Mercedes Celebrates Unimog’s 60th Birthday with Impressive Design Study

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the presentation of the Unimog, the Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks (MBS) unit, which is responsible for the Unimog, Econic and Zetros range of models, created a special design concept that attempts to link the past and present together with the future.

Using the current Unimog U 5000’s chassis as a base, the German brand’s designers came up with a futuristic-looking yet distinctly retro-feeling styling for the body of their off-road workhouse. The concept vehicle features an open top design as a nod to the first Mercedes-Benz Unimog model that rolled off the assembly line on June 3, 1951.

Read more »

Mercedes-Benz Presents SLS AMG Emergency Medical Vehicle Study

We are not quite sure what you would do with a two-door, low riding, Gullwing-door emergency medical vehicle with a boot capacity of just 176 liters, other than to reach an accident scene in a flash, but even if that’s the case, we assume a motorcycle would be a better choice. Then again, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Emergency Medical Vehicle is just a pure study and it will make its world premiere at this week’s 2011 RETTmobil in Germany. The show is the largest European trade fair for rescue and mobility and it runs from May 11 to 13. Read more »

Mercedes Debuts Striking A-Class Concept in New York, Confirms Production Version for North America

Following a world premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show earlier this week, Mercedes-Benz showed off its dynamic A-Class concept to the crowds of New York, and confirmed that the production model will head to North America.

In Europe, the production A-Class will launch next year. As for the US, Autonews reported that Joachim Schmidt, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Mercedes-Benz Cars, would not specify a time frame vaguely stating that the A-Class would arrive “some time in this decade.”

Read more »

VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz Explains the Design of the Concept A-Class

On Wednesday, Mercedes-Benz introduced an impressive design study for the next generation of the A-Class, heavily influenced by the brand's recent concept cars, mainly the F800 and the CLS Shooting Brake. Now, we have two new video of the concept model. In the first clip, exterior designer Mark Featherston, who worked on the Concept A-Class, explains the important styling features of the compact car in a short film released by Mercedes-Benz.

The German automaker also presented the first footage showing the Concept A-Class in motion and capturing the car's most appealing exterior and interior angles. Scroll down to watch both videos dedicated to the concept that previews Stuttgart’s upcoming rival to the BMW 1 Series and Audi A3.

Read more »

Mercedes Brings Sexy to the Compact Segment with New Concept A-Class, will be Revealed in Shanghai

Mercedes-Benz plans to show up at this month’s Shanghai Auto Show with a brand new concept for a spectacular looking A-Class model. While the Concept A-Class is just what its name says it is – a prototype study - it’s also a very good indication of where the company plans to take its BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 rival with the presentation of the next generation model that is scheduled to go on sale in 2012.

For starters, Mercedes is giving up the minivan-like silhouette of the current A-Class for a more dramatic and sporty looking two-box profile with a long bonnet and a low roof-line. The concept’s exterior design details are heavily influenced by Stuttgart’s most recent prototypes such as the CLS Shooting Brake and especially the F800.

Aside from the new nose with a prominent Mercedes grille, the three-door Concept A-Class also features concave surfaces with sweeping lines throughout the body.

Read more »

Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Turned Into a Sport Ute

Inspired by BMW’s costly but cool April Fool’s Day E92 M3 Pickup Truck, Carscoop reader L il-k Amaru drew up a similar design proposal based on the Bavarian sport model’s alter-ego from Stuttgart, the new Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe. Take a look at both renderings after the jump and tell us what you think about Merc concept as well as the ute category in general in the comments section below. Read more »

Meet the 388HP V8-Powered and RWD Mercedes-Benz B55 [with Video]

The regular Mercedes-Benz B-Class wasn’t exactly created with the motoring enthusiast’s needs in mind, but this one-off B55 special is another story. Trainees of Mercedes-Benzs Rastatt plant in Germany turned a B200 CDI diesel model into a full-blown sports car by planting in a 388 hp 5.5-liter V8 and transferring the drive from the front axle to the rear.

The idea of the project came from plant manager, Peter Wesp, while the execution fell on the shoulders of foremen Andreas Würz and Matt Rieger and a team of twelve second and third-year trainees specializing in production mechanics and automotive mechatronics.

The team aimed to fulfill several goals, drawn up in a book of specifications. According to the plan, the spatial concept as well as the body of the B-Class were to remain unchanged. The interior, however, was to be upgraded to reflect the newly acquired qualities and the overall goal was to create a vehicle suitable for everyday driving.

Read more »

LA Show 2010: Mercedes BIOME Concept is a Stunner

For this year's Los Angeles Design Challenge, Mercedes-Benz readied the BIOME, a super lightweight and eco-friendly (more than you could ever image...) sports car. It was created by a design team from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad, California. If you read the press release though, you'll probably think that Mercedes is talking about a cucumber and not a car. Don't believe us? Check out this expert:

"[The team] Taking their inspiration from nature, they designed a vehicle which is fully integrated into the ecosystem, from the moment of its creation right through to the end of its service life. The Mercedes-Benz BIOME grows in a completely organic environment from seeds sown in a nursery. Out on the road the car emits pure oxygen, and at the end of its lifespan it can be simply composted or used as building material."

Read more »