Mercedes to Expand U.S. Factory to Locally Produce the Next C-Class, R-Class and G-Class

Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, said it plans to invest more than $2 billion to upgrade and retool its U.S. plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in order to begin building the C-Class (from 2014) as well as the new generations of the R-Class and the G-Class models. Read more »

Fuel Filter Leak Prompts Mercedes-Benz Diesel Model Recall in the States

A total of 2,297 diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz models are being recalled in the U.S. to fix a potential problem that could lead to fuel leaks. The recall affects certain diesel versions of the 2011MY E-Class, GL-Class, R-Class and M-Class vehicle range.

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Mercedes-Benz Makes the 2011 R-Class Less Painful to the Eye [27 High-Res Photos]

It's no secret that the segment-confused R-Class is one of the ugliest and less successful vehicle's in the history of Mercedes-Benz. Having already admitted this, the German automaker is now trying to give the R-Class a new lease in life by updating the crossover model where it hurts the most: the styling department.

The 2011 R-Class' front end has been completely redesigned taking its inspiration from Mercedes-Benz's latest sedan and SUV models. Gone are the goggle-style lights that have been replaced with newly-shaped headlamps.

The more chiseled bonnet design and bumper along with the new daytime running lights complete the stylistic updates up front.

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Mercedes R-Class Black Bison Edition by Wald International

The latest member to join Wald International's 'Black Bison' family is the Mercedes-Benz R-Class. The styling package from the famed Japanese tuner makes the German crossover look every bit as aggressive as the other Black Bison edition models. The body kit includes new front and rear bumpers, side skirts and a blacked out front grille, as well as an integrated rear diffuser that shrouds quad tailpipes.

A set of larger mutlispoke alloy wheel finished in glossy black and a sport suspension kit that lowers the Merc's ride height complete the package. In keeping with its secretive nature, Wald International has not released any further details or prices for that matter.

Via: Autoblog.nl

New Mercedes-Benz R-Class "Grand Edition" Sporting AMG Upgrades

For some strange reason, every time that Mercedes-Benz tries to make the Owl R-Class look better, we recall Barack Obama's reference to "lipstick on a pig". Same goes for the Stuttgart-based automaker's latest attempt with a new 'sporty' package called Grand Edition that can be ordered in Europe for €3,300 plus tax (about US$4,400). Among other things, the package adds unique 20-inch AMG bicolour light-alloy wheels as well as thermally insulated blue windows all-round.

Other exterior features includes standard by bi-xenon headlamps with dynamic active light and cornering light functions, chrome-framed LED daytime driving lamps integrated into the front bumper and taillights in a dark finish.

Inside, the Grand Edition justifies its price with decorative wood trim made of anthracite-colored poplar with chrome applications as well as the "Grand Edition" nameplate, an AMG steering wheel with gearshift paddles, and sports pedals made of brushed stainless steel.

Mercedes Launches New GL-Class, ML-Class and R-Class BlueTEC Diesel Models in Europe

Beginning in autumn 2009, Mercedes-Benz will offer its trio of crossover models in Europe with its 'clean' V6 diesel engine featuring BlueTEC technology. Besides the GL 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC, European customers will have the ML 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC and R 350 BlueTEC 4MATIC models to choose from. Already available in the U.S., all three models are powered by a 3.0-liter V6 diesel producing 211HP at 3,000 rpm and 540Nm of peak torque from 1,600 to 3,400 rpm.

Mercedes-Benz developed the BlueTEC technology that focuses particularly on nitrogen oxides in order to reduce the emissions of diesel vehicles. The tech involves injecting a non-toxic aqueous carbamide solution called "AdBlueÓ" into the exhaust gas flow that then releases ammonia. In the downstream SCRcatalyst system the ammonia then converts up to 80 per cent of the nitrogen oxides into the harmless products nitrogen and water.

According to the German automaker, the GL350 BlueTEC 4MATIC, ML350 BlueTEC 4MATIC and R350 BlueTEC 4MATIC already fulfill the emissions limits of the EU 6 standard, which won't go into effect until 2014.

As for the BlueTEC models' combined fuel consumption, the ML-Class and R-Class variants both return an average of 8.7 lt/100km (27mpg US) while the larger and heavier GL-Class has been rated at 9.0lt / 100km (26.1mpg US).