Tag Archives: Mercedes-Benz

Tuning

America Meets the 1000-HP Shooting Brake No One Asked For

Eighteen months after it first stunned the tuning world, the Rocket GTS has finally landed in the U.S.—and it didn’t arrive quietly. Based on the Mercedes-Benz AMG SL 63, this reimagined Shooting Brake now wears a full green carbon-fiber suit and carries a price tag of $1,387,081. Yes, that’s hypercar territory. No, it doesn’t apologize.

The SL has always been the boulevard bruiser in the portfolio of Mercedes-Benz, and in modern AMG form it’s already less silk scarf, more switchblade. But what happens when you hand it to Mercedes-AMG’s wildest aftermarket interpreter and say, “Do your worst”? You get this.

The original show car flaunted exposed carbon like a flexed bicep. This U.S.-bound example goes deeper: an all-carbon body bathed in a translucent emerald hue. In direct sunlight, the weave shimmers beneath the lacquer like reptile skin. Subtle? Not remotely. Spectacular? Absolutely.

The reshaped rear and extended roofline will split dinner conversations straight down the middle. Purists may clutch their roadster credentials, but there’s a strange coherence to it. The SL’s long hood and cab-rearward proportions actually welcome the added roof stretch. The Shooting Brake treatment feels less like a graft and more like an evolution—one drawn by someone who owns several carbon-fiber briefcases.

A Cabin That Refuses to Whisper

If you were hoping the interior might dial things back, abandon that thought immediately.

Nearly every surface—seats, door panels, gearshift tunnel, headliner, even the floor mats—is drenched in matching green leather and Alcantara. The few components spared the hide treatment are finished in green-tinted carbon fiber. It’s less “accent color” and more “monochromatic takeover.”

The craftsmanship, predictably, is impeccable. The audacity, unmistakable. It feels like the inside of a concept car that somehow escaped the auto-show turntable and started asking for premium fuel.

Four Digits, Two Turbos, One Thousand Reasons

Of course, a seven-figure tuner special needs more than dramatic tailoring. Under the hood sits an upgraded 4.5-liter twin-turbo V8 paired with the same plug-in hybrid system used in the SL 63 E Performance. The combined output? A clean, round 1,000 horsepower and 1,620 Nm of torque.

Performance claims read like a physics glitch:

  • 0–100 km/h (62 mph): 2.6 seconds
  • 0–200 km/h (124 mph): 9.5 seconds
  • 0–300 km/h (186 mph): 23.6 seconds
  • Top speed: 317 km/h (197 mph), electronically limited

For context, those numbers place it squarely in modern hypercar company—while offering a cargo area large enough for a weekend’s worth of designer luggage.

The Million-Dollar Question

Spending nearly $1.4 million on a modified SL sounds extravagant, even in today’s inflated performance market. But exclusivity is the point. This isn’t just an SL turned up to eleven; it’s a redefinition of what that platform can be. It’s equal parts grand tourer, muscle car, and rolling design experiment.

The Rocket GTS doesn’t try to blend in. It doesn’t even try to convince you. It simply arrives—green, loud, and unapologetically expensive—and dares you to look away.

You won’t.

Source: Brabus

NEW CARS

Mini G-Wagen Spotted: Same Attitude, Smaller Footprint

Mercedes-Benz is doing what every heritage brand eventually must: shrinking an icon without shrinking its ego. And if these latest Arctic spy shots are anything to go by, the so-called “Little G” might just pull it off.

A Junior G with Senior Attitude

The incoming baby brother to the legendary Mercedes-Benz G-Class has been spotted deep in winter testing near the Arctic Circle, and this is the clearest look yet at Mercedes’ new entry 4×4 ahead of its debut next year. Internally dubbed “Little G,” the model will sit at the base of an expanded G family—much like how Jaguar Land Rover has stretched the Range Rover and Defender names into full sub-brands.

Unlike the towering, nearly two-meter-tall standard G-Wagen, this newcomer is notably shorter. Earlier prototypes were photographed being dwarfed by the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, which stands 1718mm tall. Translation: this isn’t a shrunken tank; it’s more of a compact battering ram.

It will launch with both combustion and electric options, setting up an interesting duel with Land Rover’s forthcoming Defender Sport—an EV-only entry-level off-roader expected to arrive around the same time.

Blocky, Boxy, and Proud of It

The prototype seen lapping frozen test routes appears to be the EV variant, identified by a prominent floor-mounted battery pack visible at the rear. And despite its smaller footprint, the styling sticks religiously to the G-Class playbook.

You still get the upright stance. The squared-off greenhouse. The classic three-window side profile. And yes, the rear-mounted spare-wheel housing—though in the electric version, like the Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology, that casing doubles as storage for the charging cable.

But Mercedes hasn’t simply run the G through a shrink ray.

The lighting signature appears subtly reworked, with headlamps that look like a half-circle rather than the full circular units on the larger models. It’s a clever move—instantly recognizable, but distinct enough to prevent driveway confusion.

Roof bars are also fitted to the test car, hinting that this entry-level G might lean more toward “active lifestyle” than ultra-lux expedition vehicle. Think bikes on the roof, muddy boots in the back, and fewer champagne flutes in the cupholders.

Not Just a Parts-Bin Special

If you assumed this would be a G-themed body slapped onto an existing platform, Mercedes wants you to think again.

Former tech boss Markus Schäfer has made it clear: this thing is riding on a bespoke architecture. He describes it as a “miniature ladder-frame chassis”—not a full traditional ladder frame like the big G, but engineered to preserve its suspension robustness and wheel proportions.

In other words, authenticity over efficiency.

Schäfer has admitted the Little G uses a surprisingly high number of unique components—far more than corporate accountants typically prefer. Body panels, structural elements, even the door handles are reportedly bespoke. (Apparently you can’t just borrow handles from the parts bin when your big brother has door hardware that sounds like a bank vault closing.)

Sharper, Younger, Still Iconic

From a design standpoint, Mercedes is walking a tightrope.

Former design chief Gorden Wagener calls the look a “tweaked” G-Class—slightly sharper, slightly younger, but unmistakably G. The headlight graphics will be more modern, though still circular in spirit. The overall silhouette remains defiantly boxy.

That restraint is intentional. You don’t redesign an icon; you refine it.

And the G-Class is about as close to untouchable as automotive design gets. It’s survived military origins, AMG excess, and now electrification without losing its identity. The Little G’s job is to broaden the appeal without diluting the myth.

The Big Question

The real test won’t be whether it looks like a G. It clearly does.

The question is whether it drives like one—whether that miniature ladder-frame philosophy delivers the toughness and presence buyers expect. If Mercedes has managed to distill the spirit of the G into a smaller, more accessible package without turning it into a fashion accessory on stilts, it could have a genuine hit on its hands.

A junior G-Class sounds like a contradiction. But then again, so did an electric one—and that turned out just fine.

Next year, we’ll find out whether the smallest G can carry the biggest badge.

Source: Autocar

News

Mercedes Plans a Product Tsunami, and It’s Bigger Than the EV Push

If you thought the freshly updated S-Class was Mercedes-Benz’s big swing for 2026, think again. That was just the opening act. According to internal planning documents first surfaced by Motor1, the three-pointed star is about to unleash a full-scale product blitz: seven new or heavily updated models in the next three months alone, at least 16 by the end of the year, and nearly that many again lined up for 2027. This isn’t a refresh cycle—it’s a market invasion.

And here’s the twist: despite all the corporate talk about electrification, most of these new Mercs will still burn gasoline.

S-Class, Maybachs, and the Return of Opulence

At the top of the pyramid, Mercedes is doubling down on what it does best—rolling luxury. The recently revealed facelifted S-Class will quickly be followed by a refreshed Maybach S-Class, because if there’s one thing wealth still demands, it’s more chrome, more leather, and more ways to shut out the outside world.

The GLS is next in line for a refresh, and, naturally, a Maybach GLS will trail behind it like a private-jet lounge on wheels. And don’t be surprised if Mercedes uses this moment to drop one more halo model with an internal-combustion heartbeat—possibly the long-rumored G-Class Cabriolet or a fire-breathing AMG CLE packing a V-8.

Yes, a V-8. In 2026. From Mercedes. Let that sink in.

Electric Flagships, Minus the Weird Styling

On the EV side, the EQS sedan and EQS SUV are due for updates, and Mercedes may also be ready to unleash a fully electric AMG super-sedan to effectively replace the GT 4-Door Coupe. That suggests a future where AMG’s idea of performance no longer requires exhaust pipes—but it still needs eye-watering acceleration.

More importantly, Mercedes is finally killing off the “egg-shaped” EQ look. The next wave of EVs will be visually aligned with their gas-powered siblings, which means your electric C-Class won’t look like it escaped from a wind-tunnel experiment.

The Real Money: C-Class and GLC

In Mercedes-speak, the “Core” segment is where the profits live—and where the updates are coming fast. The C-Class sedan and wagon are both set for redesigns, and the GLC and GLC Coupe with combustion engines will get freshened up to match their already-revealed electric counterparts.

But the big news lands in 2026: the first C-Class without an engine at all. A fully electric C-Class could be the model that finally convinces European buyers that EVs can replace their beloved diesel sedans without feeling like a downgrade.

Interestingly, the EQE and EQE SUV are expected to bow out entirely, suggesting Mercedes is pruning the early-generation EVs that never quite found their footing.

Entry-Level Gets Serious

Mercedes knows it can’t survive on six-figure S-Classes alone. A new-generation GLA arrives later this year, followed closely by a fully electric version wearing the “EQ Technology” badge. This is where volume—and profits—are won and lost.

Then, in 2027, the A-Class as we know it is gone. Its replacement won’t be a traditional compact hatchback but something closer to a small MPV-SUV mashup, aimed squarely at buyers who want practicality, tech, and a premium badge without stepping up to a GLC.

Also coming: a smaller G-Class (because everything cool eventually gets shrunk) and a dedicated electric AMG SUV designed to take on BMW’s M and Neue Klasse EVs head-on.

Mercedes Is Quietly Walking Back the EV Hype

Perhaps the most telling part of all this isn’t what Mercedes is launching—it’s why. The company has openly acknowledged that the real-world transition to electric cars is happening more slowly than the boardroom projections suggested. So instead of killing off internal combustion, Mercedes is embracing it.

That’s why models like the GLC 53 with a six-cylinder exist—and why a C 53 is on the way. Mercedes has realized that buyers still want engines with character, not just kilowatts.

The Strategy in One Sentence

Mercedes is no longer betting everything on batteries. It’s building a lineup where electric and gasoline models coexist, look the same, and compete on equal footing—while using high-performance AMGs and luxury Maybachs to keep the brand aspirational.

For BMW, this means a brutal fight in the entry-level and midsize segments. For drivers, especially in Europe, it means something even better: more choice, more engines, and more reasons to keep loving cars in an era that keeps trying to make them appliances.

And if Mercedes really does deliver a V-8 CLE, an electric AMG super-sedan, and a fully electric C-Class all in the same product cycle, it might just pull off the rarest trick in modern auto history—being relevant to everyone at once.

Source: Motor1