Brabus: New Hot Wheels for 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS Sports Sedan

As sure as the sun rises tomorrow, Brabus will present some horsepower crazy version of the new Mercedes-Benz CLS in the likes of the insane, first-generation CLS-based Rocket V12 that packed 730 twin-turbocharged horses under its bonnet. But for now, the German tuning firm is taking it easy simply releasing its alloy wheel and tire options for Merc's banana-shaped luxury sports sedan. You can check the available designs in sizes 19- and 20-inches in our gallery after the jump.

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VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz's First Ever Super Bowl Ads Teased

Continuing our online stream of the automotive-related ads of the Super Bowl XLV, we now have a trio of teaser spots from Mercedes-Benz, which will be making its first advertising appearance at the game. According to the German automaker, four new models will be featured in the ads, with two of them making their world debut in the 60-second-long spot called 'Welcome'. You can watch the two teaser spots plus the making of the 'Welcome' commercial right after the break.

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Record Audience to Make Super Bowl Advertisers’ Financial Efforts Worth While

Paying $3 million or more for a Super Bowl ad could be a stretch for automakers, even though the economic climate is slowly improving. However, according to New York advertising executives Peter Gardiner of Deutsch Inc. and Andy Donchin of Carat North America, a record audience is expected for this year’s game, which means that, overall, manufacturers might end up with a bargain.

With recent Super Bowls constantly surpassing forecasts for viewers, advertisers didn’t want to risk last minute premiums and bought their ads from New Corp.’s Fox in October.

“This is something we view as a very smart investment,” Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer of Audi of America, said in an interview. “This is our fourth Super Bowl, and every year has over-delivered.”

Advertisement prices peaked two years ago, when the average cost for a spot was $3 million and was marginally reduced in 2010 to about $2.97 million. For 2011, Fox may have charged more than $3 million for an ad, according to Needham & Co analyst, Laura Martin, who also estimates that the Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburgh Steelers game could generate up to $300 million in advertising sales, well over the $213 million recorded in 2009.

“Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, will be the single highest-revenue generating day in the history of Fox,” Lou D’Ermilio, a spokesman for Fox Sports, said in an e-mail, while declining to comment on the actual rates.

The soaring audience numbers have attracted a record number of six carmakers, ordering airtime for nine brands during the game. Mercedes will be promoting its cars for the first time at the Super Bowl XLV, while BMW is back after a 15-year hiatus. Kia and GM are also on the list and, as a general rule, viewers can expect a plethora of creative, humorous ads, meant to deliver a so-called “cinematic moment”.

“You need to entertain and have some humor,” Keogh said. “You also need to tell a story. It’s a cinematic moment.”

So far, we have covered the efforts of Audi, Chevrolet, Kia and Volkswagen, but you can rest assured that there are plenty more clips to come in the next couple of days.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Bloomberg

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The Upgradeable Car: A Software Influenced Future for the Auto Industry

As an automotive blogger that also works in the IT industry, I feel I have a somewhat unique perspective on in-car technology. Whereas a new car may have a three to five year buffer between upgrades and replacement models, for electronic devices such as mobile phones and computers it's more like six to eighteen months.

This brings up an interesting conundrum: what to do when the sat nav or Bluetooth devices in your car age more quickly than the car itself? Few people this side of Dhiaa Al-Essa can afford to replace their car every six months, so the answer - to automakers at least - is to do the same as software companies: roll out upgrades.

It could be something as simple as the dealership checking your oil and tire pressure remotely to recalibrating the transmission or updating the car's sat nav system. San Francisco based Cisco Systems has even constructed an experimental dashboard out of LCD panels that acts as a giant touch screen: driver's can drag and drop instruments, personalize the look and feel of said instruments and add new functions such as g-force meters.

The obsolescent of in-car technology is becoming more and more of a concern, especially in the light that market research firm R. L. Polk reveals that many of us are keeping our cars for up to 9 years. Advances in computing technology in our car's ECUs and other systems are also bound to cause headaches for automakers in the future.

As Dirk Schlesinger, a senior director in Cisco’s Internet business solutions group explains, "Complexity is killing the industry. We can’t change the silicon fast enough."

Software updates, a common enough occurrence when your car is taken in for a service in this day and age, may soon be rolled out automatically and via the internet or satellite, like they are for computer software.

In the words of Dave Evans, Cisco’s chief futurist: “The car is becoming the most sophisticated piece of computer equipment you own.”

That's as good as maybe, but with technology such as Ford AppLink giving its drivers access to Pandora or Twitter from behind the wheel or GM / Mercedes-Benz's OnStar and Mbrace systems allowing remote support for driver's and their vehicles, one thing is for sure: the future is closer than we think.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: NY Times

GM, Mercedes, BMW and other Automakers Close Down Factories in Egypt

The continuing crisis in Egypt has prompted several automakers including General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and BMW to shut down their factories in the country, while other companies like Volkswagen, have been forced to completely stop vehicle deliveries as it was uncertain if the cars would reach their destinations, according to a company spokesman.

“We decided to close our assembly plant in Egypt due to the unstable political situation,” Nissan spokesman Mitsuru Yonekawa told Bloomberg News on Monday.

GM international operations spokesman, Johan Willems, told Autonews Europe: "All of our employees in Egypt as well as our plant property is safe and secure. Our local team in Cairo is assessing the situation and will decide to commence normal operations once the conditions permit."

As well as bringing production to a stop to ensure the safety of their workers, certain carmakers such as BMW and Mercedes are also evacuating expatriate employees and their families.

At the time being, it remains unclear when automakers will resume production in Egypt.

Source: Autonews Europe [Subscription required]

Brabus Presents the World’s First Euro 6 Compliant Performance Kit for Diesel Models

Mercedes-Benz tuning specialist Brabus has presented a new ECO PowerXtra D6S performance kit for the S350 BlueTec, and by doing so, the company claims to have created the world’s first tuned diesel-powered car that meets the Euro 6 emissions standard, scheduled to go into effect in 2014. Available for both rear-while drive and 4MATIC four-wheel drive variants, the kit delivers an additional 55HP and 70 Nm (52 lb-ft) of torque, for a total of 313HP and 690 Nm (509 lb-ft).

Designed to work like a plug-and-play device, the module increases the 3.0-liter V6 diesel’s output depending on the selected shift mode of the 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission. In “Eco” mode, peak torque increases, but the engine output remains unchanged (258HP), while in “Manual” or “Sport” mode maximum power is also boosted.

The modified S350 sprints from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in a very respectable 6.5 seconds and can reach an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

The Brabus ECO PowerXtra D6S unit can be also fitted to all Mercedes E350 CDI BlueEfficiency variants as well as the CLS 350 CDI BlueEfficiency model, delivering identical output.

All models come with a three-year or 100,000 km (62,000 miles) warranty and can be specified with a custom Brabus stainless-steel exhaust with 4 tailpipes, delivering a more distinctive exhaust note and further optimizing power yield.

By Csaba Daradics

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2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG: New Photos and Added Details

Last week, Mercedes-Benz accidentally dropped the ball on the refreshed C63 AMG, and even though the automaker quickly removed all photos and information, the damage was done and we got our first look at the Stuttgart firm's performance model. Today, the Germans came out with an official release and a new set of photos of both the sedan and Estate versions of the 2012MY C63 AMG.

In the styling department, the C63 AMG models receive similar exterior and interior revisions as the standard C-Class models including new headlamps and a pointier front grille, plus a new dashboard design with an integrated screen on the top part of the center console.

The AMG treatment adds a restyled bodykit, a new aluminium bonnet with modified powerdomes, and bespoke 18-inch alloys wrapped in 235/40 R 18 and 255/35 R 18 tires at front and rear respectively, along with a three-dimensional TFT display in the middle of the redesigned speedometer and a flat-bottom three-spoke AMG performance steering wheel trimmed in nappa leather and featuring a metallic trim.

Under the skin, the 6.2-liter V8 remains unchanged for the 2012MY, producing 457HP and 600Nm / 442 lb-ft of torque in standard trim and 487HP with the optional AMG Performance package.

However, the C63 AMG obtains a new 7-speed sports transmission with the "Controlled Efficiency" mode as standard along with a new speed-sensitive sports steering with a direct ratio (13.5 : 1) and a newly developed power-steering pump that help reduce the combined consumption by about ten percent to 12.0 lt/100 km or 19.6mpg US (Estate: 12.3 l/100 km).

In terms of performance, the standard 457HP C63 AMG sedan completes the 0-100km/h [62 mph] sprint in 4.5 seconds (Estate: 4.6 s), while the 487HP model in 4.4 seconds (Estate: 4.5 s). Top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h.

According to Mercedes, over the past three and a half years it has sold more than 17,000 C63 AMGs worldwide, with 88 percent of buyers opting for the sedan and 12 percent for the Estate. The Performance Package has proven to be successful with more than 30 percent of all the C 63 AMG models delivered in 2010 specified with this option.

The latest iteration of the C63 AMG will have its world premiere at next month's Geneva Salon with sales set to start in July. Prices in Germany start at €71,340 for the sedan, and at €73,899 for the Estate, with the AMG Performance Package priced at €7166.20.

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