autos sport

Our intrepid spy photographers not only caught the Estate version of the facelifted 2011 C-Class, but this time they also managed to snag some pictures of the car's redesigned dashboard, which will be the same for all body styles including the sedan and the new addition to the range, the coupe.

Taking styling cues from the larger E- and S-Class models, the prototype C-Class facelift pictured here gets a newly designed instrument panel that extends to include the display screen over the new center console, which has new controls and air-vents.

On the outside, the light camouflage hide a series of subtle design tweaks that include gently massaged front and rear bumpers, small changes to the design of the headlamps and tail lights plus a more contoured bonnet and front grille.

There's not much info going around about the engineering upgrades, but buyers should expect some mechanical tweaks to improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions across the range.

The facelifted C-Class sedan and Estate models along with the all-new Coupe variant (see our most recent spy shots here) will go on sale next spring.

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Last time we showed you spy photos of Mercedes-Benz's forthcoming 2012 M-Class and ML63 AMG SUVs [confusingly, Merc uses the 'M-Class' title for the series and the 'ML' prefix for the model designation], both models were covered in heavy plastic cladding.

In these latest scoop pics of the flagship ML63 AMG, the plastic armor is gone and replaced by black tape, providing us with a more revealing look at the car's styling. The new M-Class features a 'boxier' shape and is evidently more heavily sculpted than the current model. It also gets the more angular grille up front, found on all the latest Mercedes cars.

The AMG-prepped model seen here, features some unique styling details such as the specific bumper designs, side skirts, spoilers and larger alloy wheels.

Underneath the sheetmetal, the new M-Class' chassis is shared with the new Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango models as one of the last legacies from the former Daimler-Chrysler partnerships.

Being an AMG model, this M-Class will no doubt feature several upgrades to the suspension, steering and braking systems, and most importantly, the German firm's newly developed 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine in place of the current SUV's naturally aspirated 6.2-liter unit.

We still don't know the output numbers on the ML63 AMG, but on other Mercedes models, the bi-turbocharged V8 kicks out 544-horsepower and 800Nm or 590lb ft in standard form, and 571HP and 900Nm or 663.8 lb-ft with an available performance pack upgrade.

Look for the new ML63 AMG to debut at a major international car show in 2011.

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With the Paris Motor Show just around the corner, you'd think that the interwebs would have something better to do than embrace wild rumors such as the Toyota FT-86 sport sedan - seriously, now.... But that's not the only story making the rounds on the web today. Several sites have posted the above photo claiming its some sort of leaked brochure shot of the facelifted / new / redesigned etc, etc, version of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. We have three reasons to believe it's a photoshop hoax. Click through to check them out one by one...

Sources: Edmunds & Autoweek.nl

Exhibit A: 2010 Mercedes-Benz R-Class Picture

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Exhibit B: Current Mercedes-Benz B-Class photos from the firm's UK site

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Exhibit C: Page 32 from the Mercedes-Benz B-Class price list, again found on the company's UK site

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Allegedly official photo of redesigned Mercedes-Benz B-Class

The next-gen Mercedes SL63 AMG has officially been caught testing, aaaaaaaannnd...there it is. Much like the SLS and recently-revealed CLS, the front end of Merc's new hardtop roadster will sport a more in-your-grille fascia (punny, I know). It's so blunt and brutish, I'd say the German firm's stylists could have been helping Dodge with the 2011 Charger.

Up front you'll notice the padded bra covering wide-mouth AMG intakes, while the bigger alloys are there to house bigger AMG stoppers. Suspension and other special bits will probably be as differentiated as the current generation's lineup ("sportier" and "edgier" and so on), and the interior should feature an SL version of the new kinked center stack we're seeing in Benz's sporty models.

As for the car's powertrain, no surprises here as the SL63 will be motivated by AMG's all-new 5.5 liter Bi-Turbo V8 (still don't like that it's a "63" model, no matter what reasons are thrown behind it) hooked to a 7-speed automatic. The engine currently puts down 536 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque in the facelifted CL63 AMG, but those numbers could be tweaked by the time the new SL debuts.

Much like previous models, we can expect a speed de-limiter and probably a performance package that would bump the hardtop convertible SL63s output up to 563 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque, throw in some bigger wheels and tires, and add some carbon fiber in the engine bay.

By Phil Alex

While there has been no shortage of spy shots and videos showing the upcoming next-gen Mercedes-Benz CLS sports sedan, to date, we didn't have any official material sourced from the Stuttgart automaker. That changed today with the leak of the car's official brochure that reveals the production-ready version of the new 2011 CLS inside and out, way ahead of its scheduled world premiere at the Paris Auto Show next month.

As we reported in July, the second iteration of the CLS combines the "banana shaped" body of the original model with styling cues from Merc's new design language. For the most part, the car's interior is almost unchanged from the CLS Shooting Brake Concept shown back in April.

While Mercedes is trying to keep a tight lid on details, we do know that the CLS is based on the new E-class mechanicals with which it will share similar powertrain options including a V6 turbo diesel, and V6 and V8 petrol engines.

The range will top out with an AMG variant sporting Stuttgart's all-new 5.5-liter bi-turbocharged V8 engine delivering somewhere around 540HP in standard form and about 570HP with the optional performance package.

Source: MB Passion , Via: eMercedesbenz

Mercedes-Benz just can't keep spy photographers away from its next SLK roadster. This time, the two-seater model with the retractable hardtop was spotted undergoing hot-weather testing alongside heavily cladded prototypes of the 2011 CLS sports saloon in the infamous Death Valley in the southwestern United States.

The 2011 model of the SLK will bring a more angular design themed after the SLS AMG 'Gullwing' supercar along with a revised chassis and new engine options that are said to include for the first time a turbo diesel unit.

While the new CLS sports sedan is tipped for a Paris Motor Show debut in late September, we're still not sure when and where the SLK will make its first public outing. Word on the streets says Mercedes may unveil a near-production concept model either in Paris or Los Angeles towards the end of the year. Either way, Stuttgart's BMW Z4 fighter should arrive in showrooms by next summer.

Via: Youtube/AMS

Our Dubai crowd appears to be on a roll lately. For the second time this week, a Carscoop reader from UAE's most populated emirate managed to snag a prototype version of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster on the road. Maciek also spotted the freshly revealed 2011 Ford Explorer in some funky black and white camouflage. Ford's people noted on the company's dedicated Explorer page on Facebook that the SUV was out hot weather testing in the desert. More pictures after the jump.

Many thanks to Maciek for the pictures!