mercedes

Not to be outdone by Ford and Audi, Mercedes-Benz has hopped on the CES-as-auto-show bandwagon, and will deliver a keynote address at the 2012 International CES in January.

The speech, given by Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche, will outline Mercedes' vision on the intersection of automotive innovation and the digital realm. Factory-installed automotive technology systems revenue exceeded $5.5 billion in 2010, according to the Consumer Electronics Association, and this year will increase to $5.9 billion. Last year, Ford and Audi execs gave keynote addresses at the electronics conference, and the 2012 Ford Focus was named the official car of … Read more

What do you do if you want to upgrade your pathetic meatsack of a body and become a cyborg? If you're Matthew James, a 14-year-old from Britain's Berkshire, you write a letter and end up with a bionic hand.

Born without a left hand, James became enamored of the i-Limb Pulse from Scotland's Touch Bionics, but his family couldn't afford the roughly $48,000 price tag.

After the head of Formula One racing team Mercedes GP Petronas visited his school, James got up the chutzpah to write a letter to the organization's Ross Brawn asking for help in getting an i-Limb Pulse. He suggested the team sponsor what would be a cybernetic part of his body.

Brawn agreed to help, but struck a technology-sharing deal with Touch Bionics in which most of the fee would be waived. Now James has a new hand. … Read more

With its new engine, driver assistance features, and cabin tech, the 2012 CLS550 represents the cutting edge of what Mercedes-Benz has to offer. At the same time, it preserves and enhances the brand's luxury image. The standard air suspension gives the car a superlative ride.

Beyond its telematics service, Mercedes-Benz hasn't ventured into app integration, as some of its competitors are doing. But its cabin tech is still first rate, with a speedy navigation system featuring 3D rendered buildings and just about every modern audio source you can think of. The highlight is the Harman Kardon audio system, … Read more

Awhile back, Mercedes-Benz asked Facebook fans what stunts they wanted filmed while on set for the new commercial promoting the 2012 C63 AMG Coupe and the C63 AMG Sedan.

According to Mercedes, the requests came flooding in. Today the wait is over. The German automaker posted three videos demonstrating the winning requests.

The stunts were done with professional drivers on closed lots. And shortly after the videos were posted.

Check out the videos for yourself.… Read more

The convenience offered by mobile apps for unlocking car doors and remotely starting their engines is also a weakness, as two hackers will demonstrate at the upcoming Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. Researchers Don Bailey and Mathew Solnik managed to use a laptop to hack the mobile app connection in two different car brands.

The researchers discovered that, when a user pushed the unlock or remote engine start buttons on the app, the phone sends a signal to a service center, which then sends a signal to the car telling it what to do. The researchers intercepted and duplicated … Read more

Mercedes-Benz's AMG division used to spend all its time figuring out how to get more speed out of standard Mercedes-Benz models. It hand-built 6.3-liter engines and made an automatic transmission that shifted like a dual-clutch automated manual. But now AMG engineers have turned their attention toward efficiency.

The latest engines coming out of the workshop use high-pressure direct injection, and now AMG is adding a new trick, cylinder deactivation, to its efficiency repertoire. The 2012 SLK AMG will be the first car to feature the new cylinder deactivation technology. With it, the engine will cut fuel and spark … Read more

Pandora is leaving no car behind, but will the expansion of Spotify derail the momentum? Audi brings its RS line back to the U.S., in small form, while BMW expands use of carbon fiber. And we take a ride in an espresso cup.

• First Android Car Radio USB Connection on Way

• Spotify launch in US

• Pandora increases its auto offerings

• BMW opens online art-car gallery

• Mercedes-Benz restructuring Smart

Mercedes-Benz unveiled the 2012 M-Class luxury SUV, the newly redesigned M-Class that offers 25 percent better fuel economy than its predecessor.

The German auto-maker is hoping to gain a lead on its rival, BMW's X5 SUV, by offering two V6 engines: the ML350 4MATIC and the ML350 BlueTEC.

The ML350 BlueTEC uses a new 3.0-liter turbodiesel, delivering an output of 240 horsepower and 455 pound feet of torque. The ML350 BlueTEC has an estimated fuel consumption of 20 city and 25 highway.

The 4MATIC runs in a 3.5-liter gas engine, delivering 302 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of … Read more

Mercedes-Benz isn't calling the 2012 SLS AMG Roadster a super car, even though it boasts 563 hp and 479 pound-feet of torque; instead the German automaker is calling the fabric-top ride a dream car.

Available later this year, the $183,000 roadster may be missing gullwing doors, but it's not missing good looks and performance.

Mercedes-Benz teased enthusiasts earlier this month with a look at the roadster undergoing testing in Stuttgart, Germany.

The roadster has an aluminum spaceframe body, an AMG 6.3-liter V8 front-mid engine, a seven-speed dual clutch transaxle transmission, and a sports suspension with aluminum … Read more