The Mercedes E-Class isn’t exactly an aftermarket favorite, but that doesn’t mean that any program built for it isn’t worth mentioning.
Prior Design has built many programs over the years and it’s done pretty well on a lot of them. But if you needed any more proof of Prior Design’s capabilities, look no further than what it did for the E-Class Coupe.
We’ve always had a fascination for matte paintwork on a car and while most of them have featured matte black, this matte-brown look Prior Design gave the E-Class Coupe just exudes star quality.
On top of that, Prior Design developed a pretty aggressive body kit with pieces made entirely out of Dura Flex fiber-reinforced plastic. The components aren’t flashy but they do have a look of sportiness that adds to the aggressive look of the E-Class Coupe.
And the best part is that you only need to shell out €8,000 ($10,460) for the PD850 body kit. It’s a reasonable price for a kit like this, especially if you already have an E-Class Coupe that’s just waiting to be treated to some Prior Design lovin’.
Click past the jump to read more about Prior Design’s PD850 kit for the Mercedes E-Class Coupe
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The revised version of the current-generation Mercedes S-Class has been caught testing many times, including extreme cold-weather conditions. However, the prototype caught today by our spy photographers gives us the best look at the new S-Class to date, as it is almost completely void of all camouflage and our photographers got up close and personal with the car.
The 2014 S-Class will borrow design elements from the F800 Style Concept, making it sharper and a little bit more aggressive. Also, we expect to see the same one-piece headlamps with LED daytime running lights we have seen in the new E-Class.
Under the hood, Mercedes will likely place a revised version of the current engine lineup, which includes a Twin-turbocharged, 4.7-liter V-8 engine with 429 horsepower; a 510-horsepower twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-12; and an AMG twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 delivering somewhere between 536 and 550 horsepower.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Mercedes S-Class.
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Everyone was expecting to see a revised version for the Panamera luxury sedan, but Porsche decided to call it "the second generation." The model will make its world debut at the 2013 Auto China in Shanghai and will be put on sale later in July.
The second-generation Panamera adds a new S E-Hybrid model to the lineup, plus two new luxurious Executive versions. Also, 4 and 4S models get an all-new engine to help increase efficiency while not killing its performance.
Updates made to the exterior are inspired by the new-generation Porsche 911. Up front, we will see more prominent lines, larger air intakes and redesigned headlights. For the rear, the model will add a wider spoiler and redesigned rear lights.
Update 04/02/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
Update 04/22/2013: Porsche has unveiled a new promo video for the new generation Panamera luxury sedan. Enjoy!
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Porsche Panamera.
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This weekend at the 2013 Auto Shanghai motor show, Mercedes unveiled the GLA Concept - the initial preview for the company’s fifth SUV. The production version of the GLA-Class will arrive sometime in 2015 and will be the smallest SUV offered by Mercedes.
The production version GLA-Class will be built on the same front-wheel-drive architecture that features transversely mounted engines, just like the new-generation A-Class and B-Class. From the A-Class, the future SUV will also borrow the engine lineup, including the most powerful one offered in the AMG version.
The concept version unveiled in Shanghai features a futuristic design language, but for the production version Mercedes will adopt a more conventional look, pretty much similar to what we have seen in the A-Class. To help give you an idea of what the production GLA-Class will look like, we have created a rendering, which you can see above.
Hit the jump to read more about the production version Mercedes GLA-Class.
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Bentley’s next addition to its lineup is a production version for the EXP 9 F SUV, but in the long-term, the company could also develop a four-door coupe model as a competitor for top versions variants of the BMW 6-Series GranCoupe and Mercedes CLS.
In a recent interview, Bentley CEO Wolfgang Schreiber said that the company would really enjoy developing such a model, but it won’t happen "any time soon, that’s for sure, but maybe in the longer term." According to Schreiber, such a model would sit below the current Mulsanne and would be just one of the models needed by the company to raise sales from 8,510 units in 2012 to 15,000 by 2018. The future four-door coupe, if produced, would be priced at about £130,000 ($198,000 at the current exchange rates).
In the same interview, Schreiber confirmed that the SUV will arrive on the market by 2015 at a starting price of £120,000 ($182,000). It will be completely redesigned from the EXP 9 F concept and Bentley has already received 2,000 orders for it.
Click past the jump to check out some of the competition a four-door coupe Bentley would face
Note: Bentley Mulsanne pictured here.
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As we all know, all cars and trucks undergo some serious testing before they hit showrooms, but few take the sort of abuse that the all-new Cadillac ATS has taken. Cadillac starts the ATS’ testing by putting its engine on a high-speed motor to make sure its turbocharged 2.0-liter engine can handle high rpm for long periods of time. It then moved to the heat chamber to make sure the car can take the most extreme temperatures planet Earth has to offer. Later comes the “shaker,” which jostles the chassis around to verify everything responds as it should. Finally, the ATS ends up on the suspension test track that forces it to take on some of the most violent bumps and dips you’ll ever encounter on the road.
Well, since the 2013 ATS obviously passed these tests with flying colors, Cadillac decided to see if other luxury items could do the same. However, Caddy is confident the likes of the 3 Series and C-Class can’t hang with it, its testers put non-automotive luxury items to the test to see if they can hang.
In the above video, you’ll get to see a fancy grandfather clock take on the high-speed motor, only to “crack” under the pressure; a cake try to tackle the heat chamber, but have a complete “meltdown”; a fancy dining room hit the shaker only to have everything come crashing to the ground; and a grand piano take on the suspension test track only to see its dreams of beating the ATS fall to pieces.
We promise, this is one video that you won’t want to miss.
Video Note: There are four videos all together; simply refresh the page to cycle through all four of them.
It is not a secret anymore that the Chinese market is clamoring for longer versions of the models sold in markets like the U.S. or Europe. So, it should be no surprise to anyone that Mercedes has unveiled a long-wheelbase version of the new E-Class at Auto China 2013 in Shanghai.
The model measures 5,019 mm (197.59 inches) in length so it offers an extra 140 mm (5.51 inches) legroom in the rear. Also, as a first for the model, the new E-Class Long offers two different front ends. The standard version features the classic, three-dimensional saloon radiator grille in three-louver look, while the Sport Sedan version comes with the sporty front end featuring a centrally positioned star.
Chinese customers can choose between two variants — luxurious Sedan and the Sport Sedan — and three trim levels — E 260 L, E 300 L and E 400 L.
Hit the jump to read more about the new Mercedes E-Class Long.
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When we went out for a test drive in the Fisker Karma last year, we thought that it felt a little more high-tech than the $100,000 price tag led us to believe. Everything operated smoothly, the interior was plush, the performance was admirable and its look was downright stunning. With all of this technology and design comes a hefty price, and boy did Fisker feel its belt tightening with each and every Karma it produced.
With its bankruptcy proceedings pretty mu inevitable, PrivCo dug up all the public record s it could to have a look at Fisker’s financial goings on, and it found that the each Karma produced cost a total of $660,000 but sold for only about $100k – that’s just bad business, folks. Now, we’re not saying that each car it built literally cost $660k, what this means is that when you take all of the research and development cost, advertising costs and the other costs associated with the car and divided it by the number of Karma’s sold, you get roughly $660k.
At that rate, there was no way Fisker could have survived anyways, but the fact that it was the victim of management that would likely make Lotus’ former management look good just accelerated things. In fact, PrivCo has released a detailed review of Fisker $1.3 billion debacle, which really opens our eyes to just how promising the model was and outlines exactly where things completely fell apart. You can see this study here.
The fortunate thing is that Fisker’s advanced EVer system will likely be bought out during the bankruptcy process, so even though we will not see another Karma on the road, it may live on in spirit through future models using this awesome drive system.
Click past the jump to read more about the Karma
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The 2013 Mercedes CLS 63 AMG is a model that really doesn’t need any upgrades, but American tuner, Renntech, decided it would boost the luxury sedan’s image regardless. While these upgrades make the CLS 63 AMG looking better than ever it has one big disadvantage: its relatively high $9,500 price tag.
The entire kit was designed and prototyped in-house and is constructed of the highest-quality pre-preg carbon fiber that ensures years durability. If you were expecting something big, you will be disappointed, as Renntech kept the updates to a minimum by only offering a front splitter, rear diffuser and rear lip spoiler.
Usually, Renntech offers up some form of an engine update to go along with the updated aesthetics, but this time it decided to skip them. After all, the CLS 63 AMG’s 5.5-liter biturbo V-8 engine that delivers a total of 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, or 550 horsepower and 590 pound-feet when you add the AMG Performance Package, is plenty powerful.
Click past the jump to get a closer look at the kit
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Yesterday we brought you the first spy shots of a BMW 4 Series Coupe equipped with the M-Sport package. As no surprise, where BMW is testing the coupe version, a convertible version isn’t too far away. Our spy photographers caught this 4-Series Convertible testing somewhere in Germany and, just like its coupe brother, it has also started to strip.
The 2014 4 Series Convertible will be offered as a cheaper alternative to the 6 Series Convertible and hopes to attract younger buyers. It will combine design elements from the latest generation 3 Series, with the aggressive look of a 6 Series, but with more squared-off headlights and larger eyebrows.
Under the hood, BMW will use the same engine lineup as in the coupe. This means U.S. customers will have to choose between a 428i with a 240-horsepower, 2.0-liter; or a 435i, which should come with a 306-horsepower, 3.0-liter six-cylinder.
Production is said to start at the Regensburg plant in November.
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