Mercedes-Benz C63 2013 News

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

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  

-- 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.

It's the limited-edition Black Series update of the thumping Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, complete with a carbon-fibre weight-loss program and the most powerful engine yet fitted to a C-Class car.The newcomer - officially the C63 AMG Black Series - has 380 kiloWatts and 620 Newton-metres of torque, which translates into a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.2 seconds and a top speed beyond 310km/h - provided the compulsory German speed limiter is disabled.A handful of Black Cs will come to Australia next year but there is no firm detail yet on delivery dates or prices.Based on previous Black Series cars, and the current C63 at $152,800, the bottom line is likely to be around $220,000.The Black C has a giant new front bumper with huge air inlets, vents in the alloy bonnet and a rear diffuser, guards widened by 42 millimetres on each side at the rear, and 19-inch alloy wheels. There is also an optional Track Package, although this is not confirmed for Australia.AMG says development of the Black C has its roots in the program for the SLS Gullwing, including its V8 engine and the customer racing program with the car that includes the Peter Hackett version currently competing in Australia."The new C 63 AMG Coupé Black Series is the best proof there is for the permanent transfer of technology from the race track to the road," says the head of Mercedes-AMG, Ola Kallenius.

The 'Edition 63' car has just been announced as a tickle for existing C63 owners and anyone who might be considering a BMW M3 or even a Nissan GT-R. Only 63 cars are being built and for $169,900 - or $172,900 for the wagon - they come with some worthwhile and desirable tweaking. The 336 kiloWatt engine is unchanged but the 'Edition 63' package adds a self-locking differential, special 19-inch AMG alloy wheels, special designo paint colours - with matt grey as an option - exclusive designo leather in the cabin, an AMG performance studio package including extra leather, illuminated door sills and AMG logs spread over the floor mats and gearlever. "The C 63 AMG – Edition 63 has been specifically built for the Australian market and no other. No other market has been granted this exclusively specified, tailored and identified model," says David McCarthy of Mercedes-Benz Australia. The cars land in November.