New Mercedes-Benz CSC Officially Revealed

Mercedes-Benz has dropped official information and a full set of photos of its Concept Style Coupé (or CSC for short) ahead of the study's brief stint at the Avant/Garde Diaries event in Los Angeles on April 20 and its world premiere at the Auto China 2012 in Beijing on April 23. The sleek looking sedan concept is a precursor of the production model that will follow next year and which Mercedes will build at its new manufacturing facility in Hungary. Sources state that it will likely be named CLC or CLA.
Judging by the spy shots we've shown you over the past few months, while the production model will be closely based on the concept, it won't be so aggressive in the details.
In essence, the CSC is a CLS-style four-door coupe based on the latest A-Class with which it shares an elongated version of the MFA modular platform, its running gear, interior and driveline. Some of its potential rivals in the premium market include next year's Audi A3 sedan and possibly, a similar model from BMW based on the 1-Series.
The CSC is 4,637mm (182.6 inches) long, 1,891mm (74.5 inches) wide and 1,398mm (55 inches) tall, which makes it 46mm longer (1.8-in.), 121mm (4.8-in.) wider and 49mm (1.9-in.) lower than the C-Class sedan. It rides on the same 2,699mm wheelbase as the A-Class hatch.
For its motivation, the concept is fitted with a 2.0-liter direct-injection and turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 208hp (211PS) and which is available on the production A25 hatchback. However, in the CSC, it is linked to Mercedes' 4MATIC all-wheel drive system and 7G-DCT dual clutch automatic transmission.
The production variant of the CSC will likely be offered with a similar engine lineup to the A-Class in both front- and all-whee drive versions. Aside from the 208hp 2.0L Turbo found on the prototype, the range in Europe will also include a 1.6-liter turbocharged petrol with 121hp (122PS) and 154hp (156PS) and two diesels, a 1.8-liter unit with 134hp (136PS) and a 2.2-liter engine with 168hp (170PS).
There will also be an AMG version powered by a specially tuned version of the 2.0-liter turbocharged petrol, possibly delivering over 320-horses. This model will come with AWD as standard.
Unlike the A-Class five-door hatchback, the production CSC will be sold in North America, where it will likely be offered with the 2.0L Turbo, the most powerful diesel and in AMG guise.

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2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Five-Door Hatchback

A bicyclist –no, we didn't make a mistake- captured footage of the all-new 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class hatchback while riding with his team from El Golfo to Playa Blanca on the Spanish island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. It seems that the German premium carmaker was at the island to shoot video and pictures of the luxury compact model for its press material.
The A-Class seen here is the five-door hatchback model, which will be the first body style to be launched onto the market. Mercedes has already confirmed that the 5-door version will make its world premiere at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show in early March. A sportier looking three-door model will follow, possibly withing the next year.
It is evident from the design of the front bumper with the stretched out side pockets, the large alloy wheels and the side skirts that the A-Class seen here is either the rumored A25 AMG or the regular model fitted with an AMG sports package. Whichever it is, we must admit that it looks pretty snazzy - especially when compared with its main rival, the BMW 1-Series.
Mercedes-Benz has kept a tight lid on the AMG version of the A-Class but sources claim that it will feature all-wheel drive with power coming from a high-performance four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine producing up to 300HP.

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2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class Hatch, Launches New Interactive App

Like many other carmakers lately, Mercedes-Benz is preparing consumers for a new model debut through a dedicated app for smart phones. In the German firm's case, the new model is the upcoming 2012 A-Class premium hatchback, which will make its global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March. To make things a bit more interesting, we learn that Mercedes will put several camouflaged 2012 A-Class hatchbacks in circulation in various German cities as part of a competition that will see one contestant winning a trip to the car's unveiling in Geneva.
The A-Class prototypes will be fitted with a Quick Response (QR) code that interacts with a downloadable app from the Apple App Store or the Android Market. Entrants will have to use their phones to scan a badge from the QR codes in order to participate.
The app will be available for download in February. In the meantime, head over the break to watch the teaser video on the competition.

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Mika Häkkinen and Jenson Button Burn Their Initials on the Ashpalt with a C63 AMG

It's a strange cocktail to say the least: two of the world's finest professional drivers, two-time F1 champion Mika Häkkinen and 2009 F1 champ Jenson Button, get into a 450-horsepower Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sports saloon to promote a 'don't drink and drive' campaign from renowned Scotch whiskey brand Johnny Walker by burning their initials on the asphalt. You can watch the ad for yourself in the video after the break.

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2013 Mercedes-Benz SL

The last couple of days, the sixth-generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL roadster has been one of the hottest subjects on the web – and rightly so, as it introduces several new technologies that will eventually trickle down to the premium automaker's other models. There's a lot to mention, but one of the highlights is the aluminum bodywork, which significantly reduces weight and has a positive effect on both agility and handling as well as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
The SL also features updated V6 and V8 engines that offer better performance and improved economy, as well as new advanced active and passive safety systems, all of which have been discussed in our previews reports.
The world premiere of the hardtop-roadster will take place at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show next month, but in the meantime, feel free to take a look at a fresh batch of high-resolution pictures and the first official videos right after the jump.

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