Mercedes-Benz C-Class 2013 News

Tesla has issued a voluntary recall for its electric Model S sedan and Model X SUV after discovering a potential manufacturing issue that could stop the electric park brake from functioning properly.

A vote by 75 motoring journalists from 22 countries has awarded the compact prestige car the World Car of the Year award for 2015.It finished on top of a 24-car field and eventually beat the two other finalists, the Ford Mustang and Volkswagen Passat.The other big prizes for 2015, Green Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year, went to the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 and the Mercedes-AMG GT coupe.The winners were announced at the New York Motor Show today at an event hosted by Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum at the culmination of a six-month voting process.The C-Class delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.The awards are in their 11th year and previous winners include the Audi A6, BMW 3 Series, Lexus LS460 and Volkswagen Golf, Polo and Up.To be eligible for the overall World Car award, candidate cars must have become available for sale on at least two continents between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015.The WCOTY wins by Mercedes-Benz follow its victories in the Green Car contest in 2007 with the E320 Bluetec and 2012 with the S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and its Luxury Car success with the S Class in 2014.“We are extremely delighted of winning the honour of World Car of the Year,” says the chairman of Daimler, Dr Dieter Zetsche.The WCOTY victory follows a similar success for the C-Class in the CarsGuide Car of the Year award.The WCOTY judging panel says: “Taking its design and technological cues from the S-Class, the C-Class employs an all-new aluminium/steel hybrid platform and updated rear-drive powertrains that delivers levels of refinement, luxury, safety, ride and handling that challenge best-in-class.” WORLD CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2015Overall winner: Mercedes-Benz C-ClassGreen Car: BMW i8Performance Car: Mercedes-AMG GTLuxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S CoupeDesign: Citroen CactusPREVIOUS WORLD COTY WINNERS:2014: Audi A32013: Volkswagen Golf2012: Volkswagen Up2011: Nissan Leaf2010: Volkswagen Polo2009: Volkswagen Golf2008: Mazda22007: Lexus LS4602006: BMW 3 Series2005: Audi A6

New generation Mercedes-Benz C63-S to pack 375kW of power.

The show stealer of Frankfurt 2013 is also its biggest decoy. Jaguar's gibber inducing C-X17 SUV concept is essentially window dressing for a far more dramatic announcement by Jaguar's global brand manager Adrian Hallmark.“We will have a rival for the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans in 2015,” he tells Carsguide. “It will be built in the UK at a new factory on new lightweight architecture. It's a world first aluminium monocoque.“Jaguar would like to change the vocabulary of prestige motoring from the ‘German Three’ to the European Four. We don't want to pick on anybody or nick their lunch. We want to attract people by the intelligence of our offer."Hallmark says the new sedan will run purpose built engines that will, in their various forms,  use less than four litres of fuel per 100km or reach 300km/h. Asked if coupes, cabrio and wagons would follow - in keeping with the Germans - Hallmark simply says the news sedan is the “start”.How will this model, the first ever purely Jaguar compact sedan, be known? “Well, possibly X-something, but not with the word 'Type',” he laughs referring to the ill-regarded rebodied Mondeo from the brand's Ford-owned years.Hallmark says the compact sedan could be expected to sell by itself a volume greater than the annual total of Jaguar's combined ranges. So what's with the C-X17 then? Hallmark refuses to confirm its production, although the new lightweight architecture would clearly fit this car, if not bigger, heavier Jaguars.“We,” he says, as in Jaguar/LandRover combined, “already have six SUVs. We haven't built this for fun. The reason for throwing this out there is that it adds colour, literally, to the saloon architecture story. And we want to test the idea of Jaguar SUV on people. We want to test the design, test the reaction to a shift in direction. We'd love to build it, but I won't confirm it.” 

Stand-by for a short-term price war as car dealers panic sell to clear orders cancelled due to the Rudd Government’s controversial changes to Fringe Benefits Tax rules.“Thousands of cars here or on their way here have had their orders cancelled or postponed because of the sudden changes to FBT," said Richard Dudley, the CEO of the Australian Automobile Dealers Association.“There will be an initial glut of new cars but what happens depends on the outcome of the election. The government is not prepared to move on its FBT decision whereas the opposition says they will abolish the changes."As Ford Australia confirmed it is considering cutting production of the Falcon sedan and Territory SUV, its arch rival Holden issued an urgent bulletin to dealers offering new discounts across most of its model range.“Due to the uncertainty created by the recent announcement on FBT … Holden is offering an additional bonus over and above the current retail incentives”, the confidential bulletin obtained by News Corp said.All new Holdens except the Commodore have an extra $1000 slashed from their prices while the Colorado 4WD has an extra $2000 discount. It means the cheapest car in the Holden range, the Barina Spark, can be bought for $12,990 drive-away.Toyota is understood to be preparing to clear up to 1000 Camrys over the next two months because it is unable to cut production at short notice. The last time Toyota had to quit Camrys, prices dipped to $27,990 drive-away, about $5000 off RRP.Ford, which will end production in Australia in 2016, has foreshadowed further cutbacks. “We can confirm we are looking at what mean for our August production,” said Ford spokeswoman Sinead Phipps.Ford Australia has also put an immediate halt on its employee company-car program. “We’re not calling cars back, but we’re not issuing any new ones at this stage.”Manufacturers have stopped most company-car deliveries to their own staff because the new rules will increase their FBT bills by more than $50 million -- an estimated $20 million each for Toyota and Holden and about $15 million for Ford which has a smaller fleet.The car industry is yet to accurately measure the impact of the FBT changes on new-car sales because the data is compiled on the last day of the month.“It is too early to determine the impact of the FBT on sales after just 10 days, but we will likely see a slowdown in the next two months,” said Tony Weber, the chief executive of the Federal Chamber Automotive Industries. “Long term, if the FBT changes are not reversed, we expect to see a reduction in new-car sales of at least 10 per cent.”Industry estimates say a 10 per cent drop in new-car sales would wipe $1.3 billion in GST revenue a year. When the Rudd Government announced the changes to company car tax rules it forecast a contribution of $1.8 billion towards the axing of the carbon tax.State governments would also miss out on an estimated $100 million in stamp duty revenue from new-car sales and about $50 million in registration fees each year.Luxury car buyers will also be able to grab a bargain. BMW took out advertisements in daily press during the week advising customers against novated leasing because under the new circumstances “a novated lease may no longer be the most suitable way” to buy a new car.Mercedes-Benz is understood to have a surplus of about 400 of its most affordable sedan, the C-Class, which is Australia’s second-biggest selling medium-sized car after the Toyota Camry.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

It's still wrapped in camouflage, and based on the current C-Class body, but packs the 5.5-litre twin-turbo V8 already fitted to a range of AMG models including the SL63.This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover  

The idea is good, and the green power pluses are mostly fine, but no-one wants to pay to play this way.Global sales of plug-in cars are currently little more than a trickle, even if Tesla of America is currently trumpeting a showroom success - thanks to massive government subsidies across the Pacific - that means its Model S outsold the about-to-be-replaced Benz C-Class last month in the USA.Here in Australia, Nissan has slashed the price of its plug-in Leaf by $7000 and has an $85-a-week repayment plan to try and entice buyers.But the numbers are not good and even Carlos Ghosn, global boss of the Nissan-Renault alliance that leads the mainstream conversion to battery power, says it's going to take time - and large-scale conversion work in China - to turn electric power into anything beyond an oddity.We're expecting the Renault Zoe in 2014 and it drives well and looks good, but Renault Australia has effectively cancelled its plan for a Fluence electric car because Better Place - the start-up energy company that's in all sorts of trouble - cannot deliver on its plans for battery-swap stations across Australia.But there is something new that could also help and it plugs into one of the oldest maxims in the car business - Racing improves the Breed.This tagline is mostly applied to V8-powered racers that have fuelled our appetite for V8 muscle cars, but it applies just as well - or better - to a new category called Formula E. Think of it as F1 with batteries.The plug-in racers are set to run in 2014 in a new world championship that's also intended to take the whisper-quiet contenders into the hearts of some of the world's biggest and best-known cities, including Rome, Rio, London and even Bangkok. The organisers are planning for 20 cars in 10 teams.Not surprisingly, Renault is an early adopter for Formula E and will supply cars and power packs, while TAG-Heuer wants to time the action and get a nice green rub-off for its watch business.“We believe that motorsport is an efficient manner to promote the efficiency of new technologies, and we’re eager to use that single-seater in FIA Formula E championship to show our technology is the best,” says Patric Ratti, managing director of Renault Sport Technologies.But the key to Formula E is huge support from Paris, and the global headquarters of the FIA. The French organisation is responsible for overall governance of world motorsport but is taking a growing role in road safety and the future of the automobile, including its electrification.It believes Formula E can be a powerful tool to drive electric power forward, as well as showcasing the advantages of plug-in power and the performance potential of battery cars.The conversion plan looks shakier in Australia, because we rely on dirty coal combustion for almost all our power, but it still has plenty going for it.A bunch of high-tech single seaters will highlight the latest developments in electric power and, provided no-one runs out of zap, it's a formula for potential success that could revive another of those hoary old slogans from the past.You know it - Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.This reporter is on Twitter: @paulwardgover 

-- Big ticket Benz beats budget fleet sedan-- Sales win comes as Commodore hits new low-- Mercedes now the third best selling mid-size sedanThe Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore have hit new lows as Australians continue to live it up when it comes to cars. The former fleet and family favourite, the Falcon, has been outsold for the first time by a Mercedes-Benz luxury sedan that costs from $60,000 to $170,000.In the same month, the Commodore recorded its lowest sales result in the 35-year history of the nameplate -- and was beaten by the Toyota Camry for the fifth time.Figures for March show that Ford sold 831 Falcons (down 35 per cent) compared to 879 Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars (up 69 per cent) in what was the German model’s best month ever. The Commodore’s tally of 1606 sales was the Holden’s lowest ebb to date.The Falcon and Commodore -- cars that were once integral to the Australian fabric -- have been hammered by cheaper, smaller and more economical cars in recent years. But March is the first time one of the homegrown heroes has gone down to an expensive prestige car.The previous month, Mercedes-Benz gave the Holden a bloody nose when it released a better-equipped A-Class hatchback for less money than the most basic Commodore. The baby Benz starts at $35,600.“The A-Class definitely brought more traffic into showrooms last month and people are realising that Mercedes-Benz is not out of reach,” said Mercedes-Benz spokesman Jerry Stamoulis. Incredibly, the Mercedes C-Class is now the third highest selling medium-sized car behind the mainstream Toyota Camry and Mazda6.The Commodore and Falcon floggings come as figures show just how much taxpayer money Australia’s three local car makers have received over the past 12 years. Holden received about twice as much government funding ($2.17 billion) as Ford ($1.1 billion) and Toyota ($1.2 billion) over the same period, even though it does not build as many cars as market leader Toyota.All three car makers have gradually cutback their blue-collar workforces to meet falling demand for locally-made vehicles in recent years. But more cuts are likely if new versions of the Commodore and Falcon don’t make a sales turnaround.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

Just in case the letters AMG don’t quite satisfy your need for performance, Mercedes have released details of an even hotter version of the C63. Dubbed Edition 507 (for the horsepower rating), the range -- comprising a sedan, coupe and estate -- is powered by a beast of an engine with outputs of 373kW and 610Nm.That’s an increase of 37kW and 10Nm over the garden variety AMG version, and 0-100km/h acceleration figures are similarly impressive at 4.2 seconds for the sedan and coupe and 4.3 seconds for the estate.The extra oomph comes as a result of a technology transfer from the 6.3-litre eight-cylinder naturally aspirated powerplant adopted from the SLS AMG.The new C63 AMG range is electronically limited to 280 km/h but it’s not just all about the beastly power. There are also aesthetic improvements both inside and out.Brakes have been beefed up too with composite discs standard as well as red painted callipers. The instrument cluster gets some red applications too and if further differentiation is needed from the C63 AMG there’s a list of optional extras available.To prevent any confusion with the regular AMG version there’s a range of exclusive design features. Some of these include two openings for expelling engine heat on the aluminium bonnet, spoiler lip on the boot lid, a set of light-alloy 19-inch wheels or even lighter optional 5 spoke 18-inch alloys.Further details of the 507 will come at the world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show which starts on March 5. It’s scheduled to go on sale in Germany in June and Australia should get it in the second half of 2013. Further details on pricing, availability and specifications will be confirmed closer to the local launch. 

The C-Class has been kicking butt in the compact prestige segment and Mercedes-Benz’s latest upgrades are intended to boot its rivals right between the C pillars.Upgrades to the C-Class coupe sees the $59,990 base model now use just 6.3 litres/100km, a substantial one-litre improvement on the current model.At the other end of the spectrum is the C250 Sport based on AMG tweaks to the steering and suspension. The C-Class is already a sharp steerer and an exclusive Carsguide drive shows the recalibrated wheel brings more precision to the party, with crisper turn-in and better on-road feel at speed.More aggressive camber settings keep the wheels flatter under cornering load and, along with upgraded spring and damper settings, give the car tenacious mid-corner grip. There’s no more power on the $78,550 Sport model - buyers need to spend another $6840 for AMG performance pack to gain an extra 22kW - but the accelerator response has been remapped for better response and the seven-speed auto’s gear changes have been sharpened up.Price and posture have made the C-Class the car to be seen in so far this year. BMW has held its own in the sedan field where pricing are similar to its arch rival but its coupes are around $10,000 dearer than comparable Benzes.A new propeller-badged coupe is due late next year and BMW spokesman Piers Scott says as the current model enters run out mode buyers can “expect to be able to get seriously good deals at the retail level”.Merc’s B-Class line-up has also earned a top-to-bottom overhaul. The entry level B180 rises by $1000 to $39,990 but gains 17-inch rims, a reversing camera and a 0.3-litre improvement in fuel use to 5.8L/100km. The B250 now heads the range - at least until the arrival of the AMG version - and runs on 18-inch rims and lowered suspension.The $49,500 front-wheel drive “sports tourer” hits 100km/h in just 6.8 seconds and still manages an official fuel use of just 6.5L/100km. Benz spokesman Jerry Stamoulis says the company is determined to maintain market leadership. “The C-Class has been an outstanding success in every variant - coupe, sedan and estate - and we’ll keep on improving the product,” he notes.