Mercedes-Benz A-Class News

The five-door A-Class hatch is part of a range of new Benz babies and is clearly aimed straight at the BMW 1 Series and Audi's new five-door A1.

...is fully revealed at Frankfurt come the latest pictures of its coming sidekick, a totally reworked A-Class.The upright and boxy A is buried in favour of a smooth looking five-door hatch that’s part of an all-new range of compacts that will eventually wear the three-pointed star on a coupe, roadster and mini MPV.

...which will also be out in the open at the Frankfurt show, and the A-Class baby is also getting close.Carparazzi caught a five-door test car that shows the upright look of the current A is dead and buried as Mercedes goes upmarket with its BMW 1 Series rival.

...the coming split between the family-focused B-Class hatch and the new A-Class.Carparazzi has pictures of the five-door production car that will go head-to-head with the Audi A3 and BMW’s new 1 Series.

China is clearly on top of the car world in 2011.

... a pointer to the next generation of the German company's small cars or 'the first heartbeat of a new generation' as Benz would have it.Rather than the upright, delivery-van approach of the original A Class, this one is a sculpted, coupe-style machine. The front-drive Mercedes concept here sported a 155kW, turbocharged and transverse-mounted engine.

Gone is the single-box profile for a more conventional hatchback style and gone is the unique sandwich platform for a more conventional transverse front-wheel drive layout.But you couldn’t call the A-Class concept conventional with its lowered aerodynamic styling that Benz says is inspired by wind and waves, and aviation engineering.Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman Jerry Stamoulis says the A-Class concept represents the company’s design directions. “The A-Class is probably one of the first cars that shows where our styling is going,” he says. “It’s a car we’re very excited about.”Which means Australia will re-introduce the mini MPV after dropping it more than a year ago from their range. “We made the decision to stop selling A-class and reposition B class and now we are selling more B-Class than A and B put together before,” he says.Stamoulis says timing for Australia “is yet to be confirmed”. “It’s no secret that we are wanting younger people to be introduce to our brand,” he says.“Historically our customers are a little bit older – not that there is anything wrong with that – but we want younger people and want them to stay. But this vehicle will not only appeal to the young, but to people who want something sportier.” Stamoulis says there will be a number of variants available with petrol and turbo-diesel engines, but could not confirm a hybrid.The A-Class concept will debut concurrently at the New York and Shanghai motor shows this month. It features a first in the compact class – radar-based collision warning system with adaptive brake assist to lower the risk of rear-end collisions.Inside is a cockpit dashboard the shape of an aircraft wing. Other jet-inspired features are the air vents, instrument cluster, centre console and gearshift lever. Although the concept is a four-seater, the production version is expected to accommodate five people.Mercedes will debut the new B-Class production car in September at the Frankfurt motor show.Stamoulis says we can expect to see it ere in the first quarter of next year. “I’m confident the new B-Class will do extremely well here,” he says.

The carsguide best green car nominations have done nothing, if not underscore the growing acceptance of modern diesel engines as an eco-friendly alternativeto petrol.

The chance to save $450 a year on fuel bills and help save the planet could be enough to lure Sydney drivers to test a new fuel-saving system.Technology company Mtech Australia is looking for owners of a wide range of cars to take part in a three-month test of the company's ceramic fuel-saving technology.Using nano-technology, Mtech claims to be able to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 15 per cent and greenhouse-gas emission by as much as 23 per cent — as well as boosting power.“We already have qualified independent test results proving Mtech Fuel Saver's credentials, and today we want Australians to step up to the plate and commit to reducing their carbon emissions and fuel consumption in their vehicles,” Mtech chief executive David Bignold says.According to Mtech literature, the system works by encouraging the fuel molecules to break down from clusters to single molecules.The result is a change in the properties of the fuel, allowing better atomisation of the fuel before delivery to the combustion chamber.This, in turn, improves volumetric efficiency and improves fuel efficiency.Mtech claims the system will work on petrol, diesel and LPG-fuelled vehicles, with a range of results depending on the age of the car and the condition of the car's engine.“We know that different vehicles and models have varying results in carbon emissions and fuel consumption, and now we want to prove that Mtech Fuel Saver gets results regardless of the vehicle type,” Bignold says.For the public test, the company is seeking models as diverse as the Toyota Prius, Mercedes-Benz A200, Ford Territory, Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and many others.“With the average family sedan consuming more than 1400 litres of fuel each year and emitting four tonnes of carbon, participants can save up to $450 per year,” Bignold says.The greater the fuel usage, the greater the saving, Bignold says.He claims a family spending $130 a week on fuel could cut their annual bill by around $1000, while a company with a $3000-a-week fuel bill would be in line for savings of more than $23,000.Ten years of study on the system has been ratified by Associate Professor Dr Peter Dingle, from Murdoch University, in a paper published last November.“The statistics and research are compelling,” Professor Dingle says.“There are more than 14 million registered vehicles travelling over two billion kilometres a year in Australia.“This rate is growing and, as it does, so do the pollutants that result.“This (the claimed 23 per cent emission reduction) could equate to a possible saving of around 25 million tonnes of CO2 a year if applied to the Australian fleet.”Anyone interested in registering for the public test can click here for details.  Applications close on April 25.Carsguide would like to know what you think about Mtech's latest nano-technology? is 23 percent enough to help you pay your bills? 

Mercedes-Benz swamped the Frankfurt Motor Show with a range of eco-friendly cars, including seven hybrid cars, eight ultra-clean diesel Bluetec models and several new engines that meet Euro 5 emissions targets due in 2009.However, show goers were stunned by the striking F700 concept sedan, which uses an innovative DiesOtto and hybrid drive system that uses just 5.3 litres per 100km and delivers 127g/km CO2 emissions.The DiesOtto engine, housed in a sleek luxury body called the F700 research vehicle, is claimed to provide the best elements of both diesel and petrol engines. The engine is mated to a new hybrid starter/generator and seven-speed automatic transmission. It is a four-cylinder, 1.8-litre two-stage charging petrol engine that Mercedes says combines the frugal virtues of a diesel with the low emissions of a petrol engine.It can deliver 175kW with the electric motor producing an extra 15kW while torque is 400Nm.Mercedes executives say the car will accelerate to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds and has a top speed of 200km/h. Apart from the engine and powertrain, the F700 has a sophisticated suspension that uses two laser scanners to view the road ahead and adjust the suspension.The luxury Mercedes also uses a new “human machine interface” with a virtual operating assistant called the avatar which can assist the driver with specific functions, such as adjusting the airconditioning or dialling a phone number.Visually, the F700 is based on the S-Class sedan but has an extra 285mm built into the wheelbase. The rear doors are rear hinged to allow for easy access to the roomy cabin.The big Merc is one of the varied ways carmakers at the show are attempting to create greener machines. Car industry green expert Ted Grozier says the show illustrates how the industry is faring in its efforts to reduce its reliance on gas-guzzling larger vehicles.“The conventional wisdom is that the US will go hybrid and in Europe the diesel is being challenged,” says Grozier, of Green Order, a New York-based advisory group that counts General Motors, among others, as clients for its advice on how to make cars cleaner. “This may be a pivotal year for the industry in the battle for greener cars and the gloves have come off.”Indeed, BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler are among those showing cars with low-emission diesel engines and hybrids, featuring electricity to augment traditional fuel motors, as well as hydrogen fuel cell concepts that BMW is researching. It is all part of the effort to make high-mileage, cleaner cars that also meet drivers' expectations for performance.Nissan showed its Mixim concept car, an electric car powered by lithium ion batteries, with the driver's seat in the middle and steering controls inspired by video-game controllers.Unsurprisingly, it is geared toward younger drivers who spend a lot of time behind a computer keyboard. Ford showed off the current models under its ECOnetic label that produces a lower level of emissions.France's PSA Peugeot-Citroen has its 308 BioFlex compact at the show. The car uses biofuels, or fuel obtained from crops. GM goes a step further with a car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The show is also a chance for carmakers to explore new concepts and designs that may or may not take shape on the assembly line. Ford is eager to pique consumer interest in its new subcompact concept car, the Verve.If successful, it could be the basis of a new small car for global sales. It would come to Australia as the next generation Fiesta.Designed in Europe, the Verve concept has a rounded design and is demonstrably smaller than most cars on US roads.The president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry Matthias Wissmann says 1081 companies are at the Frankfurt Motor Show.In total, 88 new models are debuting at the biennial event which runs until September 23.