 at the the Petit Le Mans 10-hour competition where it showed excellent performance.
The GT3 R Hybrid is known as the "rolling race laboratory," and while Porsche has not revealed any specifications on it just yet, we expect to see the same hybrid system as in the previous model: a 4.0 Liter flat six engine delivering 480 HP combined with two electric motors that each produce 100 HP. The new model will be five centimeters wider at the rear and will get almost an extra 15 centimeters on the front fenders.
"There is no way around the hybrid technology in motorsport," stressed Wolfgang Hatz, Board Member for Research and Development, on Saturday on the occasion of the end of year Porsche ‘Night of Champions’ celebrations. "With the 911 GT3 R Hybrid project, we have shown how you can test important future technologies on the race track and pave the way for motorsport success in the future. We will continue to determinedly blaze this trail and further develop the hybrid technology."
For 2012, the POrsche GT3 R Hybrid will race in competitions like the FIA World Endurance Championship, the American Le Mans Series, the Le Mans Series, the International GT Open, and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
