Auto News 5

Daimler has placed a major order with Opel bidder Magna International to develop and build the aluminium bodies for the upcoming Mercedes SLS AMG gullwing. Full story...

The booming Chinese auto market remains one of the few bright spots for German luxury carmakers which have reaped few benefits from subsidy programmes such as the US 'cash for clunkers' scheme. Daimler's Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen's Audi and the BMW brand all posted year on year volume gains of over 35% last month. Full story...

According to a European study, 80% of car crashes would be avoided if drivers had an extra second to react. At least that's what we were told during the half-day Driving Experience course that I was glad to attend. Full story...

Flagship version of Mercedes' all-new four-door coupe will go head to head with rivals from Porsche and Aston martin

Full story...

The hottest rumour at the Suzuka circuit on Saturday is that McLaren is contemplating splitting completely with Mercedes at the end of the season. Meanwhile, Robert Kubica on Saturday appeared to express concerns about moving to the Renault or Toyota teams in 2010. "I would not like to be in the same situation I'm in with BMW-Sauber -- that in the middle of the season the company is announcing it's retiring from formula one. Full story...

Back in 1998, Mercedes helped pioneer the luxury SUV scene with their full-sized ML series. This machine helped kick off a new vehicle genre that was quickly joined by a flood of competition from around the globe. Full story...

Back in 1998, Mercedes helped pioneer the luxury SUV scene with their full-sized ML series. This machine helped kick off a new vehicle genre that was quickly joined by a flood of competition from around the globe. Full story...

Lamborghini Gallardo, Ferrari F430, Mercedes SLS. My bank account won't place any of these exotics in my driveway, and I doubt that my banker would choose to "make it so" with a gargantuan loan. That leaves few options for plebes such as me that don't involve potential jail time. In steps Empire One. Full story...

Daimler is increasingly confident it will book a positive operating result for the Mercedes-Benz unit in the second half of the year and that September probably marked a turning point following months of downturn, chief executive Dieter Zetsche has said. Full story...

Everything is new at www.mercedes-benz.com/classic: presented in customer-friendly form, the Portal has detailed information and offers relating to the classic vehicle activities of Mercedes-Benz, i.e. the Museum, Classic Center, Archive and Collection, Young Classics, Mercedes-Benz Clubs and Classic Magazine. A central contact point and single contact address make the site easy to use. Full story...

The most sophisticated and luxurious Hyundai ever has just been launched in South Korea. The long-wheelbase version of the Equus saloon is the largest and most expensive vehicle in the Hyundai line-up, rivalling the likes of the BMW 7-Series and the Mercedes S-Class. Prices for the Equus Limousine start at approximately £70,000 and go up to £80,000. Full story...

Mercedes-Benz's Brazilian commercial vehicle unit is hiring 800 new employees to work in truck and bus production at its Sao Paulo plant. Full story...

Slow-selling MPV looks to boost sales with a mid-life makeover.

Full story...

The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the highlight of the 2009 International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt/Main, will soon be delighting video game fans the world over. The gullwing model is being featured in the latest version of the PlayStation®3 (PS3TM) game Gran Turismo®5, in which it is expected to excite gamers with its breathtaking performance. Full story...

The scene looked like something out of a big-screen political thriller: a line of black Mercedes sedans pouring from the front of a boat and quickly dispersing into downtown Toronto traffic. Tires squealed and engines revved as the dignitaries were whisked away-- and those nearby stopped and wondered what sort of happening warranted the surprise Benz-parade. Full story...

The 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan represents the ninth generation of the highly successful model line. A benchmark in the luxury segment, the E-Class has long been considered the world's best business sedan with more than 10 million models produced and sold over the past 60 years. Packed with useful new safety technology, the all-new E-Class is positioned to become another industry trend-setter. Full story...

BorgWarner says it is to supply an important new engine cooling fan system on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. Full story...

A gull-wing Mercedes has become something of an automotive icon. Visitors to the current Frankfurt show will also have seen it as a vision of the future - an electric one at that. Full story...

Local assembly of the latest Mercedes-Benz E-Class has begun in India at the automaker's Pune plant in Maharashtra state. Full story...

All-electric cars with the range of current petrol or diesel models are still 20 years away, according to Mercedes-Benz research and development head Thomas Weber. Full story...