MERCEDES GP PETRONAS Formula One drivers Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will unveil the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé for the 2012 season during the Frankfurt International Motor Show, at 12.00 CET on Tuesday 13 September 2011. Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management at Daimler AG, and Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, will also be present on the Mercedes-Benz stand in the IAA’s Festival Hall, Frankfurt.
Now available for download: Mercedes-Benz DTM driver Gary Paffett offers a tantalizing glimpse of the new DTM car in a sneak preview video, and explains the key differences between the 2012 DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé and the current DTM AMG Mercedes C-Class.
Download the video in English (with or without German subtitles) at: www.news2use.tv .
Press information and photos will be available on 13.09.2011 at 12.00 CET by visiting media.daimler.com. The first video clips of the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé will be available for download at the same time from: www.news2use.tv .
Michael Schumacher:“The IAA, the world’s most important show for the automotive industry, is the perfect setting for the première of our new 2012 DTM car.”
Nico Rosberg:“I can’t wait to see how the new DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé has turned out, which is why I’m so pleased to be there as we show it off to the world for the first time. It’s going to be a moment to remember.”
Gary Paffett:“I was at the film and photo shoot for the new AMG Mercedes C-Coupé recently and was seriously impressed by my ‘company car’ for next season. I can’t wait to begin testing very soon.”
Norbert Haug:“This new-generation vehicle, based on our Mercedes-Benz C- Coupé, will mark the introduction of an even more spectacular racing car from the start of 2012. I am certain that the spectators will get their money’s worth from the three-way fight between Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the DTM next year.”
Mercedes-AMG announced a month ago, at the release of the first details on the new C 63 AMG Coupe Blacl Series, that there'll be a choice of two special packages for the 2-door supercar, which look to improve the car's overall performance, stability, handling and grip: AMG Track and AMG Aerodynamics, respectively. Spy photographers have recently identified several prototypes of the C 63 AMG Coupe Black Series that featured the above-specified technical improvements for street testing purpose.
Until the market of the car, programmed for January 2012, Affalterbach engineers are taking their time to tweak and finely tune all the essential components of the two packages to make sure they deliver the best and only the best in the hands of the lucky clients.
The AMG Track option includes bespoke Dunlop sport tyres (255/35 R 19 front and 285/30 R 19 rear) for maximum grip and active rear-axle transmission cooling to withstand the most demanding race-track conditions.
The AMG Aerodynamics package comprises an entire array of carbon fibre-manufactured parts, that help improve the vehicle's aerodynamic balance and the lift on both front and rear axles: flics mounted on the front apron, a functional front splitter and a fixed, rear aerofoil with an adjustable blade.
Several months after Mercedes-Benz takes the wraps off the new B-Class at Frankfurt, the Stuttgart-based carmaker will reveal the second exponent of the new lineup of compact-sized vehicles - the new A-Class, which is bound to arrive in showrooms towards mid next year, after the spring unveiling. The sleek hatchback will take upon the mysterious curves of the Concept A-Class, that had its premiere this year at the Shanghai Motor Show. The forthcoming A- and B- generations will share various components, but whereas the MPV is more family-oriented, the other is mainly addressed to young, active customers.
This sort of photos is quickly becoming a tradition for Mercedes-Benz in advance of the official presentation of a new model. After the SLS and the SLK got previewed in the same way, it's time we saw a bit of the upcoming B-Class. And that's exactly what happened a few days ago when a set of teasers and technical images were leaked onto the web. Among the photos we found two darkened studio shots which only reveal the basic shape of the new compact MPV. The rest showcase either the construction of the body structure, made up of various materials divided into specific panels, or certain components such as the steering column or the front axle. One photo reveals the multitude of safety and assistance systems the new B-Class will feature: Collision Prevention Assist, DISTRONIC PLUS, Speed Limit Assist, Adaptive Highbeam Assist, ATTENTION ASSIST, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind Spot Assist, PRE-SAFE, Active Parking Assist, Torque Vectoring Brake, a rich list of airbags (thorax, pelvis and kneebags in addition to the conventional ones) and many other clever solutions to make your life easier whilst driving.
It was only a week or so ago that we saw the first spy photos showcasing a heavily-camouflaged 2012 A-Class prototype. Recently, spy photographers met the car in Stuttgart, near the Mercedes-Benz R&D Centre. The test car reveals mere clues on the looks of the hatchback, but that's hardly a surprise now after everybody saw a set of leaked patent sketches in May. Designers were in charge to create a crisp and youthful theme for the new model, as this is company's first 5-door vehicle attempt. The boring MPV shape is gone forever now that it was solely reserved for the new B-Class, which, as earlier stated, is indeed more elegant and stylish than in the past.
The new A-Class will closely follow the aesthetic footsteps of the concept car presented in April at Shanghai. That means we'll see the intricately-pampered LED headlights and the arched side windows panel make it onto the serial production model. The dashboard, although different from that of the B-Class, won't feature many of the futuristic materials found on the Concept A-Class, but will preserve some the airplane wing visual effect - mind those aircon vents that look like jet engines, because there's a chance they will be kept for the series car.
Other than that, the underpinnings and the entire technologycal package will be shared with the new B-Class, scheduled for the official reveal at the IAA Frankfurt. So, expect the same level of efficiency and almost the same equipments (depending on the variants). Rumors claim a hardcore, 350-hp version AMG version for the A-Class is also said to be under secret development by the Affalterbach-based tuner and it should hit streets in 2013 if the project gets fully greenlighted.
I expect the new A-Class to be slightly more expensive than its fellow brother - the base price should start at around 23,000-24,000 euros for the most countries in Europe. Mercedes-Benz announced that it will also start selling the car state-side, where it is prone to arrive by early 2013.
The new B-Class arrives this September and it will mark a definitive turnover in the Mercedes-Benz lineup. While the current model managed to attract a positive number of customers according to recent statistics, it was never perceived as a true Mercedes-Benz: the roomy interior and the elegant design didn't manage to counteract the obvious issues related to driving dynamics, overall efficiency and build quality. Having born in the cloudy Schrempp era, the first generation B-Class really had to resist some serious arguments against it to live up to these days and eventually surpass the little A-Class in what sales numbers are concerned. As for the forthcoming W 246, the minds that developed it had to deliver a tough work to fix the problems and create a whole new car both visually and technically.
I think they accomplished the task pretty well, if we have a look at the silhouette hidden under the minor FEP camouflage. The exterior styling has been clearly influenced by the nonconformist Concept BlueZERO if you look at the shape of the headlights, extensively fitted with colourful LEDs, and those weird seen on the side profile. To create a more aggressive stance, the roof line is lower compared to the outgoing model and slopes beautifully towards the back end of the car. Inside, the new B-Class will welcome the passengers with an attractive dashboard and quality materials, that are said to be even more premium than those found in the C-Class, according to Prof. Gorden Wagener, head of Mercedes-Benz design department. The spacious interior offers more storage places, more travelling comfort, more high-tech gimmicks such as the COMAND Online with multiple media and infotainment devices, as well as a revised luggage compartment boasting a greater capacity.
The MPV sits on a brand new modular platform called MFA - this will enable more powering solutions to be easily accommodated without changing the entire chassis or the basic architecture of the underpinnings. For the beginning, conventional internal combustion engines will be offered: Renault will supply the low displacement units up to 1.6 litres, whereas Mercedes-Benz will provide the high-end powerplants, such as the 2.1 litres 4-cylinder diesel engine with 204 hp and the 1.8 litres 4-cylinder petrol motor with the same peak output. To ensure a smooth and efficient run, each and every engine in the range will undergo the BlueEFFICIENCY treatment.
Some of the new assistance technologies which the Stuttgart-based constructor has premiered along with the latest models will make their way onto the upcoming B-Class. Moreover, an upgraded version of the Brake Assist system, which helps reduce the number of rear-end collisions, will also be available. The safety package will further include a high number of airbags for an ultimate passenger protection, pretensioned 3-point seat belts for all the five occupants, PRE-SAFE crash anticipation system, DISTRONIC PLUS, ABS, ESP and certainly many other.
When the new B-Class is launched for sale in Europe by the end of 2011, the standard price tag should reach around 22,000-23,000 euros. There are plans to market the MPV in the USA for the first time in history beginning with the second part of 2012.
