Auto News 5

AMG chief Ola Källenius and engineering director Tobias Moers are showing us a lightly camouflaged new Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG. It's a long-wheelbase example with 4Matic -- a first for the S63. A short walkaround reveals other details. The exhaust can now play two different tunes. The battery is a tiny silver box stuffed with lithium ion energy cells -- it weighs 44 pounds less than the S500 battery. Peeking out from behind the optional twenty-inch wheels, shod with 255/40 (front) and 285/35 (rear) footwear, are carbon-ceramic brakes with massive, 16.5-inch front rotors. "All in all, we managed to reduce the weight by 220 pounds," says Moers. "All body panels, the roof, and the entire front-end structure are made of aluminum."