Mercedes-Benz really wants you to know how green its new line of diesel vehicles can be. To that end, the German automaker calls them Blue and capitalizes EFFICIENCY. Subtle, no? In an effort to earn the badge, MB has tweaked its largest and most luxurious model with a 3.0-liter diesel engine, a seven-speed automatic tranny that decouples itself at stops, a power steering pump that only operates when necessary and low rolling resistance tires. Those are pretty simple changes, no complex electric motors here. Fuel mileage, though, is rather good for such a large vehicle, coming in at nearly 31 U.S. miles per gallon. In contrast, the marque's upcoming S400 BlueHYBRID only manages about 29 miles per gallon. If this sounds to you like it makes a resounding case for diesel vehicles, you're right. It does. Unfortunately, MB only mentions German pricing for the S 320 in the press release after the jump, not indicating whether the big blue sedan will be sold on our shores anytime soon or not.
Mercedes-Benz big bomber, the S-Class, is due for a mid-cycle refresh next year and we'll probably see its official form no later than the Geneva Motor Show in March. Judging from this latest batch of spy shots, we may actually see it much sooner, possibly as early as the Paris Motor Show in October. The fundamentals of the S-Class clearly aren't changing, but low investment parts like the grille, lower front fascia, mirrors and tail-lights get updates. The interior doesn't appear to have changed much either, but based on the driver's attempt to block the view, the S-Class may be getting a new COMAND system interface, which would be a welcome change. It's not known if Mercedes will offer a new BlueTec diesel engine in the S-Class here in the States, although that is a foregone conclusion for Europe. One new model we'll definitely see here is the S400 hybrid, which pairs the 3.5L V6 with a new mild hybrid system developed by Mercedes and BMW. The mild hybrid should also be the first mass produced automotive application of lithium-ion batteries.
The high-end, super-luxury limousine market is a fairly limited one. There's Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maybach and.... well, that's about it. But with Daimler possibly nixxing the struggling brand in the next few years, who will fill that gap for those who prefer to lounge in the back seat of a Mercedes rather than drive? Carlsson possibly has the answer with its... take a deep breath... Aigner CK65 RS Blanchimont based on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. This is the second vehicle that has been built in cooperation with Etienne Leather, the first being the Aigner CK65 Eau Rouge we spotted at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year. For the Blanchimont, Carlsson has installed enough items to use the car as a home office – custom leather upholstery, a Concert Hall infotainment system with surround sound, DVD system with three television monitors, hinged tables behind the front seats for laptops, and a wireless router that creates a personal hot spot inside the car. Oh yeah, the Blanchimont also features a 700-horsepower V12 and can reach 60 mph in under four seconds(!).
