Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2003 News

6149 vehicles have been recalled including the Mazda RX-8 and new Volkswagen Tiguan.

Tired of returning to hot car? You need one that cools itself before you get in it. A day at the beach no longer means returning to a stifling hot car and seats that can burn the back of your legs. A new smartphone app can switch on the air-conditioning up to 10 minutes before you're ready to get in the car. There is just one catch: for now the technology is only available on a Mercedes-Benz limousine that's expected to cost $310,000 when it goes on sale next year. But it will be available on more affordable models within two years. The feature is standard on the company's first ever plug-in hybrid car, the Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid. It can travel 33km on battery power alone before the petrol engine takes over for a further 800km of driving. The technology has created a new dilemma: save the planet with petrol-free driving range, or save your skin?  The same car also has technology that teaches you how to drive economically.  A radar system can tell if you're too close to the car in front and will 'pulse' the accelerator pedal to tell you to back off.  "As our flagship model, the S-Class always has our leading technology but you will these features on other models over time," said Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy.The Mercedes-Benz S500 is not the first car to cool itself, however. In the 1990s Mazda introduced a car with solar panels in the sunroof to keep the car cool while parked. Mazda abandoned the technology, but Toyota reintroduced it on the most expensive version of the latest Prius hybrid introduced five years ago. However, unlike the Mercedes system, the Toyota Prius keeps the cabin at an ambient temperature whereas the Mercedes will cool the car to a chill.

Mercedes-Benz has retraced the steps of the first car journey -- when Berth Benz set off in her husband's new invention -- with an autonomous S500. Watch video here.

The death of $1 million-and-more Maybach has opened the door for a wide range of new S-Class based luxury Benzes. The all-new S-Class that hits Australia late this year is now the starting point for everything from a new-style S-Class coupe to a fully-armoured flagship and a six-door Pullman model. Some of the cars have already been caught testing in Europe and will soon be put through a sign-off drive in the US led by the chairman of Damiler, Dr Dieter Zetsche, around the upscale Los Angles and Palm Springs regions. The first of the newcomers expected in showrooms is a very long-wheelbase S-Class that moves directly into Maybach territory, but likely with similar equipment and a pricetag less than half of the failed flagship. There were two Maybach models, the 57 and 62 named after their lengths in decimetres, but they failed to fire against the hulking Rolls-Royce Phantom and were also shunned by shoppers who also preferred the idea of a Pullman with a three-pointed star. “We are flat-out now working on the derivatives. We have a full order book for the next four years,” the head of overall S-Class testing, Uwe Hornig, tells Carsguide at the press preview of the S-Class in Canada. “Yes, there is a coupe and a Pullman.” The extra-long S-Class never really went away, but was put into the background begin the Maybach and mostly supplied with a full ‘armour’ protection package. A bulletproof S-Class is already ready for action as Benz begins a rollout that includes a range of hybrids and development on a self-driving car that uses sensors which already ensure the car will stay inside its lane on well-marked freeways. The flagship hybrid will be presented in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, with a plug-in package that drops fuel consumption to little more than 3 litres/100km. “The S-Class… is also an important pacesetter on the road to local zero-emissions driving,” says Dr Uwe Ernstberger, vice-president of the S-Class development program. “The S500 plug-in hybrid will be the first luxury sedan in the world to emit less than 75 grams of CO2 per kilometre. Plus, we already have prototypes that can drive far more autonomously than is currently permitted on public roads.”  

Without trying to sound macabre - which we are - here's some of the famous people no longer with us because of the car. On a brighter note, lots of people are still with us because of the car - or more specifically, the ambulance.1. James Dean (Porsche 550 Spyder): Dean's status soared to cult levels after his untimely death in September 1955. In fact, so did the status of the car he was driving, a Porsche 550 Spyder that was the predecessor to today's Boxster. Dean died while driving when an approaching car turned in front of him. His passenger, mechanic Rolf Wutherich, survived that accident but died in a car crash in 1981.2. Diana, Princess of Wales (Mercedes-Benz S280): On August 31, 1997, the world woke to the shocking news that Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car accident in Paris. Her partner Dodi and driver were also killed. The accident is alleged to have been caused when the Mercedes was avoiding pursuing paparazzi.3. Princess Grace Kelly (Rover SD1): The former American actress and princess of Monaco died in 1982 after suffering a mild stroke at the wheel of her car, causing it to roll down a mountain in Monaco. Coincidentally, revered British motorcycle racer Mike Hailwood (1940-1981) was killed in a car accident a year earlier driving a similar car.4. Marc Bolan (Mini GT): Bolan, lead singer of glam rock group T-Rex, was killed instantly in 1977 when the purple Austin Mini GT in which he was a passenger failed to negotiate a bridge and hit a tree. Ironically, Bolan never learned to drive, fearing his untimely death in a car. The driver was his girlfriend, Gloria Jones.5. Peter "Possum" Bourne (Subaru Forester): Amiable New Zealand rally driver Possum Bourne was on a course inspection in 2003 on the "Race to the Sky" track at Cardrona in NZ's South Island when he collided head on with a Jeep Cherokee. He never regained consciousness. A statue of Possum is set on the mountain on an isolated rock overlooking the Cardrona village.6. Jackson Pollack (Oldsmobile 88): The reclusive artist crashed his 1950 Oldsmobile convertible while under the influence of alcohol, killing both himself and his passenger instantly in 1956. Pollock was aged 44.7. Jayne Mansfield (Buick Electra): In the early hours of June 29, 1967, Hollywood sex symbol Jayne Mansfield, died after the 1966 Buick Electra 255 in which she was a passenger smashed under the back of a slowing semi-trailer. Mansfield, her boyfriend Sam Brody and the driver were killed instantly. Her three children including Mariska, all in the rear of the car, survived with minor injuries.8. Desmond Llewelyn (Renault Megane): In 1999, one of the UK's most recognisable figures; Desmond Llewelyn, better known as Q in the James Bond films, died in a car crash aged 85. He was driving home from a book signing when his car collided head on with a Fiat.9. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez (Mitsubishi SUV): In 2002, Lopez - singer with popular RnB group TLC - was thrown from the vehicle and died from injuries. The Mitsubishi was forced off the road by an oncoming truck that was trying to overtake a car on a Honduras road.10. George S. Patton (Cadillac Series 75): The famous United States general died from complications 12 days after a car accident near Mannheim, Germany. He was aged 60 years.