Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class News

... but they will soon be getting something close to a Magic Carpet Ride. The engineers and electronics boffins are working hard on the Magic Body Control system for debut in the next incarnation of the technology flagship S-Class, according to Professor Bhrat Balasubramanian, vice-president in charge of innovation and technology at Mercedes-Benz. Balasubramanian joked that Magic Body Control was"nothing to do with Victoria's Secret" and was the next step forward from the active body control system that is on the current top-end cars in the Benz range. He trained as a mechanical engineer in the late 1970s at the University of Karlsruhe before beginning his career with Daimler-Benz in 1977 as computational analysis engineer, working in the research and development areas of the passenger car division. His team has worked on the camera systems to recognise speed limit signs and decided to look at other applications for the syste. Balasubramanian said the system underpinned the F700 concept car, with laser scanners measuring the road and feeding it back to the car:"We called it the Magic Carpet Ride." "Anyone who was allowed to drive the car was flabbergasted by it. It was driven at 120km/h on rough roads and they were blown away by the comfort and handling it could provide. It supercedes the Active Body Control and will be seen in the next-generation S-Class." In-car connectivity is another area under Balasubramanian's eye. He says it presents a number of challenges for the company and the industry going forward. Peak among the issues with in-car technology is the balance between informing the occupants and distracting the driver, something the car maker hopes to minimise by tailoring the information delivered using its own server. "The system, in the new C and SLK, offers new connectivity through the user's Bluetooth and phone tethering, you can access various internet options through our backend server, which is designed to offer content that the driver can easily look at and read," he says. Balasubramanian says the long-term goal is seamless connectivity between the car, the home and the workplace. "Now you can go from home to car, you can plan a route in Google now and send it to the car, it's all about the communciation - we are waiting for 4G and once it comes you'll have higher bandwith that will allow more information faster. "We own the backend server and we manage how content gets into the vehicle, so there's very little in driver distration," he says, adding that the Mercedes-Benz unit complies with US and European standards. "What we hear and feel is older customers want integrated and easy, the younger ones want seamless technology across home, car and work. This is a challenge we need to address and we will meet it."

The first major European motor show of 2011, at Geneva in Switzerland, is packed with mouth watering newcomers in every size and price class. The top ended action is dominated by a supercar stoush between Ferrari and Lamborghini, but there is also everything from a new $15,500 Kia Rio - and a baby Picanto from the same company - to a second take on Toyota's make-or-break FT86 sports coupe and the Subaru version of the same machine. Geneva is only a small show - at least compared to the giants at Frankfurt and Tokyo - but the 2011 even has a huge impact and reflects the renewed confidence among the world's carmakers. They are spending big, on everything from dream machines through to new technology, as they gear up again for a showroom splurge after the doom and gloom of the Global Financial Crisis. There are close to 20 global firsts at Geneva, from the Audi A3 sedan to the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet, all jostling for attention and mostly expected in Australia inside the next year. The Chevrolet Cruze hatchback becomes a Holden later this year, Saab has just confirmed its plans for the 9-5 Estate, Mercedes-Benz will push hard with the droptop SLK and new C-Class coupe, and Citroen will push more style with the DS4 hatchback as the next of its DS design- driven family. But Geneva has always been a future show and this year's event is no different. There are more than a dozen concept cars, from the minimalist Mini Rocketman through to Volkswagen's battery-powered Kombi concept. Even Rolls-Royce is playing the future game at Geneva, unveiling a plug-in electric version of its $1 million-and-more Phantom flagship. The Honda Jazz also gets the sparky treatment in Switzerland, just like a new Opel electric concept and BMW's 1 Series plug-in.  Geneva is a spring fling for carmakers but the impact will be felt quickly in showrooms around the world, including Australia, with much more to come as the electrification of the car business picks up pace.  

Prestige car buyers are being drawn to the 125-year-old Mercedes-Benz with a steam roller list of new and revised models that aim to cement it as Australia's premier luxury vehicle maker.  The plan for 2011 follows a commanding 2.6 per cent passenger market share in 2010. "It's a very busy year ahead," understates Mercedes Australian boss Horst von Sanden.  Fresh from this week launching a new S-Class line-up that includes a new V6 petrol and an ultra-clean turbo-diesel, he expects further sales growth on the back of it topping the prestige sector in 2010. The German starts running out of the block in March with two versions of the heavyweight G-Class 4WD wagon.  Australia gets a G350 BlueTec turbo-diesel - the first market to get this engine variant - and the bi-turbo V8 G55 AMG. In the same month the company launches a V6 turbo-diesel version of its five-star people mover, the Viano, and the biggest GL version, the 450CDI turbo-diesel. The updated C-Class range is here in May and aside from an external makeover, enhanced safety equipment and a revised interior, will add a seven-speed automatic gearbox to all its four-cylinder variants. It will also debut a Euro-5 V6 turbo-diesel. The new CLS and SLK - both sporting Mercedes new corporate grille - arrive in June and then the C-Class Coupe and its 6.2-litre V8-engined AMG derivative get here in the third quarter of the year. The C63 will be officially launched at the Classic Adelaide Targa.  "We would like to import the S400 Hybrid, but its not yet made in right-hand drive," Mr von Sanden says. "We have also looked at the S250 CDI - rated at 5.4 litres/100km - but we've not made a decision for Australia."  Diesels are big on Mercedes' list but they're not finding favour with luxury car buyers. "We want to get a greater level of acceptance for the S350 BlueTec before we expand into other diesel engines for the S-Class models," Mr von Sanden says. "We have less than 10 per cent take up for diesels in our luxury sedan models.  "The SUVs are no problem - but buyers of luxury cars just don't get the advantages of diesel engines." Despite that, he's optimistic.  "I think the S350 BlueTec is the type of car that can change that."

The two-seater funmobile that brought the folding clamshell roof right up to date in 1996 now has a sunroof that leads the world. Tapping the same technology that provides instant privacy in bathrooms around the world, Benz now has a flick-a-switch glass sunroof that instantly goes from full sun to full shade. It's the visual treat in a car that has been comprehensively re-invented for 2011 and beyond, as well as a likely selling point that will migrate quickly across the Mercedes-Benz range. "It's a little bit of magic. It's an exclusive novelty," says Uwe Zaiser of Daimler, sitting inside the SLK at the press preview in Stuttgart. Benz says the objective with the third-generation SLK is to provide more driving enjoyment, as well as more emotion.  It got things right with the original SLK but admits it lost a little focus with the car that leaves showrooms later this year. "We love convertibles. We love open-air driving," says Michael Schumacher, Benz's newest salesman through the Mercedes F1 team, after pulling the wraps off the SLK.  The design of the new car is obviously bigger, chunkier in the nose, but with more strength and character. "It's a very cool, self-confident vehicle," says Gordon Wagener, head of design. The mechanical package is fairly predictable, with three engine choices from a basic four to a V6 and three trim levels. In Australia, prices are likely to hover close to the current model, which starts at $91,450. There will also be an AMG hotrod. Benz trumpets front guards and a bonnet made from aluminium, seven airbags and safety systems including Attention Assist and Pre-Safe Brake, which automatically applies maximum braking if it detects an imminent crash.  There is a seven-speed automatic gearbox and claims of engines as efficient as 6.1 litres/100km, with stop-start as standard. But it's the roof that makes the most impact, providing what Benz describes as a 'wellness atmosphere' and cutting heat intensity by up to 80 per cent and lowering dashboard temperatures by as much as 10 per cent.  It uses a special polymer lining inside a laminated two-plate glass roof, which is normally opaque. But apply a small current and molecules jump into lines, opening the roof like clear glass with a slight blue tint. It's an impressive piece of trickery with a bunch of positives that is going to work well for Mercedes-Benz and, inevitably, bring a herd of imitators as quickly as rival brands can get similar technology into their glass roofs.

The vario-roof, introduced on the original SLK as a folding metal hardtop, is going all glass with a switchable blackout system. The new development is called Magic Sky Control and is confirmed by Benz just this week.But Carparazzi has more than just a tease on the 2012 SLK, as it has caught the complete car with barely any disguise. The upcoming SLK is pictured at Daimler's proving ground at Sindelfingen in Germany, where the brand does much of its basic test work, as well as the roads close to the brand's headquarters.The pictures show a car which is slightly larger than the current SLK, as well as more masculine in its basic lines and beefed-up with a CLS-  style nose and lamps similar to the coming tweak to the compact C-Class.Carparazzi expects the SLK to go public early next year, most likely at the Geneva Motor Show in March, with sales from the final months of   next year as a 2012 model. The car is likely to continue with V6 engines and small petrol and diesel turbos, but there is also talk of a hybrid power pack and a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 for the AMG model.

It's the replacement for today's compact SLK and it should be on the road sometime towards the end of 2011, although a motor show tease is likely in the back end of next year.The next Mercedes-Benz SLK - which will be the third model to carry the badge - follows a familiar pattern. It is compact, with a folding hardtop roof, and will have a range of engines from a baby four through to a stonking AMG V8.Testing is underway at the Nurburgring in Germany and Carparazzi pictures show a car that could be just a mild tweak of today's SLK.  But the car is new and will come with some obvious visual changes from the current model.First - if European sources are right - is a grille which is a cut down copy of the one fitted to the SLS supercar. It's part of a direction change on Benz sports cars, taking them away from an F1 look and more towards the retro direction used on the front end of the Gullwing coupe.The next SLK will also come with daytime running lamps, a different style of door handles and bigger rear-vision mirrors standing up from the sides of the doors. This is a common change, also obvious on Porsche test cars, with new European regulations on the view from any side-mounted mirror.

As the first shoots of spring emerge, new car sales figures for September show a jump in convertible buyers. And money is no object, with many prepared to spend up big to pop the roof down.VFACTS industry figures show a modest sales surge of the Mazda MX5, Mini Cooper cabrio, Volkswagen Eos and Audi A3 convertible - all costing more than $40,000. Further up the price list Audi's A5 cabrio, the BMW Z4, Mercedes-Benz SLK and Volkswagen Eos are also popular with prices for some of the German cars topping out at more than $80,000.Dealers and carmakers say the warmer weather is helping. Mazda spokesman, Steve Maciver, said the order books for the company's popular MX5 were growing. "It's a combination of things but once the warmer weather hits, people like the idea of a convertible," he said.September sales figures show a 17 per cent jump in sportscar sales, which includes convertibles. Apart from topless motoring, luxury off-roaders are also proving popular. BMW spokesman, Toni Andreevski, said the company's popular X5 off-roader, which opens around $86,000, surged last month on the back of fresh supply from the United States. "We've got more stock and buyers are prepared to spend," he said.TOP 10  BRANDS    Sept           YTD 2009 (+/- on 2008)Toyota                   16,007             142,898       -22.3%Holden                      9744               85,667       -14.0%Ford                          8427               70,289       -13.7%Mazda                       7205               57,695         -7.2%Hyundai                    5484               47,625        36.4%Mitsubishi                4312               40,092        -16.3%Nissan                       4079               38,446       -15.8%Honda                       3939               31,787       -22.9%Subaru                      2807               27,225         -9.0%Volkswagen             2307               22,717         -5.4%

The CLK is already dead, although the last handful are still lurking in Australian showrooms, and development work on its other new droptops will not produce a result until sometime in 2010.The born-again Gullwing sports car is coming this year, most likely at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but the E-Class convertible which takes over from the CLK is a zero-ten proposition.But there is something else, with the upcoming replacement for the SLK caught during testing last week in Europe.The third-generation SLK, caught as usual by Carparazzi, is still running in heavy disguise but there are some clear pointers to the car that will be on the road in Australia in 2011.The folding metal roof continues and the grille and headlamps are more upright and squared-off than the current SLK.The car loses the F1-inspired droopy nose first seen on the McLaren- Mercedes SLR for a smoother look that's more in line with the latest E- Class sedan.Other styling tweaks expected for the new model are daytime LED running lamps, the new-style Mercedes doorhandles and larger external mirrors 'standing' on the door instead of being mounted ahead of the side window.

As Porsche prepares its luxury Panamera, and Aston Martin worries over its four-door Rapide, Mercedes-Benz is certain of success with its upcoming Gullwing.It knows the combination of the retro-futuristic Gullwing name and body, and a 320km/h mechanical package from its go-faster AMG division, will mean certain success for the fastest car to carry its badge.The Gullwing has been an open secret for more than a year, with camouflaged test cars running around Europe and logging laps at the Nurburgring, but now company executives are talking openly about the car.Benz's safety chief, Ulrich Mellinghoff, talks now about crashing testing carbon fibre body parts for the Gullwing and the head of AMG, Volker Mornhinweg, is dropping hints about the engine for the car."The crashing testing is more like a convertible. There is no energy path through the roof," says Mellinghoff.He also admits the nature of carbon fibre, expected to used for the majority of the car, means there will be aluminium crash panels at each end to absorb impact forces."With carbon fibre you cannot see if there is any internal damage. It can look perfect, but crumbles if you bump it."The biggest question of all for the Gullwing is the engine, with Mornhinweg talking enthusiastically about everything from a new V6 - which is being developed for the baby A and B-Class cars - to the existing 6.2-litre V8 and the V12 used in the SL 'Black Series' with twin turbochargers.But his biggest hint is that something new - perhaps a new-age 5.5- litre V8 - could do the job."We are working hard on something we launch in 2010. It will be a new engine," he says."I think later this year we will have more to say."But he lays false trails everywhere, talking about a range of powerplants."We work very hard on our current 6.2-litre engine. There are a lot of new technologies," he says."Direct injection with piezo control . . . to make combustion in a perfect way. We also have some opportunity to put the turbocharger on some engines."For the smaller cars we have decided on an engine, but I don't want to talk. It's a very interesting thing, we have outstanding performance but we can reduce the fuel consumption."Getting away from the mechanics and safety, the Gullwing is expected to have a paddle-shift gear system, LED running lights in the top of the headlamp cluster and giant metallic disc brakes.It is intended to completely out-strip the McLaren-Mercedes SLR, a joint venture between Benz and its Formula One partner which has never hit its original sales targets, including production of as many as 6000 cars a year with a price-tag in the $500,000 range.The Gullwing is widely predicted to star for Mercedes at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this year, although its debut could be pushed back to Geneva in 2011 if the company decides its is inappropriate to make a huge splash during the worldwide economic downturn. 

The new-age Mercedes Gullwing will be the fastest car in the history of the three-pointed star and should be previewed early in 2009, perhaps even at the Geneva Motor Show in March, for sales from 2010.It gets its name from the scissor-style lift-up doors used on a similar road rocket, the Mercedes SL which hit the road in 1954, and is expected to have the same styling and performance impact as the original.Mercedes has decided to build the born-again Gullwing as it splits its road-car future from its Formula One partner, McLaren, despite the British team's reputation for creating high-performance halo cars.It will be pushing much harder with the AMG sub-brand which has been a global hit, including Australia where sales set a per-capita world record, and will become the new flagship for both Benz and AMG.McLaren has its own supercar in final development for a preview in 2009 but it is the Gullwing which is creating the most interest in Mercedes' future-car programs.The car has been testing for more than a year and looks to be a long-nose two-door coupe which is likely to have the first in a new generation of AMG turbocharged V8 engines. It should easily crack 300km/h and have a Ferrari-style 0-100km/h sprint time.The Gullwing is an open secret in the Mercedes-Benz world, where plans call for a production run of up to 5000 cars during a 5-10 year model life.This is a massive contrast to the SLR, which has never sold to the expectations of either Mercedes or McLaren and came with a $1 million-plus pricetag.The final SLR model was unveiled at the Paris show a fortnight ago with a roadster open-topped body and the 722 performance package created to pay hommage to the SLR which won the Mille Miglia road race in Italy in 1955 wearing the 722 number to reflect its 7.22am start time.Details of the new Gullwing are still being protected by Mercedes, but it is expected to have a race-style monocoque body built from a combination of aluminium and carbon fibre.The engine choice is not confirmed, as AMG is moving to turbos but the Gullwing could stay with an updated version of the current 6.2-litre V8 - called the 6.3 by Benz - but the company's powerplant chief Dr Leopold Mikulic says it will have more than 400 kiloWatts of power.