Mercedes-Benz B-Class News

Kids aren’t usually a factor in Car of the Year judging.  But child friendliness rates highly with women buying cars – and with women judging cars.The countdown has been kicked off to decide the Women’s World Car of the Year, and the kid factor is one the judges pay a lot of attention to.“Statistics show that women drive children in cars significantly more often than men – and that means women need to take that into account, both when buying and as judges of cars,” WCOTY president Sandy Myhre said from New Zealand.“Any woman who has grappled constantly with child seats and belts and children considers those things when looking at buying a car.  Men might too but the fact is, women drive children in cars more than men.“Women would not consider that aspect in a Porsche 911 more than a bloke. The point is, it can be considered in these awards - and that is one of the points of difference in these awards.”Myhre points out that significant research into buying habits show that in addition to buying for themselves, women have a major influence in household purchase decisions for big ticket items.Ford Australia, for example, says their research shows that women are behind the majority of purchases of the Territory SUV – either as single women buying one, or in influencing the joint decision with their partner. “A report from Mattingly & Associates in Australia concluded, in part, that businesses that didn't understand this influence would be hard-pressed to stay in business.  That report was aptly called 'When I've Made Up Our Minds',” Myhre says.However, the kid factor is just one of the criteria by which the 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year will be judged.There are four categories in the Women's World Car of the Year – Family Car, Luxury Car, Sports Car and Economy Car. Points are allocated to each of ten criteria: driveability, engineering, comfort, child friendliness, style, interior, storage, dashboard efficiency, carbon footprint and colour range.The 20 judges from eleven countries have submitted their own personal short list and more than 300 cars were suggested. These individual choices were then whittled down to form a master list of 32 in terms of popularity. Judges will now allocate points for these cars from a criteria list.The announcement of the winning cars in each category and the supreme winner will be made before the end of March. The supreme award trophy and category certificates will be presented to the car companies concerned at the Mondial de l’Automobile 2012 – the Paris Motor Show – in September. The supreme trophy will this year be made in The Netherlands. Category-winner certificates will be designed at Peartree Studios in Colerne, UK.The first winner of the Women's World Car of the Year was the Jaguar XF in 2010 and the trophy made in South Africa was presented at the Jaguar boutique showroom in Knightsbridge, London. In 2011 there was a dead-heat between the Citroen DS3 and the BMW 5 Series. The two trophies made in India were presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011. 

The old one was a bit average. But there's no missing the big effort that Mercedes-Benz has put into its new B-Class runaround.Who knows maybe Benz may finally acknowledge the car as a real part of the range instead of pretending it doesn't exist?There's also going to be an off road SUV version that will reside on the same mechanical platform.The new B-Class is going to be offered for a red hot entry price when it hits the showrooms in April - $38,950 - less than the old one. We had a quick look at the new B-Class this week.Apart from the agressive new styling, huge strides have been made with the interior which looks more like the luxury vehicle that it is supposted to be. A big effort has been made to make the car look more sporty, which is reflected in the reduced height.At 1557mm it sits almost five centimetres lower on the road than its predecessor. The seat height in relation to the road has also been reduced in order to facilitate ease of entry.In response to requests the sitting position is also more upright. The dash is dominated by chunky aircraft style air vents, a la the halo SLS sportscar.The range kicks off with the B 180 Blue Efficiency with a 90kW petrol engine, followed by the B200 Blue Efficiency with 115kW petrol engine then the range topping B 200 CDI Blue Effiency with a 100kW turbodiesel engine.The two 1.6-litre direct injection turbocharged petrol engines are good for 6.1 litres/100km while the diesel is rated at 4.7 litres/100km. New to the range is Benz's Pre-Safe system which locks the vehicle down if a collision is imminent as well as Collision prevention assist.The latter is a radar-based collision warning system with adaptive Brake Assist which lowers the risk of rear-end collisions. There's also a 7 speed dual clutch DCT transmission, Eco start/stop which shuts down the engine at traffic lights and an electric parking brake.The car will also be available with a multimedia system that offers internet access. Customers can surf the web while the car is stationary or call up an app whose particularly fast page loading and simple operation make it suitable for use while driving.Integrated apps include Google Local Search and Weather, and the facility for downloading a route which has previously been configured on a PC using Google Maps and transmitted to the car.The current B-Class is a hugely practical little car, offering surprising comfort for four adults and the new one is sure to build on this base.

The first hydrogen-powered, zero emission production car could be in Australian dealerships in just over two years if Mercedes-Benz has its way. And don’t think it’ll be a rich-man’s toy or a superficial environmental marketing exercise barely capable of reaching the corner store. Benz says the 2014 B-class F-cell will be capable of 400km real-world driving between fills and could be priced as low as $50,000. It will also be cheaper to refuel and cheaper to own.The only problem: we’re not ready. Mercedes-Benz confirmed it will have a zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell version of the new-generation B-class hatchback unveiled at the Frankfurt show in high-volume production in 2014 for sale around the world. And it should cost little more than an equivalent diesel-hybrid, according to Mercedes-Benz. But not initially.“We have done the research and fuel cell technology can be made as affordable as a diesel-hybrid,” Mercedes-Benz’s head of fuel-cell development Christian Mohrdieck told Carsguide before the show.“Of course it probably will not be this cheap initially, because there won’t be the competition between component suppliers to keep our costs down. But as volumes increase and more suppliers emerge, the price will definitely come down.”Mohrdieck says hydrogen fuel-cell cars should be more affordable to run and own compared to petrol and diesel powered cars. “They will be cheaper to service because there are fewer moving parts and fewer consumables, like oil for example. And electric motors never wear out.”As for refuelling costs: “Currently, hydrogen costs $11-$12 per kilogram, which is enough for 100km. Experts says this price can go down to just $4, which is a huge saving over petrol.We also have to take into account there will be taxes on hydrogen. But even with another $4 tax this is still below today’s gasoline price.”Mercedes-Benz Australia's David McCarthy says it is conceivable that the B-class hydrogen fuel cell model will come to Australia. “We’d love to have it, we want to have it, and it can be produced in right-hand drive. The only problem is infrastructure.” Infrastructure and fuel-cell cars are a chicken-and-egg proposition.No car brand will bring a model to Australia before the means are in place to refuel it. And no fuel retailer will spend money putting in pumps for cars that don’t exist. “The government has to show some initiative and support hydrogen,” McCarthy said.“Then Australians can start to embrace a zero-emission, zero-fossil-fuel future.” California is likely to be one of the first places in the world, possibly even ahead of Germany, to get the hydrogen B-class. “California is definitely a front-runner for this technology,” Mohrdieck confirmed. “They are ready to embrace it.”

The new Mercedes-Benz B Class is coming out at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month and final tests are under way with production-ready cars wearing minimal disguise over the more stylish new B’s body.

Mercedes-Benz is out to revitalise and re-invent its boxy B-Class with an all-new model aimed directly at the winner of the Carsguide and World car of the year awards over the past 18 months.The new B is also expected to spark a range of spin-off models including a curvy new coupe similar to a scaled-down Benz CLS, as well as a compact SUV.  The Carparazzi crew has been on the case and, as well as catching the B-Class during development trials, has stripped away the on-the-road camouflage panels for a peek at how the new contender is likely to look.It has created a picture of a B-Class that is a lot less boxy than today's compact, but still with a mini-wagon look which should work for people shopping it against baby SUVs including the latest BMW X1.  The B will have a big job in Australia as Mercedes is planning to dump its smallest model, the A-Class, and using the new baby B as its local lead-off once buyers step up from the Smart class.Globally, Benz is aiming to substantially lower the age of existing B- Class owners - who are mostly in the 60-plus retirement bracket.  Carparazzi says the new B-Class will be pitched as a sports-tourer in Europe to compete with the Golf, although little is known about potential powerplants beyond the need for a hybrid alongside the regular petrol and BlueEfficiency diesels.

It's a road-up rework of the compact B-Class and it should be in Australia in 2011.  The new B is being tested in snowy conditions in Scandinavia under heavy disguise, but early details have already emerged.For at start, in Australia the new B will signal the end of sales of the baby A-Class. The two cars have competed for similar customers in recent years and Mercedes-Benz should confirm a future push that is built around the B-Class car.The design of the new B, according to Carparazzi sources in Europe, will be much less boxy and more like the hatchbacks fielded by everyone from Audi and Ford to Volkswagen.It will still have a high seating position and a multi-function cabin, but the overall look will be very different and more youthful.  The objective is to win younger buyers, and not just the middle-aged empty nesters and 60-plus retirees that currently chose the B-Class. And the Golf is the target.  Mercedes clearly plans to make the car a Golf beater and that also means the 2011 B-Class will have super-efficient petrol and diesel engines, but further into the future the car is also expected to be built as a petrol-electric hybrid and then - with the Smart as the focus for plug-in electric motoring - a fuel cell car powered by hydrogen.

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.

GM claims the new model is the most technologically advanced automobile ever built.It is the first vehicle to combine the hydrogen fuel-cell propulsion system with advanced technologies such as wheel-hub motors, steer- and brake-by-wire controls, a lightweight aluminium structure and lithium-ion batteries."General Motors is proving that advanced technology can remove the (car) from the environmental debate and reduce our dependence on petroleum," says GM's vice-president for research and development and strategic planning Larry Burns.And it's as green a concept as you'll find: the five-seat crossover SUV only emits water vapor and uses clean, renewable hydrogen as a fuel.It accelerates from 0-100km/hour in 10 seconds and features 70 per cent more torque, shorter braking distances and a range of 482km between fill-ups. The Sequel was first unveiled in 2005 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and at this stage is only a concept car.The Sequel joins the likes of the BMW Hydrogen 7 and the Mercedes A-Class and B-Class-based fuel-cell models.