Archive for the ‘Frankfurt’ Category
Even autonomous vehicles will occasionally crash.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.20, 2019
Mercedes-Benz is rolling out its ESF 2019 to show off the semi-autonomous concept car.
The new Mercedes-Benz ESF 2019 started life out as just another midsize crossover, but the familiar GLE has undergone an array of modifications that could significantly improve the safety of passengers and pedestrians, the German automaker says.
These include changes to airbags, seatbelts and a child safety seat meant to make them more effective in a crash, as well as a steering wheel and pedals that retract when the ESF is operating in autonomous mode, and even an outside communications system meant to signal pedestrians and bicyclists what the vehicle is going to do next. There’s even a built-in robot that pops out of the back of the vehicle to warn oncoming traffic in the event of a crash.
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Some of the more than a dozen different innovations “are very close to series production,” said Ola Kallenius, the Daimler AG Executive Board member overseeing Mercedes-Benz Cars Development, though others “look well into the future.” (more…)
Tags: Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes ESF 2019 Concept, Mercedes concept comes to Frankfurt, Mercedes semi-autonomous concept car, Mercedes unveils new ESF concept, Mercedes' super safe concept car, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, mercedes news, paul a. eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Asia Pacific, Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, China, Concept Cars, Crossovers/CUVs, Europe, Executives, Frankfurt, Markets, Mercedes, NAFTA, Personalities, Safety, Semi-autonomous Driving, South America, Technology, U.S./North America | Comments Off
“Top-of-the-line performance…and a true beauty,” promises CEO.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.10, 2019
The LaFerrari showed that hybrid power could deliver high levels of performance.
It’s been a while since Ferrari first dropped the hint that it would add a new hybrid to its line-up and now, according to CEO Louis Camilleri, we’ll be getting to see it before the end of this month.
The hybrid will be one of five new models coming from the Maranello-based manufacturer, said the chief executive, and there are some signs more than one of these products will rely on an electrified boost to performance. But that should surprise fewer and fewer Ferrari fans considering the broad push towards battery propulsion in the supercar and hypercar segments.
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We’re hearing plenty of rumors about the hybrid coming this month, including the comment Camilleri dropped during a conference call to discuss the brand’s first-quarter earnings. According to the chief executive, “It will be a top-of-the-line hybrid with supercar performance and a true beauty.”
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Tags: BEV, TheDetroitBureau.com., all-electric supercar, auto news, battery ferrari, battery supercar, car news, ev, farrari 488 pista, ferrari electric, ferrari hev, ferrari hybrid, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, pininfarina battista, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Convertibles, Coupes, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, Ferrari, First Look, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hybrids, Lawsuits/Legal, Luxury Vehicles, Motorsports, Regulatory, Sales, Sports Cars, Super Cars, Technology, Trends | Comments Off
Golf-sized battery-electric debuting in Frankfurt this fall.
by Michael Strong on May.10, 2019
Volkswagen accepted 10,000 pre-orders for the new ID.3 electric vehicle in 24 hours.
Just days after Volkswagen revealed its accepting pre-orders for its new ID.3 battery electric hatchback, the automaker claims it has more than 10,000 pre-orders for the new EV. VW sales chief Jurgen Stackman revealed the news in a tweet.
The company started taking deposits of 1,000 euros on Wednesday for the all-new battery-electric entry. It got its name for being the third variant in VW’s ID. line-up of electric vehicles.
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The new battery electric hatchback will cost about $33,500, and European deliveries will begin midyear 2020. Volkswagen will officially unveil the new Golf-sized EV at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. At that time, pre-orders will be confirmed as orders. (more…)
Tags: TheDetroitBureau.com., VW electric vehicle orders, VW gets 10K pre-orders for ID.3, VW taking orders for ID.3, VW unveiling ID.3 in Frankfurt, Volkswagen ID.3 EV, auto news, ev news, michael strong, thedetroitbureau, volkswagen news, vw news
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Europe, Executives, Frankfurt, Markets, Personalities, Sales, Technology, Trends, Volkswagen | Comments Off
Weak demand leading Nissan’s luxury brand to focus on Europe, China.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.12, 2019
The concept version of the Infiniti Q30 debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show as part of the brand's push to become an EU presence.
Infiniti has come to recognize there are limits to its global growth plans, the Nissan luxury brand announcing it will pull out of Western Europe by early next year.
Going forward, the brand will limit its scope to just two markets: the U.S. and China. Along with ending sales in Europe, Infiniti also will halt production of the Q30 and QX30 models at Nissan’s assembly plant in Sunderland, England. The parent company has raised questions about the broader viability of that plant as Britain struggles to manage its planned exit from the European Union later this month.
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A broader restructuring by Infiniti will see the luxury marque pair back on its overall product line-up, the brand’s new global CEO told TheDetroitBureau.com during an interview earlier this year.
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Tags: Christian Meunier, auto news, car news, infiniti battery, infiniti electrification, infiniti europe, infiniti ev, infiniti pulling out of europe, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Audi, Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, BMW, Business, China, Concept Cars, Detroit, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Europe, Frankfurt, Geneva, Infiniti, Lexus, Luxury Vehicles, Markets, Mercedes, Monthly Results, NAFTA, Nissan, Paris, Sales, Sales, Technology, Toyota, Trends, U.S./North America | 2 Comments »
Production version to follow during autumn's Frankfurt Motor Show.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.05, 2019
The Mercedes Concept EQV combines elements of the V-Class van and the new EQ series.
The Chrysler Pacifica has shown there’s a market for electrified people-movers. Now, Mercedes-Benz is taking things a step further with its Concept EQV.
The all-electric version of its V-Class is making its debut at this week’s Geneva Motor Show, but a production version of what’s also known as the Mercedes Viano is set to follow next autumn at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the automaker confirmed on Tuesday.
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“Mercedes-Benz Vans is consistently advancing the electrification of its product portfolio,” said Wilfried Porth, a board member with Mercedes’ parent Daimler AG. “With the Concept EQV, we are now taking the next step. From a daily driver for the family, a leisure-time adventurer or a shuttle vehicle with lounge ambience, the combination of these characteristics with a battery-electric drive mean the Concept EQV is a concept car with a future.”
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Tags: 2019 geneva motor show, Mercedes Concept EQV, Mercedes van, auto news, car news, mercedes electric, mercedes electric van, mercedes geneva, mercedes-Benz, mercedes-benz eqv, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Chrysler, Concept Cars, Daimler, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, First Look, Frankfurt, Geneva, Luxury Vehicles, Markets, Mercedes, SUVs, Sales, Technology, Trends | Comments Off
“Electric Vision” model to usher in massive shift to battery power.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jan.23, 2019
Honda will bring a production version of the Urban EV Concept to Europe in the coming year.
Honda plans to use battery power of one form or another in two-thirds of the vehicles it sells by the end of the next decade, and the Japanese automaker plans to give a sense of where its “Electric Vision” is going at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show.
The Honda Urban EV Concept builds on an early prototype shown at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show and is little more than a thinly disguised version of the battery runabout it soon will be launching in Europe.
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“Honda’s new electric vehicle is developed with a focus on functionality and purpose and the prototype sketch demonstrates this through its clean, simple and unique design,” the automaker explained in a statement accompanying this teaser shot. “A mass production version of the car will be on sale later in the year.”
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Tags: 2019 geneva motor show, Honda geneva motor show, auto news, battery car, car news, honda electric, honda news, honda urban evelectric vehicle, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Concept Cars, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, Europe, Fiat, First Look, Frankfurt, Geneva, Honda, Kia, Markets, Sales, Technology, Trends | 2 Comments »
Virtual testing can only take you so far.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Sep.25, 2018
Much of the initial development work for the Mercedes-AMG Project One was done digitally.
There’s a race underway to see who can do the better, faster job of putting Formula One technology on the road, and Daimler AG wants us to know it’s getting close, providing a handful of images showing off a prototype of the new Mercedes-AMG Project One hypercar undergoing track testing.
Which track? Could it be the legendary Nurburgring? That’s a reasonable guess considering it isn’t all that far away from the company’s Stuttgart headquarters but, for now, the automaker is only hinting that prototypes are being driven on “closed-off test grounds. However, because of their characteristic F1 sound they are hard to keep from the public.”
Hypercars!
The Project One, which actually looks more like a Le Mans prototype than a Formula One racer, has been generating buzz for several years, though we only got a look at a complete mock-up at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year.
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Tags: amg project one, amg project one pic, auto news, car news, hypercar pic, mercedes amg project one pic, mercedes hypercar, mercedes news, mercedes project one, mercedes-AMG project one, mercedes-amg news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Concept Cars, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, First Look, Frankfurt, Hybrids, Lamborghini, Luxury Vehicles, Mercedes, Motorsports, Muscle Cars, Sales, Sports Cars, Super Cars, Technology | Comments Off
Show car offers broad hints about BMW's next all-electric model.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Sep.15, 2018
BMW offered a handful of journalists a sneak peek at the iNext concept during an around-the-world tour.
BMW was one of the first of the traditional automakers to enter the plug-in vehicle market, well ahead of luxury rivals like Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Lexus. But it has been slow to follow up on its original i3 and i8 models, especially when it comes to all-electric offerings, even as those competitors have laid out aggressive plans to launch literally dozens of their own new products in the coming years.
BMW has been dropping hints about where it might go next for several years. And the Bavarian automaker is looking to get back in the game with the appropriately named iNext, an all-electric and autonomous crossover set to make its debut in 2021.
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A handful of select media outlets, including TheDetroitBureau.com, got a chance to check out a prototype version of the iNext during an otherwise top-secret, around-the-world series that took the concept vehicles from Germany to New York, then Los Angeles and, finally, Beijing.
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Tags: BMW concept, BMW iNext, auto news, bmw autonomous, bmw electric, bmw i, bmw ivision, car news, electric vehicle, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, seat sensor, thedetroitbureau, touch fabric
Posted in Audi, Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Autonomous Driving, BMW, Business, Crossovers/CUVs, Driverless Vehicles, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, First Look, Frankfurt, Fuel Economy, Infotainment, Jaguar, Lexus, Luxury Vehicles, Mercedes, SUVs, Safety, Safety, Sales, Semi-autonomous Driving, Technology, Technology, Trends | Comments Off
“We are flipping the switch,” says CEO Zetsche, with new Tesla challenger - and more to come.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Sep.04, 2018
The new Mercedes-Benz EQ features a pair of electric motors producing up to 402 hp.
Mercedes-Benz is “flipping the switch,” Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche said Tuesday as he pulled the covers off the new EQC, the German brand’s new, long-range electric crossover.
The first entry from the all-new EQ sub-brand, the compact CUV won’t be alone for long, with Mercedes developing a wide range of battery-electric vehicles set to come to market by the middle of the coming decade, including the smaller EQA due out next year. Along with all-electric offerings in the works from brands as diverse as Audi, Infiniti, Volkswagen and Volvo, they pose a potentially existential threat to Tesla, according to many industry analysts.
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“With the EQC – the first fully electric SUV from Mercedes-Benz – we are flipping the switch,” said Zetsche, during the EQC debut in Stockholm. “Electric drive is a major component in the mobility of the future. We are therefore investing more than ten billion euros in the expansion of our EQ model portfolio, and more than one billion euros in global battery production.”
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Tags: auto news, battery car, car news, daimler news, dieter zetsche, luxury battery car, luxury ev, mercedes battery car, mercedes electric, mercedes eqa, mercedes eqc, mercedes news, mercedes takes on tesla, mercedes-benz eqc, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, tesla news, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Audi, Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, First Look, Frankfurt, GM, Markets, Mercedes, SUVs, Sales, Sales, Technology, Tesla, Trends, Volvo | Comments Off
“Mystic Details,” says terse news release.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.27, 2018
What might Mercedes mean by "Mystic Details"? Could it reference the distinctive accent lights expected to show up on the production EQ C crossover.
These days, we’ve become used to receiving terse news releases from automakers teasing upcoming product launches, but the one we just received from Mercedes-Benz all but reaches the limits of brevity, with just two words accompanying this image: “Mystic Details.”
While we’re not sure what the word, mystic, references, the odds seem to favor the pic being a close-up of headlight and grille details on the new Mercedes-EQ C battery-electric vehicle that will make its debut on September 4th, the first in an all-new sub-brand the German automaker will be fleshing out over the next few years.
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Roughly the size of today’s Mercedes-Benz GLC, the EQ C will be company’s first long-range all-electric model, essentially a competitor for the Tesla Model Y crossover that is still a few years away from production. It will be followed soon after by a production version of the Mercedes EQA Concept that was revealed in June.
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Tags: auto news, car news, electric cuv, electric suv, german battery-car, mercedes electric, mercedes eqc, mercedes mystic detail, mercedes news, mercedes tesla, mercedes-eq, mercedes-eq c, paul eisenstein, tesla model y, thedetroitbureau.paul a. eisenstein
Posted in Audi, Automakers, Automobiles, BMW, Business, Chevrolet, Concept Cars, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, First Look, Frankfurt, Jaguar, Luxury Vehicles, Mercedes, Product Reveals, SUVs, Sales, Technology, Tesla, Trends | Comments Off
