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AMG’s future plans include electrification
  A while ago, Mercedes AMG announced that they would only focus on producing high performance sports cars, completely leaving hybrids and electrics out of the equation because they did not go with their lineup. Apparently, the company has reconsidered their little statement. During a recent interview with Autoblog, Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz AMG said that the company is now taking under consideration an "electrified" future. The first model for this greener future will be the SLS AMG E-Cell, which the AMG Division is still working on. Källenius couldn’t confirm the official specs, range, or curb weight because those numbers are still to be determined, but he did say that the sports car’s lithium-ion battery packs will not weigh down the vehicle and that its performance will be "exceptional." Orders will begin in the middle of 2012 and the first deliveries will be made in 2013. The SLS AMG e-Cell, however, will only be the beginning of AMG’s future technologies. Mercedes performance division is also working on both electric drivetrains and the implementation of some sort of a Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), but Källenius did not offer any details on the models expected to carry this future technology. 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster
Mercedes has caused history to repeat itself as they have come out with a roadster version for one of their popular coupes. This trend was seen in the SLR McLaren and will now repeat itself with the SLS AMG coupe version. The SLS AMG Roadster will be revealed in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but right now the car is under extreme testings. In terms of design, the roadster version will remain faithful to the coupe version. However, it will drop the gullwing doors in favor of more traditional units. The SLS Roadster will be offered with Mercedes’ traditional retractable soft-top which can be opened and closed electrohydraulically while on the move up to 30 mph. The Mercedes SLS AMG roadster version will be powered by a 6.3-liter V8 engine with 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. However, being a much heavier model, it will rocket from 0 to 60mph in 4.0 seconds before topping out at approximately 192 mph. In Europe, prices will start from € 195,160, or about $278,000 at the current exchange rates. The Mercedes’ US debut will be made later this fall. UPDATE 11/07/2011: Mercedes has unveiled a new video presenting the history behind the SLS AMG Roadster photo shoot with Michael and Ralf Schumacher. Hit the jump to read more about the new Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster. Full story BMW M division wants to build SLS competitor
 Mercedes is hitting it big with their AMG division and the BMW is starting to take notice. The BMW M division has come to terms with the fact that they will need a bespoke model to take on AMG’s SLS supercar creation, but so far, top execs aren’t buying it. "From an engineering perspective, we have the skills and we’d love to do it," product development chief Albert Biermann told Autocar in a recent interview. "We’ve discussed it several times but we’ve never been able to make the business case. Everything we do has to make money." Biermann brought up one possibility in an M version for the current generation Z4: "There are days when it hurts not to have one but there was no business case at the time when the decision was taken. We are trying to make a case but there are so many factors to consider." BMW’s main focus right now is in developing alternative powertrains to move along with the greener times, such as the 1.5 liter inline 3 engine with two electric motors found in the future i8. However, if BMW wants to get in good with the supercar segment, a real M supercar is still required.
Spy Shots: Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series caught testing for the first time
 A while ago, we reported that Mercedes was preparing a Black Series version for the SLS AMG sports car. Now, we have the spy shots to prove it. The upcoming Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series was recently caught testing around the Nurburgring track for the first time, and we have to admit it looks promising. Very promising. While no other details have been offered, rumors and previous Black Series models offered by Mercedes make us believe that the upcoming SLS AMG will be featuring a more powerful engine and a more aggressive look. In fact Tobias Moers, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Vehicle Development for AMG, confirmed that for the Black Series, the 6.2-liter V8 will be tuned to deliver an extra 50 HP over the standard SLS AMG. Next to the improved engine, the Black Series AMG will also get AMG coil-over sports suspension, AMG high-performance compound braking system and of course an AMG Aerodynamics package. New details on the future baby Mercedes SLS
 Now that Mercedes has officially unveiled the SLS AMG Roadster, people have turned their attention to the long rumored baby SLS. In an interview with AutoExpress, Christoph Jung, Development Director of Performance Division AMG, said that a new AMG model is planned and will compete with models like the Porsche 911 and Jaguar C-X16: "There is room for an AMG model below the SLS, targeting the Porsche 911. This is the next market for AMG, and we are considering what is the right package." "It is important to work on our brand and grow it. Look at the Porsche 911 – it is a huge success. They have done a very good job in evolving it over the years. Now, thanks to the SLS, companies like Porsche see AMG as competition. Everyone recognizes that AMG can produce super sports cars." Jung didn’t offer any more details on the next sports car, but he did confirm that it will be a two-seater model powered by a V8 engine. We expect to see a 5.5 liter engine with a total output of 500 HP. Along with this new power, Mercedes will also focus on efficiency boosting measures such as a start/stop system. The new model will be priced from about 80,000 euro, or about $105,000 at the current exchange rates. Video: Mercedes highlights the benefits of AMG Performance Media
Mercedes has released an informative video explaining the benefits of their latest AMG Performance Media system. In this video, Mercedes takes the SLS AMG on one lap around the famous Hockenheimring in Germany to display the different gauges for monitoring your performance. The new AMG Performance Media (APM) provides real time data on the Command screen. This data includes metrics on lateral G-forces, brake, throttle, horsepower, and torque. Next to these useful details, the system can also measure lap times and lap segments. To activate the AMG Performance Media, all one has to do is press the AMG key in the AMG DRIVE UNIT, which is operated with the COMAND Controller. All functions are visible on the high-resolution 17.8-centimeter color display of the standard COMAND APS multimedia system. The upper menu bar offers details on the "Data", "Race" and "Setup," while the lower bar provides information on "Temp", "Power," and "Tires." Mercedes is smacked with a Class Action Suit due to alleged V8 AMG defects
 It seems that Mercedes is headed towards some dark days now that they are facing a class action suit due to alleged defects in the M156 V8 motor. Reports coming in are stating that there seems to be a premature wear that occurs as a result of the material used in the camshafts. Let’s break it down a bit more. Mercedes’ V8 AMG engines have cast nodular iron camshafts, but the valve lifters are made of 9310 grade steel. The complaint is that this combination of materials is contributing to premature wear of the M156 motors. This can be due to improper heat treating of the metals or improper offset. Seems like an easy fix, but the problem is that the company has known about this issue since 2007 when a service bulletin was released by Daimler, but the company has failed to take action on the matter. This 6.2 liter V8 engine is used in models such as the C63 AMG Coupe, the ML63 AMG, and the SLS AMG supercar. In these vehicles, it can develop between 450 to 570 HP. At this time, there is only one plaintiff who is alleging financial losses of about $25,000. Sometimes tells us this is going to snowball into many, many more people coming forward with the same problem. We’ll keep you posted as more details surface. 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG by Kubatech
The Mercedes SLS AMG has been the object of many tuners’ affections lately, with all types of kits and upgrades streaming out of tuning firms all over the world. But the onslaught is not over yet. Kubatech has revealed their version of the SLS AMG which includes a significant increase in power. In its standard version, the SLS AMG’s develops a total of 570 HP and a peak torque of 479 lb-ft, but the tuner has found a solution to increase the output to a total of 625 HP and 501 lb-ft of torque. The extra 55 HP has been obtained with an engine control optimization using Sportkats software and simulators As far as any exterior or interior modifications, well, they’re nonexistent. Kubatech has opted to leave the look of the vehicle entirely untouched, but with an extra 55 HP and a beautiful starting point, who really cares? Anyone interested in putting a little more bounce in their Mercedes SLS AMG’s step, then they’ll need to shell out about $11,000 for the upgrade kit. 2014 Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series
The current Mercedes SLS line-up is quickly filling up with a Coupe, a Roadster, a GT3 version, and, sometime in the near future, an E-Cell version. However, Mercedes isn’t done yet. The company is in the midst of adding a fifth model to the growing lineup: the Black Series model. The new Black Series was confirmed by Tobias Moers, Member of the Board of Directors and Head of Vehicle Development for AMG, who said in an interview with Motor Trend: "We absolutely have to do a Black Series!" It should add at least 50 HP over the standard model, bringing it up to about 620 HP. Rumors in the industry point to a revised 6.2 liter naturally aspirated V8 engine as the power source. In the same interview, Moers also confirmed that the SLS GT3 would not be racing in the US market because the company did not want to go through the added expense of re-certifying it for use on US soil. The E-Cell’s trip to the US, however, is still up for discussion. Updated 10/19/2011 : The upcoming Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series has been caught testing for the first time. Enjoy! Updated 03/22/2012: The upcoming Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series has been spied once again during cold weather testing. 2011 Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster by Kicherer
Aftermarket companies have waited a long time for the Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster. If for nothing else, they just couldn’t wait to get their hands on one to see what kind of tuning program they could make. At least one tuning company will agree to this because we already have the first tuning program for the SLS Roadster courtesy of Kicherer. In building the program for the supercar, Kicherer paid careful attention in not completely changing the overall essence of the car, although they did add a few carbon dress-ups to make it stand out as a Kicherer project. The most noticeable is the hand-made GT front grille, but many other fancy parts got added, including a new front spoiler, new side skirts, aerodynamic fins that were added onto the bonnet and on the wings, and a set of three-part, double-spoke 20" RS-1 lightweight wheels. Kicherer also installed a new coilover "Front Up" suspension system that improves the car’s handling and a stainless steel exhaust with four oval end pipes with an integrated valve control, giving the driver free reign to choose the kind of exhaust tone he prefers. Without leaving anything behind, Kicherer also took the time to tweak the SLS AMG Roadster’s powertrain with their own sports air filter, taking the Merc supercar’s 6.3-liter V8 engine and increasing its output from the standard 571 horsepower all the way to 630 horsepower. If that isn’t powerful enough, Kicherer is also offering a second performance tweak that includes an exhaust manifold system and a sports catalysor, further bumping up the output to 650 horsepower. Take all these improvements in and you have a supercar that can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 3.5 seconds with a new top speed of 199 mph. Fantastic. | featured reviews:Mercedes SLS-Class tuning: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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