Smart For Us Concept2

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Performance, Government/Legal, Design/Style, Luxury Perhaps more than most, Mercedes-Benz has proven to be remarkably adept at platform sharing, pulling and pushing at their various architectures to create new models. Take, for example, the marque's E-Class chassis, which in addition to sedan, coupe, convertible and wagon variants, spawned the CLS 'four-door coupe' - a model that itself inspired a whole slew of imitators. The rakish CLS will shortly spawn a load-lugging shooting-brake variant, too - Benz's offspring are having offspring. Could the same thing be in the cards for the SLS AMG? Mercedes has already extended the supercar's appeal with a new Roadster variant for 2012, but as Autoblog can exclusively reveal, an alleged German patent filing suggests that the SLS may be in for an unexpected third bodystyle - that of an unconventional four-door. As shown here, Mercedes appears to be considering a set of rear-hinged demi doors to go along with the vertically sweeping main gullwing doors that would give access to a small back seat. In typical patent-ese, the paperwork suggests that the automaker is particularly concerned about minimizing weight gain and preserving structural rigidity, though it appears there is no fixed B-pillar present. It isn't immediately clear if these alleged Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt documents are indicative of a production model, a show circuit-only concept, or just a bit of ambitious blue-sky designer thinking. For its part, when shown these documents and asked for comment, Mercedes-Benz officials wouldn't say anything beyond the standard "We won't take the liberty of sharing comments for any potential future products." We specifically asked if they would like to deny the materials, and they declined. The paperwork shown here doesn't give away much else, certainly not touching upon whether any modifications would be made to the SLS' 571-horsepower 6.2-liter V8 or its rear-drive power delivery. The drawings accompanying the filing clearly suggest an extended wheelbase to accommodate the extra doors, as well as what looks like a second COMAND multi-function control knob on the console between the seats, but that could just be a bit of artistic license or perhaps some lazy cut/paste work in Photoshop duplicating the front seats. Presumably, if a four-door SLS AMG were to come to market, it would likely come at a premium price for the extra engineering - the coupe model starts at $192,175 delivered, so we'd wager that the pricing would start with a "2" at the front, putting it in the hunt with cars like the Aston Martin Rapide and perhaps the Porsche Panamera Turbo.Four-door Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG suggested by patent filings? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Geneva Motor Show, Etc., Toyota Toyota has let slip a few additional teasers for the company's FT-Bh concept headed to the Geneva Motor Show in March. As you may recall, the vehicle is an engineering study designed to evaluate what kind of emission reductions can be accomplished in the city car segment without resorting to exotic materials or science-fiction drivetrains. Toyota says the concept emits around 50 percent less CO2 than your run-of-the-mill supermini thanks in part to the fact that it tips the scales at a feathery 1,763 pounds. The hybrid's aerodynamic shape and efficient powertrain also contribute to the reduction. While the FT-Bh isn't headed to production any time soon, there's a good chance some of the vehicle's tricks may show up on consumer models in the near future. Hit the jump to check out a short teaser video and the press release, and be sure to stay tuned for our live Geneva Motor Show coverage.Continue reading Toyota releases new FT-Bh teasers ahead of GenevaToyota releases new FT-Bh teasers ahead of Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments