Car Moon

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.

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 »

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.”

Designers look for inspiration and ideas in a multitude of places. In animals, nature, history, the things around them, even in the sky or the sea. Sometimes we can see it, sometimes we don't. In this case, it's quite obvious what inspired Peter Vardai to design the Mercedes-Benz Blackbird concept study; and yes, we're talking about Disney's science fiction film, Tron: Legacy. Unfortunately, there's not much else we know about the study, but feel free to browse the rest of the photos in our gallery after the jump.

Mercedes-Benz showcased its SLS AMG E-Cell concept car at the Detroit Motor Show, however, the big news wasn't the presentation of the all-electric supercar but the announcement that it will enter production within the next couple of years.

"The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-CELL is the most technically advanced super sports car in the 125-year history of the automobile, and shows just how fascinating electromobility can be," said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, at the press conference. "Our customers will be able to order it from their Mercedes-Benz dealers from 2013 onwards."

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.

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."

Outside of London's ubiquitous TX4, the purpose-built taxi is almost dead. Checker is long gone and Ford Crown Victorias now grace New York's congested streets. It's more to do with economics than anything else: why build something new and unique when you can modify an existing vehicle?

Mercedes has released a larger-than-life gallery with 101 high resolution photos of the F800 Style, a concept sports saloon we first laid eyes on at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. The compact-sized F800 was created to preview the German manufacturer's new design language, as seen later on the new CLS, which made its world debut in Paris last month.

Here's our second part on the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show's "Design Challenge" with futuristic-looking lightweight concept models from Mercedes, Nissan, Smart, Toyota and Volvo. For the first group of concept studies, click here to check out our previous post.

For the past seven years, the most important automotive design studios in Southern California compete in a Design Challenge organized by the Los Angeles Auto Show. For this year's edition of the show, which runs November 19-29, the event planners decided to add an international flavor to the contest by inviting studios from Germany and Japan to join the competition for the very first time.

The theme for the 2010 Design Challenge is the creation of a super-efficient and lightweight four-passenger car: "The objective is to envision an efficient, light-weight, four passenger vehicle (not to exceed 1,000 lbs.), that is both comfortable and safe, while delivering satisfactory driving performance without sacrificing the styling consumers demand. "

Follow the break for the first group of concept models by Cadillac, Honda, Maybach and Mazda, and stay tuned for the second part.

After a two year absence from the Australian International Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz is returning to this year's edition of the event that takes place in Sydney from October 15th to 24th with a [supposedly] special C63 AMG. Called the Concept 358, the show car was co designed by Mercedes-Benz Australia and built by AMG.

Daimler subsidiary MBTech has presented a 1:1 scale model of its Reporter concept study at the 63rd IAA Commercial Vehicles Show in Hannover. The four-seater plug in hybrid pickup truck with the Smart Fortwo-esque fascia was designed in just six months using CAD and digital prototyping.

If anything else, we have to hand it to Mercedes-Benz for its rigorous promotional efforts to hype its new SLS AMG Gullwing supercar and all its derivatives, including the all-electric E-Cell prototype - and we mean that in a positive way.

Among the many guests at the SLS AMG E-Cell presentation in Norway was retired Formula One driver, David Coulthard, who was given the chance to test drive the electric-powered Gullwing model. The Scottish pilot tried out the SLS AMG E-Cell on an airstrip as well as on the road. View the video [in high-definition] after the break.

Here are two new videos of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell, both shot in Norway, where the German firm presented the prototype model to the press. In the first clip you can see the all-electric 'Gullwing' E-Cell along with the new S63 AMG, which packs a new, twin-turbo, 5.5-liter V8, running up and down an airstrip at Kristiansund, while the second video shows the SLS AMG E-Cell on the 'Atlantic Road' on the west coast of Norway.

Approximately a year ago, Mercedes-Benz officially revealed plans to develop a fully-electric version of its SLS AMG supercar. Now, the German automaker has unveiled a prototype model of the car named "SLS AMG E-Cell".

On the E-Cell prototype, Stuttgart's engineers replaced the standard SLS AMG's 571HP 6.3-liter V8 petrol engine with four electric motors placed near the wheels effectively making it a four-wheel drive model. Mercedes notes that this solution substantially reduces the unsprung masses compared to wheel-hub motors.

The electric motors produce a combined output of 392kW or the equivalent of 526HP and a maximum torque of 880 Nm / 649 lb-ft, the latter available right from the start. One transmission per axle transmits the power.

Remember the Saudi Arabian SUV concept called the 'Gazal 1' from this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show in March? Well, it's officially going into production. The announcement was made by Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah himself during a special ceremony earlier this week.

The original Gazal 1 concept study was created by the students of Saud University in Riyadh with some help from Magna Steyr and Studiotorino. Despite the deign similarities with Toyota's FJ Cruiser, the Gazal 1 is actually based on the underpinnings of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and is powered by a V8 engine.

The answer to the question we posed in the title comes to us in the form of five different conceptual studies, all made by Russian designer Vladimir G. The drawings show proposals for various kind of boats inspired in design by Ferrari, Porsche, Maserati and Bugatti models as well from Mercedes-Benz's SLS AMG Gullwing supercar. Hit the jump to see the complete gallery.

Now that their limited production Maybach 57S Coupe (see here) has made the rounds, here are some of the other proposals from Xenatec. Since the company's specialty is chassis modification (and the necessary body work thereafter), they've got some ideas for a lengthened (and shortened) "dream cars".

Have a look at the gallery below and see what tickles your fancy. The SUV limos are a bit much, but the rag-top conversions don't look too bad (especially the CLS and 300).

The Mercedes Hexawheel concept asks an interesting question: what if Mercedes (or Smart) tackled mini-off-roading?

Thought up by Siyamak Rouhi Dehkordi, a 35-year-old Mechanical Engineer from Iran, it features an insect-inspired all-wheel-drive platform integrating hydraulic pistons into the frame to help control the car's two halves.

A diesel engine would put power through a "flexible hydraulic power transmission system" to all six wheels.