By the middle of the next decade Mercedes-Benz wants its entire lineup to be able to operate entirely free of petroleum. The German giant is working on a variety of technologies that will help provide crude oil free transport such as battery electrics, fuel cells and highly efficient internal combustion engines that can operate on biofuels. Mercedes has recently been letting European journalists sample some of these new powertrains at a test facility in Spain.

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Much of the vegetable oil and biodiesel movement centers around the classic Mercedes-Benz inline six cylinder engine, but fine examples of the genre are getting tougher to find. As is always the case with older machines, time and driving in general take their toll on the bodies and chassis of our favorite classics. But, these old Mercedes lumps can be rebuilt to fine running order. Wondering what to do with that good-running or rebuilt turbodiesel engine? How about dropping it into the engine bay of some classic Detroit iron? Many of these older American vehicles were built with engine-bays capable of accepting everything from a straight-six to a huge big block V8 engine.

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we reported last month, it appears BMW and Audi, following the lead of Lexus, will begin to offer eight-speed automatic transmissions in their flagship models. Sources are now saying the transmission will be supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen, a familiar German supplier to both marques.

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Now that AMG is no longer focused on chasing big horsepower numbers, efficiency is quickly become the new performance benchmark for the Affalterbach-based tuner. Not even exclusive performance firms like AMG are immune to the effects of stricter emissions and fuel economy standards being phased in over the next decade, so expect to see downsized engines, more diesels and even hybrid engines introduced by the performance house.

According to a new report, AMG will replace its still-new 6.2L V8 and 6.0L V12 twin-turbo engines with a brand new 5.0L V8 twin-turbo. There are several reasons behind the decision: the new 6.2L has horrendous fuel consumption at full throttle and it lacks the low-end grunt of the previous supercharged 5.5L V8.

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While here in the States we’re still hanging on to the use of 3.0-liter+ V6 naturally aspirated engines for our mainstream models, in Europe, car manufacturers are in the process of downsizing engine capacities and developing a new generation of turbos and compressors to compensate for the loss of engine displacement.

Now Carscoop has learned from an inside source that Mercedes-Benz will introduce an all-new 1.6-liter turbocharged engine this fall (most probably in September) that will replace the basic 143Hp 1.8-liter Compressor unit.

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The Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class, the versatile new member of the Mercedes sport utility vehicle family, will make its U.S. dealer showroom debut in January 2009 as a 2010 model.

Powered by a 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 engine the 2010MY GLK350 will form the basis of the U.S. lineup, and will be offered in both 4MATIC and two-wheel-drive versions, riding on standard 19-inch 10-spoke wheels with 235/50 tires. The GLK features a 108.5-inch wheelbase and boasts unique design language which sets it apart from the rest of the highly successful Mercedes-Benz family of SUVs that includes the M-Class, the larger GL-Class, the crossover R-Class and the iconic G-Class.

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Debuted as thinly veiled concepts called Townside and Freeside at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz has announced that its production GLK crossover will make a public debut at the Beijing Auto Show.

Mercedes will offer the rather ungainly CUV with only one engine when it goes on sale in the U.S., a 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 268 horsepower. The GLK will come in both 4MATIC All-wheel-drive and two-wheel-drive, with a seven-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment. Two-wheel-drive GLK350 won’t shirk from sprightly performance either, should its driver need it, sprinting form 0 to 60 mph in an estimated 6.5 seconds.

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The new 457HP V8-powered Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG has been chosen as the official safety car for the German Touring Car Championship (DTM). The specially prepped C63 AMG will make its debut at the second DTM race of the season in Oschersleben on April 19/20, 2008.

Compared to the road-going version of the C63 AMG, the DTM safety car has been equipped with a newly developed AMG sports exhaust system that provides a further acoustic treat, a high-performance radiator, two engine oil coolers located on either side of the front apron and an additional, larger transmission oil cooler.

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Daimler AG expects to spend more than $21 billion on research and development of new technology over the next years, the company’s chief executive said during the company’s annual meeting in Berlin. “These efforts are all the more important because there is no single technology that’s clearly superior to all of the others,” Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche told the company’s shareholders. “There are several routes to the mobility of tomorrow,” said Zetsche, who noted number of automobiles in the world is expected to grow five times faster than the population. In 2007, Daimler invested more than $6 billion in research and development and another $2.7 million for environmental protection. “In the coming years we’ll increase these budgets even more and by 2010 we’ll invest ($21 billion) in research and development,” he said. “To date, Daimler has made more progress with fuel cell technology than any another automaker and we plan to expand our lead in this area,” Zetsche added.

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The new Mercedes-Benz GLK is set to make its debut at this weekend’s Beijing Motor Show but the first images and details of the car have already been leaked. The compact SUV was first previewed at the Detroit Auto Show back in January in concept form and as expected the final production car remains almost identical to the original show car.

Designed to go up against the BMW X3 and upcoming Audi Q5, the new GLK shows a dramatic improvement in quality over Mercedes’ previous SUV models despite being an entry-level offroader. Pictured here is the U.S.-spec GLK350, which is set to go on sale early next year as a 2010 model.

The car will be available with both RWD and 4Matic full-time AWD powertrains and in ‘350 guise will be powered by a 268hp 3.5L V6 engine. With an estimated kerb weight of just over two tons the car should be able to reach 60mph from rest in about 6.5 seconds and earn a 23mpg average fuel consumption rating. European versions will also be available in 220CDI diesel and BlueEfficiency guises as well as a 320CDI as well. There’s no word yet if RHD models will be available but earlier reports claim it’s highly likely.

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A white car with too much black, that is the new Lorinser ML Black & White based on the Mercedes-Benz M-Class. First impact with the car reveals the 22″ black mate wheels with their five-pointed rim star and doubly slit spokes but also the balck radiator grill that pushes itself into the wind. In order to generate a little agressiveness Lorinser added a new front spoiler but also a black exhaust kit that contributes to the sportivity of the vehicle. The engine of the car received an upgrade from 224hp to 261hp as well as a raise of torque from 510Nm to 580Nm. The car also received a new suspension kit and got lowered with 25 milimeters. The price for all of these: 83,176 euro! Maybe is not too cheap and not too expensive, but for sure it look veery, very good!

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Mercedes-Benz and its in-house tuner AMG recently revealed its updated SL fleet but there’s one important model that we still are yet to see. The car is the upcoming SL Black Series from AMG, a super-sports version of the SL that could potentially upset the SLR flagship in the performance stakes. Numerous prototypes have been spotted testing in Germany, each of them sporting new bumpers, widened fenders and a GT wing, and now we the first solid details on the car’s final specifications.

The latest Black Series edition will be based on the turbocharged V12 SL65 (pictured) but will develop up to 670hp (66hp more than the standard model) and 1,000Nm (738lb-ft) of torque. Engineers decided not to bump up torque levels as this is as much as the car’s five-speed automatic transmission can maintain.

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Chinese carmakers are planning to launch dozens of new models and concepts at next week’s Beijing Motor Show but in and amongst all the fanfare there will be a number of major international debuts as well. Two of the biggest reveals at the upcoming show will be the production Mercedes-Benz GLK and the all-new Audi Q5.

China has quickly become a key growth market for a number of international carmakers, many who see it as an opportunity to pick up lost sales from more established markets like Japan, the U.S. and Europe where sales are on the decline.

Audi, for example, saw its sales in China rise 24.8% in just one year and to mark its success it will use the country’s premier auto event to showcase its new Q5 SUV, reports Automotive News. Audi’s parent company VW will also debut two models based on the Mark IV Golf exclusively for the Chinese market.

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Mercedes-Benz announced a new range of four-cylinder diesel engines today, reiterating their focus on reducing engine size while maintaining performance. The new lineup delivers better economy and power levels than Mercedes’ previous generation of four-cylinder diesel engines, with the most powerful variant delivering 20% more power and torque than the outgoing powerplant.

The range topper is a new 204hp 2.1L unit with a peak torque of 500Nm – as much twist-force as a petrol V8. Despite the increase in power and torque, the new four-cylinder diesel burns substantially less fuel than its predecessor and as a consequence CO2 emissions are reduced by as much as 13% and are now in line with future EU5 emissions standard.

The extra performance comes from several tweaks to the injection and common-rail system, now in its fourth generation, as well as an increase in fuel pressure, higher turbo boost from new twin-stage turbochargers, more efficient intercoolers and exhaust recirculation and improved fuel and water pumps.

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Mercedes-Benz revealed the cars that will use its new Blue Efficiency system at Leipzig Motor Show this week.

The Blue Efficiency pack is designed to deliver greater fuel economy and lower carbon dioxide emissions: it includes improvements in engine efficiency as well as aerodynamic tweaks, reduced rolling resistance tyres and weight-saving measures.

The petrol-engined manual A150 and A170 will feature the Blue Efficiency package and the C-Class will get it next year on the C180k and C220D. Mercedes reckons the new package will deliver between 10 and 12 per cent fuel savings.

Mercedes has standardised its trim levels, too: the B-Class comes in SE and Sport, the A-Class 3-door comes in Classic SE and Avantgarde SE and the 5-door version comes in Classic SE, Avantgarde SE and Elegance SE.

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