Mercedes and VW do diesel deal
Volkswagen is to adopt Mercedes-Benz’s Bluetec clean-diesel technology in a deal announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show, according to the Detroit News. The Bluetec system, appearing first in the Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI, and ML and GL off-roaders, combines particulate filters with a urea-injection system to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides to harmless hydrogen and water. It will be fitted to other DaimlerChrysler models, including the Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee, and will appear in European-market cars by 2008. The first Volkswagen Group model to use Bluetec, however, is expected to be a US-market Audi. The Bluetec-equipped diesels will not go on sale throughout the USA in the immediate future, however, as despite achieving industry-leading emissions results, they do not as yet meet the ultra-stringent emissions regulations in California and four other states which follow the same guidelines.
DaimlerChrysler is further refining the technology, and aims to have Bluetec diesels on sale in all 50 states by 2008 - in time for the Californian legislation to be adopted nationwide in 2009. In the longer term, the Bluetec system will also form the basis of diesel-electric hybrid powertrains.
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May 26th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Part of what AMG does best is produce special editions for Mercedes-Benz, and AMG’s newest, ultimate-est CL65 AMG provides the basis for one of its most decadent special editions yet: the CL65 AMG 40th Anniversary Edition. It was built to celebrate—take a wild guess, guys—AMG’s 40th anniversary.
Forty of these super-special CL65s will be made, each gussied up with the expected special-edition interior bits, which at the CL65’s price point go beyond different floor mats. Inside, it features every available CL comfort option, genuine carbon-fiber trim, and a smattering of “V-12” and “40th Anniversary” badges and embossments, including an etched metal “One out of 40” badge on the palm-rest of the COMAND controller that ought to make using the nav a delightful experience if the brute has been sitting in the sun on a hot day.
The Exclusive Passion interior color combo looks like the inside of a Milky Way bar, with chocolaty nappa leather wrapping the dashboard and the door panels and nougat-esque nappa leather coating the seats and the door inserts.
Remarkable Alu Beam Paint
Aside from the analog/digital TV tuner, the coolest thing about the CL65 AMG 40th Anniversary Edition is its gorgeous Alu Beam (read “liquid metal”) paint, a lustrous silver that we’ve only seen on a handful of Mercedes-Benz show cars in recent years. This marks the first time a production vehicle will wear it on the street.
The unique—and extraordinarily expensive—Alu Beam paint process involves paint particles roughly a quarter of the size of conventional paint specks that can be spread over the car more precisely and thus reflect light more evenly and more intensely. The car is then covered by a thick clear-coat, resulting in a silky sheen that makes it appear as if the contents of a 747-sized mercury thermometer had been poured over the top of the car. Just don’t scratch it, or you’ll be facing a five-figure repair job.
Of the 40 40th-anniversary CL65s that will be made this fall, half are bound for the U.S., at a price well above the roughly $200,000 sticker of the workaday CL65 AMG. Want one? Too bad. They’re already spoken for
May 26th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — It’s a milestone year for AMG, the high-performance arm of the Mercedes car Group.
The two-man operation that Hans Werner Aufrecht (the A in the marque) and Erhard Melcher (M) opened in a small garage in Grossaspach (G), Germany, in 1967 has matured over the past four decades into a company with 750 employees who develop some of the hottest and fastest street-legal vehicles on the planet.
To help celebrate its 40th anniversary, AMG is adding several new models to its lineup, including three cars well-heeled Canadians can put on their shopping lists.
The sporty SL 65 cabriolet is now available, as is the luxurious S 65 four-door sedan.
Joining this high-performance duo in about a month will be the 2008 CL 65, a gorgeous two-door coupe that will be AMG’s flagship model.
All three 65 Series cars are powered by a 6.0-litre, twin-turbo V12 that effortlessly churns out 612 h.p.
After a brief day spent behind the wheel of all three cars, it’s easy to understand why people with the financial resources don’t blink at spending an extra $100,000 to experience the pleasures of owning such mechanical masterpieces.
True, the price tags can be scary — the S 65 sedan lists at $228,000, the SL 65 droptop is $248,000 and the CL 65 coupe is expected to exceed $240,000.
But look at what you get. In addition to exclusivity — even in posh Beverly Hills, where high-end vehicles are commonplace, I didn’t see another AMG model — there’s not much else on the road that can match their performance except a few exotic, megabuck sports cars.
The new CL 65, for example, will blast to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and clip 200 km/h in 13.3 seconds. Its top end is electronically limited to 250 km/h. More impressive, however, is that it does all this with no fuss. Push the go pedal with authority and listen for the snarl coming from the dual exhaust pipes — it gets your attention but it’s not offensive.
The car simply surges forward. Driving north out of Los Angeles, there was an opportunity to push the CL 65 and SL 65 through twisty, two-lane roads. Both cars were delightful to drive, with crisp, precise turn-ins.
With the sporty SL 65, there was the added bonus of hearing the gurgle from the exhaust as you backed off the gas — it was neat enough one would be tempted to roll down the window of the ultra-quiet CL 65 to hear that same tune. If you plan to peel off a quarter-million for a car, you expect the ultimate in luxury and comfort.
None of these AMG products will disappoint. Each has a distinctive interior decor, but all share a richness in materials and amenities.
Soft, hand-stitched leather is everywhere — on the instrument panel, the door trim and the seats. Accents vary: The S 65’s interior was highlighted by polished wood; the CL 65 had genuine carbon fibre adding class and style to the dash and centre stack.
Within the next few months, the AMG lineup in Canada will include 13 vehicles.
While the choices are numerous, availability is not. Globally, the performance group builds about 20,000 vehicles a year, with four per cent of that output shipped to Canada and 45 per cent to the U.S. So, the approximately 800 AMG vehicles bought by Canadians don’t have much impact on the final mix. For those able to own them, however, they promise a driving experience all can envy.