Mercedes-Benz E400 2014 News

A woman fleeing police had a miraculous escape on Sunday after her car was hit by two trains. Police officers tried to stop the 29-year-old woman around 8am after receiving reports of an 'unwanted guest disturbance' at a home in Woods Cross, Utah, in the US.Her Mercedes E-Class was hit by an oncoming train as she tried to flee police and while officers attempted to pull her from the wreck, the vehicle was hit a second time by another train that came barreling down the tracks.Following the first collision, which was caught on the patrol car's dash-cam, officers can be seen rushing to the car to help the woman. Despite her car being hit by two trains, she walked away from the accident with only a broken arm. No one else was injured in the incident.Police had ended up in a short chase with the woman when she refused to pull over for officers. On the dash-cam, the driver can be see heading for the tracks as a train comes down the line. After the first train smashed into the car, the vehicle was hit by a second train .The car was totaled by the crash.It is unclear whether the woman was intoxicated. She faces charges of evading arrest and police are investigating if further charges will be brought. Watch both trains collide with the Mercedes here.  

It brings the car into line with everything that has picked up the frontal direction from the latest CLS coupe and should be on sale next year. 

It's anticipated announcement will be made today that the German prestige car maker will join Ford, Holden and fellow newcomer Nissan in Australia's most popular motorsport category - a boost to its international following.V8 Supercars' “car of the future” that come in at the start of next year allows for more manufacturers but with much under the skins shared between cars to keep down costs.A four-door sedan is required and it's understood Mercedes' E-Class model will be used as the basis for the race car. Some of the road car versions of the E-Class come with V8 engines. Well-funded race team in the Australian GT category, Erebus Racing, currently uses the SLS Mercedes-Benz and leads that 2012 championship with Peter Hackett driving.It is known that Erebus has examined getting involved in V8 Supercars. But it would need to do a deal with one of the restricted number of licence holders to have a spot on the V8 Supercars grid. Motorsport sources yesterday suggested that could be Stone Brothers Racing, until now a Ford outfit.Interestingly for South Australian fans, Adelaide driver Tim Slade is in the Stone Brothers camp. Erebus Racing runs its SLS AMG models under AMG's “customer sport” system. AMG is the high-performance arm of Mercedes-Benz. A similar AMG customer sport system could be in place for the V8 Supercars. The AMG race team, HWA, leads the German Touring Car Championship, using a C-Class coupe.AMG cars have won that championship six times since 2000. V8 Supercars already has rounds in New Zealand and the Middle East and will add a round in Texas next year - the US and the Middle East being big markets for Mercedes-Benz. A Mercedes-Benz Australia-Pacific spokesman had no comment and the principals of Stone Brothers Racing could not be contacted. If the Clipsal 500 is again the opening round of the V8 Championship next year and the Mercedes is on track for that, it will bring enormous interest to the Adelaide event, already growing due to Nissan's 2013 debut in the Kelly Racing team.

...but we've been fooled in the past.Mercedes is now committed to major under-the-skin revisions in its mid-life updates, although the next E will also get more aggressive in the nose with a look that mirrors the style of the latest C Class.

The side profile is unchanged but there will be major changes to the nose to line it up with everything from the latest baby C to the SL roadster.Major efficiency improvements are also expected.

Interior changes and engine upgrades are the most likely improvements for 2012, but are still on the top-secret list.Still, it's clear that the '12 model is only a minor change with small alterations to the headlamps, foglamps and daytime running lights.

The Toyota Prius is up against the Volkswagen Polo and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in final voting for the world's most prestigious car prize. The three finalists are named today at the Geneva Motor Show in the second-last stage of WCOTY voting.The winner will be announced in New York on April 1.The WCOTY contest is decided by 59 jurors from 25 countries through two secret ballots. Apart from the main prize, there are awards for performance cars, green cars, and automotive design.The three final contenders for the 2010 World Performance Car award are the Audi R8 V10, Ferrari California and Porsche 911 GT3.The three finalists for the World Green Car award are the Honda Insight, Toyota Prius and the Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo).

BMW's 3 Series cabrio has been the buyer's benchmark in German fresh- air contenders in recent years but Mercedes believes it can lure people to its brand by ripping the top off its newest E-Class. The E Cabrio is all new and replaces the CLK droptop, promising more space and practicality thanks to a four-seat cabin and a folding canvas roof. Benz also believes it can do the job against the latest Audi S5 cabrio, which has just landed in Australia to put more sizzle into the summer showroom stoush.The E Cabrio will not land until next year and it could easily run into a winter chill, but Benz says it has two systems to keep its owners toasty and happy. The first is the Airscarf, which is already fitted to Benz droptops and blows heated air from vents around the headrest to keep necks warm.Now it also has Aircap, an electrically operated draft excluder for all four seats in the E, which should also get a workout in Australia with deliveries not starting until autumn next year.  "We don't get it until late March or early April. But the Airscarf and Aircap will definitely make a difference once we get into winter," admits David McCarthy, spokesman for Mercedes-Benz Australia.Benz released the first pictures of the new E-Class Cabrio this week and the droptop completes the company's mid-sized lineup. "We have an E sedan, and a coupe, and a wagon. So now we have a full family with the Cabrio," says McCarthy.He admits the E replaces the previous CLK but says it takes a different approach. And one that has not been used by Benz since the 1990s. "This is a proper four-seater. Ok, it won't carry four seven-footers, but it's for real people."McCarthy is also quick to defend the car's canvas top which, despite extra insulation and noise protection, trails the folding hardtop designs used on many convertibles including the Lexus IS-C. "There are a couple of reasons for the top. The first is customer feedback that they like the ragtop because there is less compromise on boot and passenger space. In a two-seat car you can use quite a bit of space for the folding roof, but this is a four-seater. "The other issue is that, predominantly, the E Cabrio will be parked off the street in garages. The security issues of some cars, like the Pueoget CC and the Ford Focus, is that the majority of those vehicle are sold in Europe and parked on the street. So a hardtop is important to their owners."The exact price and specification of the E Cabrio is not finalised but Australian shoppers will see the car first with a 350 petrol engine. The 250 petrol and diesel will follow, along with a V8. "It really depends on the numbers we can get. We'll start with the 350," says McCarthy."If you look at the price, the E-Class coupe (from $94,500, $127,500 with the 350) is a good starting price but with an obvious premium for the roof. The 3 Series will be a rival, yes, but size-wise our car is more like a 4 Series, which doesn't exist." 

Million dollar extravagance alongside budget buggies, runaway horsepower side-by-side with eco warriors. Its the eclectic mix that makes the Geneva one of the most anticipated events on the annual motor show circuit.As major car manufacturers battle for survival in the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression, its all spit, polish and business as usual inside the Palexpo complex in the world's banking capital.Bentley, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce and Maybach spruiked their million-dollar babies alongside a tiny Smart, Chrysler's European debut for its vision of an electric future and a full range of real-world hybrid and dual-fuel models.There were the wild and wacky concepts — fewer than in the halcyon days, an acknowledgement that times are tough — and a mix of models that will grace showrooms in the coming year.Also fighting for attention were the usual array of specialists like Brabus, Startech and Zagato adding even greater gloss and performance to mainstream models as well as tiny Euro operations producing outlandish stars of their own imagining — badges such as Sbarro, Gumpert, Spyker and Koenigsegg.So, what were the stars of the 2009 Geneva Show?Ask a hundred people and you will probably get 100 different answers, but from a purely personal point of view here is one version of a Top 10. Citroen DS Inside Concept: A concept in name only, the little Mini rival will spearhead Citroen's new DS naming convention when it launches next year. Sleek, stylish and boasting a hybrid-diesel powertrain, the DS (the manufacturer says that stands for different spirit) caught the eye and the imagination with emotional, if not styling, hints of the truly radical DS on the 1950s.Hyundai ix-onic concept: Gone are the days when you looked on a Korean concept with a sense of synmpathy. While the ix-onic is clearly an exaggeration of the marques next SUV generation there is enough about it to whet the appetite. As important as the styling is the news that the ix-onic carries DSG gearbox and stop/start eco-technology. Look for for it all in the next generation of Tucson compact SUV next year.Pagani Zonda Cinque: A personal favourite. Not so much a car as a piece of very, very fast art. The latest offering from designer Horatio Pagani uses the company's own bespoke carbon-titanium material to shape a truly gorgeous body — and it goes. Zero to 100km/h in 3.4 seconds and back to zero in 2.1. Enough sauid. Chevrolet Spark: Far more super-realistic than super-car, the little Spark is none-the-less an excellent example of its kind. Developed from the General Motors Beat concept shown in New York two years ago, the Spark is a bright rendition of a city car which, despite its name, is not electric nor even hybrid. On sale in Europe this year, don't be surprised if it comes under serious consideration for life with a Holden badge.Mercedes E-Class Coupe: The outstanding model from the new E-Class range. While the sedan version of the new generation E-Class had been seen in Detroit in January this was the Coupe's first outing — and well worth the wait. A really pretty rendition of a true coupe style.Audi TT RS: There was no shortage of new Audis in Geneva with the A5 and S5 Cabriolets on show but they were put in the shade by this hot version of the cool TT. What really sets this one apart is the use of a rorty 5-cylinder engine which is a hint to a wider future use of the powerplant behind the four-rings badge.Maybach Zeppelin: Outrageous, outlandish and unapologetically designed to shout "look what I've got that you don't", the latest Maybach earns its spot in the top 10 for offering a stone interior as an option. The high-tech process for bending Indian granite around complex surfaces is more Jetsons than Flintstones and about as left-field as anything seen in a production car. Aston Martin One-77: Another conspicuous statement of wealth, this super-exclusive super-car — only 77 are being made — exudes power and style. Everything about this car is special, right through to the unique 7.3-litre V12 massaged out of the company's standard 6.0-litre unit by Cosworth. It is believed at least one of these beauties is heading for Australia.Jaguar XFR: It has been a little while coming but Jaguar has put some real bite into its award-winning XF range with the arrival of the high-performance R version. Without over-burdoning the car with fancy, garish aero bits there is little doubt the XFR looks the biz. The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 under the bonnet doesn't hurt, either. Fiat 500C convertible: Not really a convertible in the contempory sense of the word, this latest rendition of the insufferably cute Fiat 500 is a must-have fashion accessory. The rollback sot top is true to the style of the original 1950s car with the centre of the roof rolling back to open the passengers to the skies without the complicated engineering of removing roof rails or C-pillars.

And it's an odd decision for a nameplate that has done so well.Like the CLK, the new coupe is an amalgam of components from various Benz models but is more closely aligned to the medium large E-Class than anything else.Due to lob here in July with the new sedan, the coupe brings with it a range of new engines and sensational low slung styling destined to set a new benchmark in the segment.There will be numerous variants of the new hard top coupe (a ragtop cabriolet arrives late this year) starting with a 250CGi direct fuel injection petrol V6 and a 220CDi turbo diesel four cylinder.Pricing is expected to follow the precedent set by the new Benz C-Class which was pitched lower than the model it replaced.Other coupe models include the 250CDi diesel with 150kW and 500Nm output, a 350CGi direct injection petrol V6 with 215kW and a 500 petrol V8.All V6 and V8 models will have a seven speed auto with the fours having five speed autos in Aussie spec'.The new coupe is said to be a genuine four seater with individual seats and adequate rear headroom. The boot is large.At this stage, no AMG version of the coupe is on the drawing board but a sports pack comprising brake and suspension upgrades could be available for the 500 coupe.Technologies and new features from the E-Class sedan will flow through into the coupe including safety, luxury and performance features.