Mercedes Industry News Cars

There’s no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a rather massive monkey wrench into the engine that is the auto industry. It’s been so bad that every time we turn around, we hear about another automaker that’s drastically down on sales. Now, a new study from German website Handelsblatt, paints a crystal clear picture of how automakers are weathering the COVID storm, and I can tell you know, it’s not pretty. In fact, some German brands are really taking up the tailpipe.

The COVID-19 pandemic is in full blast and many countries have closed borders and asked citizens to stay home to help contain the spread. All sorts of companies around the world are joining these efforts with new logos that promote social distancing. Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Volkswagen are among them, having launched redesigned logos on social media platforms.

As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, several automakers have made updates to their logos to promote social distancing, regarded by doctors and health experts as one of the key ways in preventing the spread of the virus.

Volkswagen, Audi, and most recently, Mercedes-Benz, have taken to social media to promote social distancing. To slam the point home, all three German brands unveiled modifications to their logos to reflect the social adjustments we all have to make as a society to stop the virus in its tracks. Across the board, the message is clear: if you don’t want to spread the virus, keep your distance from everyone else.

Mercedes had a great idea when it decided to enter the pickup truck market. After all, pickup trucks are booming these days and there’s certainly money to be made. However, the worst decision it ever made was to “partner” with Nissan to build the X-Class. Well, by partner, I mean to rebadge the Nissan Navara (also known as the Frontier here in the U.S.) and try to pass it off as a Mercedes. Of course, here in the U.S. we know better, so Mercedes chose not to bring it to the U.S. market. Apparently, it didn’t win folks over in Europe, either, as it’s going out of production after just three years on the market.

Its been only two years since Mercedes-Benz launched its first-ever production pickup truck, the X-Class, and the German firm is reportedly looking to axe the nameplate due to slow sales and a shift in strategy. According to a new report, Mercedes wants to reduce costs and optimize profits, and the X-Class is on a list of vehicles that will be dropped from the lineup soon.

We recently went into great detail about Mercedes’ new M 139 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the power plant that will make the new 2020 Mercedes-AMG A45S the fastest and maddest hot hatchback ever created. The automaker has announced the engine makes 415 horsepower (421 PS), or around 40 horsepower more than the similar unit it replaces. However, a new report has surfaced suggesting this crazy force-fed four-banger has even more to give and Mercedes has every intention of getting it to achieve its full potential.

Mercedes-Benz revealed the entry-level price for the new A-Class Sedan. You will be able to get it for $32,500. Go for the 4Matic and be prepared to churn out two grand more at $34,500. This is considerably more compared to the 2013 Mercedes-Benz CLA - the entry-level Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. at the time. That one managed to slip just under the $30,000 mark and was the only Mercedes-Benz to achieve so.

Long gone are those days. While the A-Class Sedan isn’t as special as the CLA, the new car definitely has some merit in the world. And, while $32,500 does not sound that bad for a new Mercedes, this price does not include the destination charge (so, add a grand on top of it) and don’t even imagine having access to all the amazing Mercedes-Benz tech found in higher-end models.

Imagine you’re one of the 138 owners of the Ford GT, the most technologically-advanced car ever built by Ford. Then the gearbox fails. You look for a replacement and dully pay the price of a Corolla in exchange for your broken one. You then tell your Mercedes-owning friend about it. He also had his identical gearbox changed on his AMG-GT, but he only paid half for it. How is this possible?

It’s not uncommon for unrelated manufacturers to share parts, those made by third-party companies. You may remember more striking examples like when Lamborghini borrowed the headlights for its Diablo 6.0 from the Nissan 300ZX or Venturi when it ripped the external rear-view mirrors from a generic Peugeot. This time around, we’re talking about two manufacturers, Mercedes-Benz and Ford, who use the same gearbox from Getrag.

Although the said transmission is virtually identical, even down to the gear ratios, the two companies resell the gearbox at different price rates. In fact, a version of the same Getrag unit but with altered ratios can also be found in two older Ferraris, the California and the 458, and the Italians too have a price of their own for this component.

Did you know Mercedes-Benz and Tesla worked together closely back in 2009? In fact, the German automaker saved Tesla from bankruptcy by acquiring almost 10-percent stake in the company. Since then, both companies have grown apart and taken their own paths, but Mercedes-Benz is still open to working with Tesla in the future.

Mercedes-Benz’s future lineup of EQ electric cars will feature more distinctive styling than the recently revealed EQC all-electric crossover. The revelation comes from EQ sales and marketing chief, Jorg Heinemann, who told Autocar that the EQC is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the EQ brand’s design creativity is concerned. For now, Mercedes is more concerned about establishing a starting point for the entire EQ family without going too far out on a limb with its styling.

Mercedes-AMG’s promise to keep sales of the Project One hypercar exclusive is taking shape after reports that prospective buyers will have to sign contracts that include clauses preventing them from flipping their vehicles in the second-hand market immediately. Apparently, Mercedes-AMG is making it crystal clear to people with build slots for the Project One that the practice of flipping won’t be tolerated. It’s a move that other automakers have done in recent years, including Aston Martin and Ford, both of whom included similar clauses to customers of the Valkyrie and GT, respectively.

Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler could be in hot water from Germany’s road vehicle authority KBA after the agency found five “illegal switch-off devices” in the automaker’s car engines. According to a report from German newspaper Bild, more than 1 million vehicles are suspected to be affected, most of which make up Daimler’s new fleet of Euro 6 diesel vehicles.

The age of car subscription services in the U.S. has begun. Mercedes-Benz is joining in on the fun with plans to launch its own pilot program in June. The service will be called the Mercedes-Benz Collection, and it will first roll out in two cities: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Nashville, Tennessee. Pricing or vehicle details have yet to be revealed, but the automaker is now accepting applications for the service.

More than a few tears were shed when it was recently reported that Mercedes-AMG is considering killing off the potent SL 65 drop top. Well, prepare for the dam to break because it looks like the SL 65 isn’t the only thing that Mercedes-AMG is planning to get rid off in the near future. A new report, this time from Car and Driver, is shining the spotlight on Mercedes-AMG’s 6.0-liter, twin-turbocharged, V-12 engine, and that light, as far as its application on future Mercedes-AMG models, is about to be turned off completely soon.

Is the Mercedes-AMG SL 65 not long for this world? That appears to be the case after a report from MB Passion Blog revealed that the SL 65 is going to be retired in June of this year. It’s known that production of the V-12 luxo-performance machine will end in May, but the fate of the drop-top is now in question beyond that.