Batteries are an integral part of any hybrid automobile. No batteries means no electric assist, which means no point in lugging around all that extra hardware. So Mercedes-Benz is in a world of hurt as it alleges that Cobasys, the chosen battery supplier for the upcoming ML 450 hybrid SUV, has decided not to fulfill its obligation to the German automaker. You might recall that General Motors had problems with leaky batteries from Cobasys, reportedly leading the automaker to consider purchasing the supplier outright from its current parents, Chevron and Energy Conversion Devices.
For its part, Mercedes-Benz has sued Cobasys and petitioned the court to order Cobasys to supply the batteries in had committed to. Cobasys CEO Thomas Neslage has denied that his company ever agreed to supply the batteries in the first place. If this situation isn't resolved in a timely manner, Mercedes-Benz may be forced to delay the introduction of its first-ever hybrid vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz has taken a chisel to its original SUV and updated both the M-Class and the high-performance ML 63 AMG model. The M-Class has come a long way since it first debuted as a competent albeit small SUV with doughy styling. It's grown into a much larger shape that's crisper and more expensive looking, and MB has augmented that this year with tweaks to both the front and rear ends. The headlight shape is completely new and dips down toward the grille now, while a new radiator opening between the widely set fog lamps is particularly dominant. A faux undergaurd completes the look of manufactured manliness, while a new rear bumper, tweaked rear taillights and larger side view mirrors round out the exterior upgrades. The interior also gets updated with richer materials and a four-spoke multifunction leather steering wheel. MB has also added a host of infotainment options to the order list, as well.
The ML 63 AMG also gets the exterior tweaks, but adds a meaner front bumper with an even larger radiator grille, bigger fog lamps and a corrugated chromed undergaurd that trumps the base model's in both its inability to guard anything level of gaudiness. The grille also features just two horizontal cross bars rather than the cheese grader effect on standard MLs. The chrome undergaurd also appears on the new rear apron through which two pairs of chrome tailpipes peek out. New 20-inch 5-spoke AMG wheels look nice, but MB also has 21-inchers available for the ballers out there. The engine, however, is where it's at. The 6.3L AMG V8 produces 510 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque, which gets fed through an AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7G-TRONIC transmission into the SUV's permanent all-wheel-drive system that's split 40:60 front to rear. The suspension and brakes have also been AMG-ified. Clearly, you want to move to the right lane when this thing appears in your rearview mirror.
