2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Preview
With more ridges and more resistors, the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is certainly the edgiest and most technologically complex mid-size sedan ever produced by the German automaker.
The new sedan went on display for a select audience in Detroit prior to the 2009 Detroit auto show, but the new vehicle did not make an appearance on the show floor. Instead, it's heading for a debut at the 2009 Geneva motor show instead.
Mercedes says the new E-Class offers more innovative safety technology than any competitor, while also sharpening the profile of the stalwart sedan. Most noticeable in its new shape: the new E-Class loses its elliptical headlamps, a hallmark of the past two generations of E-Class sedans and wagons. It also wears more fender creases that relate well to the larger, more ungainly S-Class. And inside, the cockpit shapes also share some familiarity with the S-Class. The new body is 30 percent more rigid than the outgoing car, which should improve the impressive E-Class sense of solidity and heft.
Performance comes from a well-known range of engines. U.S. cars will come as the E350, with a 268-horsepower V-6; the E550 will sport a 382-hp V-8. Direct injection and seven-speed automatics help the new E-Class boost its fuel economy up to 23 percent.
An E63 AMG performance edition and E350 BlueTEC diesel join the lineup about six and 12 months after the fall on-sale date for the new sedan. An all-wheel-drive edition is also planned, to complement the E-Class' revamped rear-drive chassis and optional adaptive air suspension.
A raft of new safety features is meant to distinguish the E-Class from the newest offerings from BMW, Lexus and Volvo. Adaptive headlights offer auto-dimming, while the new Attention Assist uses lane-departure warning technology to alert drivers that might be falling asleep at the wheel--a beep sounds and an espresso cup appears on the dash, actually. Blind-spot alerts are also included on the features list, as is Night View Assist. Along with those standard and optional features, the E-Class also gets eleven airbags, stability control and tire-pressure monitors.
The interior's comfort quotient is ratcheted up with more plush seating and a new array of climate and entertainment gadgets. The multi-contoured seats with adjustable bolstering are borrowed from the S-Class, and the rear seats can be ordered as buckets rather than a bench. A choice of interior wood and trim is offered on European cars. Other features include Blutooth connectivity and available LED driving lights.
See all our photos on the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class page, and stay focused on our 2009 Detroit auto show coverage as the press descend on Cobo Hall tomorrow morning.
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Fisker Poised to Build Karma Plug-In Next Year
Move over, Tesla--Fisker Automotive just announced the signing of final assembly contracts with Valmet Automotive of Finland. Valmet will serve as engineering and manufacturing supplier for Fisker, who plan to begin building their four-door plug-in hybrid sports car, the Fisker Karma, in the last quarter of 2009. Delivery will begin at that time, and annual production is claimed to be 15,000.
Valmet will be instituting a new welding line at its production facility and is said to be adding some 500 blue-collar workers to its force to assemble the Fisker Karma. Both companies are said to benefit from this cooperation, and Valmet emphasizes that the challenges of a complex hybrid drivetrain, battery technology, and a lightweight body of a new design aren't small. But they claim to be up to the task, and promise to meet Fisker's start-of-production date.
Fisker announces this good news as fellow Irvine, Calif., electric car maker Tesla struggles under recent layoffs and a changing of the CEO guard. Tesla was also set to come out with a sedan, but it looks as though Fisker will beat them to the punch.
Valmet is an engineer and manufacturer of premium vehicles in Finland. The company has been in operation for 40 years, and has produced more than 1 million vehicles to date. Currently, Valmet produces the Porsche Boxster and Cayman in cooperation with Porsche AG. That definitely ain't bad company, Fisker.--Colin Mathews
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Hip-Hop Star Nelly Shows Customized 2009 Ford Flex at SEMA
Wow, Ford is really pulling out all the stops in attempts to sell station wagons crossovers to a whole new set of playas. In a cleverly eponymous marketing move, Ford had already partnered with DJ/producer Funkmaster Flex on--you guessed it--a Ford Flex.
Flex's buddy Nelly saw the new Ford vehicle in Atlanta, expressed interest--"Yo, that's hot!"--and a savvy Ford marketing manager, Usha Raghavachari, seized the opportunity to create a 2009 Ford Flex custom-tailored to Nelly's sensibilities. And so, we present to you, Nelly's very own 2009 Ford Flex, displayed yesterday at SEMA in Las Vegas.
Nelly knew he wanted blue paint, 22-inch wheels, a white roof, an exhaust system with "a little bit of rumble," a killer sound system, and a personalized interior. Using those guidelines, Ford designer Melvin Betancourt began creating a unique Flex that he topped with a bird applique on the vehicle's roof, which he found to be "an art form that we feel reflects Nelly's personality." It's just a bit more menacing than the the Road Runner affixed to Plymouth's beloved musclecar of the same name.
Inside, Ford's new SYNC technology partners with a CIM LIIV wireless Internet entertainment system, allowing passengers to surf the Web, play online games, e-mail, and download entertainment. "When you can have a vehicle that both can rock their own way, I think you have something there that's very special," explained Nelly discussing the new parent-and-kid appeal of family cars like the Flex. Inside, Nelly's Flex features a black Tuscany leather interior with Katzkin seats, blue stitching that matches the vehicle's exterior, and more bird applique in place of the simulated wood grain on the standard vehicle.--Colin Mathews
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This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
MINI E First Lithium-Ion Electric Vehicle to Market
On Saturday, BMW Group announced it will be the first auto manufacturer to market with the vaunted lithium-ion battery technology. We knew that BMW was announcing an all-electric MINI at the L.A. Auto Show this November, but were unaware it would be powered by lithium-ion technology.
Currently, lithium-ion batteries allow extended performance in products ranging from laptop computers to mobile phones. But the heat generated by these batteries has posed a challenge in automotive applications--one that BMW has apparently solved.
The MINI E, identical in profile (if subtly different in style, paint and details) to its popular Cooper model, will enjoy its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November 19 and 20. Range is a claimed 150 miles--not road trip material, but more than adequate for most American commuters. For charging purposes, the vehicle can be plugged into any standard household outlet. Quicker charging (roughly 2.5 hours) is guaranteed with installation of the high-amperage wallbox included with every MINI. The wallbox can be installed into owner's garages.
Five hundred MINI Es will hit the road in the hands of private and corporate customers in the pilot project taking place in urban centers of New York, New Jersey, and California. The limited run of this batch of 500 will be produced prior to the end of 2008.
This is huge news for BMW, and likely distressing news for beleaguered domestic automakers. BMW has long been a leader in the technology realm, and its deft guidance of the MINI brand has grown it into a small empire very much in tune with sudden U.S. market shifts toward small, economical transportation.
Along with its less-is-more attitude, MINI E continues the brand's mantra of sprightly performance and athletic responses. In this realm, the MINI E promises to deliver, with a claimed 0-60 mph time of 8.5 seconds from its 204-hp electric motor backed by a single-speed gearbox.
While not as fleet as some of the company's high-performance models in all-out acceleration (i.e., MINI Cooper S), what drivers will notice is the neck-snapping torque available immediately. From 0-30 mph, the realm of commuters and city drivers, the MINI E will likely feel like a hotrod, perhaps even eclipsing its gasoline brethren off the line. Those gasoline MINIs must spin their engines to significantly higher engine speeds to reach peak torque (the shove in the back you feel on quick acceleration). And of course, being all-electric, the benefit to air quality is absolutely zero emissions.
MINI E will ride on a suspension slightly retuned to account for a different weight distribution due to its front-mounted, transversely oriented electric motor.
Many automakers, in the race for electric-vehicle dominance, have pursued perfection of the vaunted lithium-ion battery technology to lengthen electric vehicle range and performance. GM's recent Volt E-REV vehicle relies on their own pending lithium-ion battery development, as do Chrysler's trio of E-REV/all-electric vehicles (which might be stillborn, depending upon resolution of the Pentastar's tenuous financial situation at present).--Colin Mathews
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
