Mercedes Plant Produces 750,000th A-Class and 500,000th B-Class

The 750,000th A-Class and 500,000th B-Class rolled off the production line at Mercedes-Benz' Rastatt plant in Germany. The two milestone vehicles, a lotus blue A 180 CDI and a horizon blue B 180 NGT with natural-gas drive will be delivered to customers in Germany and Great Britain respectively. Overall, the Stuttgart based automaker has produced a total of more than 2.35 million units of the two model series since the introduction of the first-gen A-Class in 1997 (second-gen model was launched in 2004) and the B-Class in 2005.

After Germany, the largest markets for the A- and B-Class are Italy, France and Great Britain while the biggest market for the two models outside Europe is Japan. At the beginning of 2009, Mercedes-Benz also introduced the B-Class in China.

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Meet the 388HP V8-Powered and RWD Mercedes-Benz B55 [with Video]

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.

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Mercedes' Chinese Partner BAIC Blatantly Copies B-Class with New BC301Z

Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp., commonly known by the acronym BAIC, is one of Mercedes-Benz's partners in China. However, that didn't stop the Chinese automaker, which has acquired the intellectual rights for Saab's older 9-5 and certain 9-3 models, to rip off the design of Mercedes' B-Class for its new BC301Z five-door hatchback and to a lesser extent, the BC302Z sedan.

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Mercedes Announces Production of Hydrogen-Powered B-Class F-Cell

This is Mercedes-Benz's B-Class F-Cell, the company's first ever series production fuel-cell car. According to the German automaker, production will begin in late 2009 with the first of around 200 examples of the hydrogen-electric hybrid to be delivered to customers in Europe and the USA at the beginning of next year. Based on the B-Class hatch, the F-Cell uses a new generation fuel cell system, in which gaseous hydrogen reacts with atmospheric oxygen at 700 bar to generate a current for the electric motor, with water as a by-product.

As in conventional hybrids with combustion engines, the fuel-cell car makes use of a lithium-ion battery with an output of 35 kW and a capacity of 1.4 kWh to boost power and recover braking energy.

The drive components of the F-Cell powertrain are located in the sandwich floor, meaning that passenger and luggage space (416 liters) remain unaffected..

The vehicle's electric motor produces an output of 100 kW or 136 horsepower and a maximum torque of 290 Nm or 214 lb-ft allowing the five-door Merc to reach a top speed of 170km/h or 105mph. We don't know how Mercedes made the calculation, but the firm claims that the zero-emission car fuel cell drive consumes the equivalent of 3.3 liters of diesel fuel per 100km or 71.3mpg US.

The B-Class F-Cell is said to have a driving range of around 400 km or 250 miles while it takes about three minutes to refuel the car with hydrogen.

The Stuttgart automaker said that it has addressed the cold-start issues that affect hydrogen-powered vehicles with the B-Class F-Cell being able to start in temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius while vigorous testing ensures that the car offers the same level of safety as in other Mercs.

8:16 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Mercedes Announces Production of Hydrogen-Powered B-Class F-Cell

This is Mercedes-Benz's B-Class F-Cell, the company's first ever series production fuel-cell car. According to the German automaker, production will begin in late 2009 with the first of around 200 examples of the hydrogen-electric hybrid to be delivered to customers in Europe and the USA at the beginning of next year. Based on the B-Class hatch, the F-Cell uses a new generation fuel cell system, in which gaseous hydrogen reacts with atmospheric oxygen at 700 bar to generate a current for the electric motor, with water as a by-product.

As in conventional hybrids with combustion engines, the fuel-cell car makes use of a lithium-ion battery with an output of 35 kW and a capacity of 1.4 kWh to boost power and recover braking energy.

The drive components of the F-Cell powertrain are located in the sandwich floor, meaning that passenger and luggage space (416 liters) remain unaffected..

The vehicle's electric motor produces an output of 100 kW or 136 horsepower and a maximum torque of 290 Nm or 214 lb-ft allowing the five-door Merc to reach a top speed of 170km/h or 105mph. We don't know how Mercedes made the calculation, but the firm claims that the zero-emission car fuel cell drive consumes the equivalent of 3.3 liters of diesel fuel per 100km or 71.3mpg US.

The B-Class F-Cell is said to have a driving range of around 400 km or 250 miles while it takes about three minutes to refuel the car with hydrogen.

The Stuttgart automaker said that it has addressed the cold-start issues that affect hydrogen-powered vehicles with the B-Class F-Cell being able to start in temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius while vigorous testing ensures that the car offers the same level of safety as in other Mercs.

8:16 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Mercedes Plant Produces 750,000th A-Class and 500,000th B-Class

The 750,000th A-Class and 500,000th B-Class rolled off the production line at Mercedes-Benz' Rastatt plant in Germany. The two milestone vehicles, a lotus blue A 180 CDI and a horizon blue B 180 NGT with natural-gas drive will be delivered to customers in Germany and Great Britain respectively. Overall, the Stuttgart based automaker has produced a total of more than 2.35 million units of the two model series since the introduction of the first-gen A-Class in 1997 (second-gen model was launched in 2004) and the B-Class in 2005.

After Germany, the largest markets for the A- and B-Class are Italy, France and Great Britain while the biggest market for the two models outside Europe is Japan. At the beginning of 2009, Mercedes-Benz also introduced the B-Class in China.

1:00 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Mercedes Plant Produces 750,000th A-Class and 500,000th B-Class

The 750,000th A-Class and 500,000th B-Class rolled off the production line at Mercedes-Benz' Rastatt plant in Germany. The two milestone vehicles, a lotus blue A 180 CDI and a horizon blue B 180 NGT with natural-gas drive will be delivered to customers in Germany and Great Britain respectively. Overall, the Stuttgart based automaker has produced a total of more than 2.35 million units of the two model series since the introduction of the first-gen A-Class in 1997 (second-gen model was launched in 2004) and the B-Class in 2005.

After Germany, the largest markets for the A- and B-Class are Italy, France and Great Britain while the biggest market for the two models outside Europe is Japan. At the beginning of 2009, Mercedes-Benz also introduced the B-Class in China.

1:00 PM | 0 comments | Read More

Carscoop's April Foolery

Here's the round up with our April Fool's Day automotive hoaxes. We hope you enjoyed all of them and we promise to come up with even better ones next year.

• 2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Photos Leaked by EU Patent Office
• Breaking News: Wagoner to Lead Chinese Company in Oldsmobile Revival
• Kia Release AFD Rally Package for Soul

5:38 AM | 0 comments | Read More

Carscoop's April Foolery

Here's the round up with our April Fool's Day automotive hoaxes. We hope you enjoyed all of them and we promise to come up with even better ones next year.

• 2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Photos Leaked by EU Patent Office
• Breaking News: Wagoner to Lead Chinese Company in Oldsmobile Revival
• Kia Release AFD Rally Package for Soul

5:38 AM | 0 comments | Read More

2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Photos Leaked by EU Patent Office

The European trademark office has done it again; following the premature leaks of the 2010 Mazda3, Renault Megane Coupe and the 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster, the latest slip out from the bureau concerns the first official photos of Mercedes-Benz' new B-Class hatch that will compete head on with the Audi A3 and VW Golf. According to our sources, the new B-Class will be unveiled sometime in 2010 with sales starting in Europe towards the end of the year and in the U.S. and other international markets, during the first half of 2011.

Mercedes-Benz officials have high hopes for the new B-Class that will spawn a whole range of models including a three-door hatchback, a small four-door coupe sedan in the likes of the CLS called BLS plus a small SUV model that will most likely be named BLK.

Power will come from a variety of naturally aspirated and turbocharged gasoline engines as well as 'uber' clean diesels including the range-topping 2.2-liter CDi with an output of 204-horsepower. There's also talk of a gasoline-hybrid variant but Mercedes-Benz has yet to confirm the rumors.

6:58 AM | 0 comments | Read More

2011 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Photos Leaked by EU Patent Office

The European trademark office has done it again; following the premature leaks of the 2010 Mazda3, Renault Megane Coupe and the 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster, the latest slip out from the bureau concerns the first official photos of Mercedes-Benz' new B-Class hatch that will compete head on with the Audi A3 and VW Golf. According to our sources, the new B-Class will be unveiled sometime in 2010 with sales starting in Europe towards the end of the year and in the U.S. and other international markets, during the first half of 2011.

Mercedes-Benz officials have high hopes for the new B-Class that will spawn a whole range of models including a three-door hatchback, a small four-door coupe sedan in the likes of the CLS called BLS plus a small SUV model that will most likely be named BLK.

Power will come from a variety of naturally aspirated and turbocharged gasoline engines as well as 'uber' clean diesels including the range-topping 2.2-liter CDi with an output of 204-horsepower. There's also talk of a gasoline-hybrid variant but Mercedes-Benz has yet to confirm the rumors.

6:58 AM | 0 comments | Read More