Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz revealed three vehicles during its presentation at the end of day one of the 2008 LA Auto Show, with the most notable being the SL65 AMG Black Edition.

Like the SLK 55 AMG Black Series and the CLK 63 AMG Black Series before it, the SL65 AMG Black Series is ultrahigh performance and ultraexclusive. Only 175 examples will be sold in the United States.

Between the wildly exaggerated front fenders lies the most powerful Mercedes-Benz AMG engine ever produced. The SL65 Black features a 6-liter V-12 biturbo engine, outputting an electronically limited 670 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. … Read more

Mercedes-Benz is bringing four very unconventional GLK concepts to Las Vegas for the 2008 SEMA Show. Four vehicles were given to four tuners from around the world, with instructions to go crazy with the mods. The results ranged from understated class to an over the top vehicle that is barely recognizable as a GLK.

Proceed to see just how different the four tuners' vehicles are from the baseline and from each other.

View Mercedes' GLK SEMA Concepts.

Mercedes-Benz AMG is the next automaker to join the battle for customers' attention in the Apple iTunes App Store. Except while the other automakers have built apps that actually do something aside from advertise cars (for example, Audi's game and Ford's photo editor), Mercedes-Benz's app does nothing more than showcase the C63 AMG.

The main menu of the application features four options: Video, Photos, Sounds, Specs, and Find a Dealer.

Disappointingly, the Videos section is essentially a list of four videos that stream from Mercedes' Web site. Sorry, iPod Touch owners, this means that you'll have … Read more

What will race cars look like in 2025? The Los Angeles Auto Show, in its fifth annual Design Challenge, posed this question to automakers' design studios. Entrants from Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Volkswagen show off differing takes of what will be required for future racetracks.

Click here for renderings of future race cars.

Throughout the year, we've seen some pretty amazing cars at CNET Car Tech, but two stood out for our sports car-oriented gear heads. We reviewed two versions of the BMW M3, the first a coupe with a manual transmission, the second a convertible with an automated dual-clutch transmission. Given the model history, we expected these cars to be good, and they were. Between these reviews, we had the 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, which proved a more than pleasant surprise. Similar in size and price to the M3, the C63 is Mercedes-Benz's idea of a small high-end sports car, … Read more

Not wanting Audi to get all of the iPhone love, Mercedes-Benz released news on Wednesday that it has just launched a new mobile Web portal at www.mercedes-benz.mobi.

The new Web site features information about new models, motorsports, and Mercedes-Benz history, but two really cool features grabbed our attention: Mercedes-Benz TV, a video download and streaming service, and music download service Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape. Before you fire up your iPhones and your BlackBerrys, be sure you sprechen sie Deutsch, because the Web site is in German.

Despite the language barrier, I was able to poke around the Web site … Read more

Let's say you're a powerful dictator dignitary of a nation in turmoil. You obviously want to ride in style, and you probably won't be driving yourself around; but security is paramount, being a dictator dignitary and all, and you may occasionally find yourself the target of assassination attempts. So what's an iron-fisted ruler to drive? Well Mercedes-Benz may have the answer for you with the company's newly unveiled S600 Pullman Guard limousine.

The S600 Pullman is the latest in Mercedes' 80-year tradition of armored vehicles and is essentially a stretched wheelbase version of the of … Read more

Have you ever seen the movie Viva Las Vegas? In it, Elvis Presley plays a racecar driver in a city-to-city race, in between songs. The music isn't to my tastes, but the cars, a collection of mid- to late-1950s sports-racers, many with considerable history, are. And the plot, such as it is, was familiar. Point-to-point race over the open road, good guys versus bad guys. I hadn't seen Viva Las Vegas before viewing it on TV about 20 years ago, as Elvis never made my musical radar screen, but I had seen Speed Racer cartoons. Instant flash of recognition!

Viva and the Speed Racer cartoons share the same basic action-filled "plot." There is even some similarity in cars. And Speed Racer looks more than a little like an anime version of Elvis in his prime, even though he doesn't sing. Which might be for the best.

A gearhead classic that was underground for many years is now readily available over the counter. That's C'etait un Rendezvous by Claud Lelouch, better known just as Rendezvous. It's expensive, intense, and worth every penny. There is no real plot, merely action of the "kids, don't try this at home" variety.

… Read more

Texting is more dangerous than drunken driving, Mercedes rolls out a hybrid, BMW puts Google search in the dash, and we drive the Porsche Cayenne GTS.

• Texting worse than being drunk when it comes to driving

• Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid

• Clean diesel Jetta TDI good in all 50 states

• RFID driver's licenses in N.Y.

• Google search comes to BMW dashboards

• Cayenne GTS driver's notes

• Pontiac G3 on the way. Oh boy.