Eco-motoring just got a little more exciting thanks to Brabus' new performance package for the Mercedes CGI BlueEFFICIENCY lineup. The processor-controlled plug & play BRABUS ECO PowerXtra CGI auxiliary control unit can be installed by any authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer in less than an hour. The unit is designed to monitor all engine sensors and will only activate the power mapping once the engine reaches its optimal operating temperature and all sensor readings are in the green. This eliminates any chances that the increase in performance might result in a shorter engine life. Equipped with the BRABUS ECO PowerXtra CGI kit the four-valve four-cylinder direct-injection engines in the C 200 and E 200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY models produce an additional 26 hp (25 bhp) / 19 kW and an increase in torque by 30 Nm (22 lb-ft). Rated power output of the Mercedes C 250 and E 250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY models with BRABUS ECO PowerXtra ...

As part of the newly formed alliance between Renault-Nissan and Daimler, the new Infiniti G series will receive a Mercedes-Benz four-cylinder engine. Earlier this week when Mercedes parent company Daimler and Renault/Nissan announced a new partnership, the deal included the use of both 4-cylinder and V6 Mercedes powerplants in Infiniti models. Ghosn did not say which Mercedes-Benz four-cylinder engine would be used in the Infiniti G car. Mercedes-Benz doesn’t currently import any four-cylinder-powered cars to the United States, but has said that it may. The shared four-cylinder engine may also be sold in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class to save money. The C-Class will be built in Alabama starting in 2014. A more interesting choice might be the 2.1-liter 4-cylinder diesel available in European E-Class models. With direct injection and a two-stage turbocharger, the diesel produces 204 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, as marketed in Britain. It is not known whether that engine could ...

Mercedes-Benz is studying building a new high-tech small car to rival the BMW Mega City Vehicle. The effort is named Project 50. Insiders describe the car as having the dimensions of the original Mercedes-Benz A-class, about 138 inches long, with extensive use of carbon fiber and an electric drivetrain. However, it won't use the old A-class platform, as it would be too heavy and too expensive to re-engineer for future crash test regs. It could use the rear-engine/rear-wheel-drive platform from the Project Edison Smart ForFour.Related posts: Mercedes-Benz A- and B-Class: 2.5 millionth compact vehicle delivered Mercedes Shooting Break concept car

The Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen is gearing up for the production of a fourth model of the high-volume C-Class model range. As of 2011, a Coupé will be added to a flexible production line, which already produces the three existing models. This will be a new addition to Bremen’s current production portfolio in the C-Class segment, comprising the Saloon, the Estate and the compact GLK sport utility vehicle (SUV). "The decision by the Board of Management to produce the Coupé version of the current C-Class here in Bremen as well represents another important milestone on our way to becoming Mercedes’ competence centre for the C-Class and is a clear sign of the trust in the Bremen team's capabilities and standards," says Peter Schabert, Head of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen. The Bremen plant is developed into the worldwide competence centre for the high-volume C-Class model series. Allocating production of the new Coupé ...

When Gottlieb Daimler introduced his first truck in 1896, Carl Benz was simultaneously working towards a very different type of commercial vehicle in Mannheim. His focus was on buses and what nowadays would be called vans. Benz’s first runabouts of 1896 were called “combination delivery vehicles” in the jargon of the day. As “small coaches with a detachable box body”, the vehicle had a chain drive and three-speed transmission as well as narrow solid rubber tyres. Three engine variants were available, with 1.8, 2.6 or 3.3 kW. The first vehicle Benz built was sold to France. A Paris department store bought the small box van, derived from the “Velo” passenger car. It featured a rear-mounted 1.8 kW engine, had a payload of 300 kilograms, including driver, and a top speed of 20 – 30 km/h. Benz’s French general distributor Emile Roger, together with a businessman from Birmingham, Léon L’Hollier, devised a ...