Motoring – Mercedes-Maybach; MINI; Jaguar

MERCEDES has given further details about the change in approach to its car brand-ing with the launch of its most luxurious ever production car.

For so long merely designated by a letter or number, the German company is looking to broaden its appeal across all global markets. In doing so it has recognised that it needs to better classify its cars.

Hence, we have recently seen the launch of the Mercedes-AMG GT, a showpiece for the Mercedes-AMG brand – a name it hopes will eventually put it in the same league as BMW’s M division.

Its latest venture is in a similar vein but aimed at a different market altogether. In the luxury bracket the likes of Rolls-Royce and Bentley (ironically both now German-owned) reign supreme. Mercedes has tilted at their crown in the past but never quite been allowed in to their exclusive club.

Mercedes has therefore rummaged through its history books and come up with a name it hopes will allow it to be mentioned in the same breath as these British icons – Mercedes-Maybach.

Maybach was originally founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The The Mercedes-Maybach S-Classrights to the name now lie with Mercedes through its Daimler heritage.

The most recent incarnation of the brand was essentially a long-wheelbase version of the S-Class but while luxurious, the car suffered because of its poor image as a banker’s barge and came to characterise the worst excesses of the pre-crash econ-omy. Some even declared it the world’s most uncool car.

Faced with such a marketing nightmare, Daimler opted to cancel the project and in November 2011 announced that Maybach would cease to be a brand by 2013. The last Maybach was manufactured in December 2012. Unlamented, the model sold just 3,000 since its revival in 2002.

Now, three years after the decision to can the brand, it’s back as the flagship of the Mercedes fleet and in an indication of the markets Mercedes has in mind for the car it opted for a simultaneous launch in the United States and China.
At almost 18ft long and with a wheelbase of more than 11ft, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class – to give it its full title – is by any standards, big.

This is a car it’s better to be driven in than driven yourself. With an extra eight inches on the standard S-Class, rear passengers have acres of legroom and can keep themselves amused between deals thanks to a raft of refinements.

In addition to all the amenities of the conventional S-Class, a number of exclusive interior touches underscore the car’s ambitions. These include the exclusive May-bach perfume Agarwood for fragrancing as part of the “air-balance” package and two silver-plated, handcrafted champagne flutes (both optional extras).

Voice amplification is a novel function emphasising the car’s status as a chauffeur-driven vehicle. Much too vulgar to shout instructions in such refined surroundings, the system allows the passenger to speak quietly to their man upfront – maybe to take the long way to the office.

Citysurfer Concept gets MINI out of a jam

The MINI Citysurfer ConceptWHEN I opened my inbox to check on this latest release I felt compelled to check my diary – was it the first day of April?

But no, it really was headed “The MINI Citysurfer Concept”.

Sounds like some new beat combo or possibly Marvel’s latest superhero, I said to myself.
However, Citysurfer is – apparently – “an innovative concept providing increased flex-ibility for individual mobility in conurbation areas; Citysurfer combines the agile riding properties of a kick scooter with an electric drive and expressive design features in the style of the British premium brand”.

It gets better.

“The British premium brand is now facing up to the current and future challenges posed by the traffic situation in urban conurbation areas all over the world by pre-senting an innovative concept for flexible individual mobility. The MINI Citysurfer Concept closes the often time-consuming gaps in the transportation infrastructure of modern cities in a way which is convenient, emissions-free and also lots of fun.

“As a light and compact single-track vehicle in the style of a kick scooter with an aux-iliary electric drive, the concept study shows attractive ways in which its users can get directly to their final destination without having to consider traffic congestion, the shortage of parking space and the timetable intervals of local public transportation.”

With a maximum speed of up to 15 mph and an electric range of some 10 – 15 miles, the Citysurfer is – so MINI says – “ideally suited for day-to-day use over short distances”.

Power is supplied by a lithium-ion battery permanently installed in the frame; charg-ing is via a 12-volt automobile socket or household socket. It can also be charged during travel thanks to an F1-style brake energy regeneration system.
So basically, you drive somewhere, hit congestion, get it out of the boot and then scoot to your destination.

To me that seems to negate having a car in the first place. But then, what do I know.

Not resting on its laurels, Jaguar gives the F-Type some hardy improvements

JAGUAR’S popular new sports car, the F-Type is already proving a massive hit with customers around the globe.

But JLR is never one to rest on its laurels these days and has now given the car aThe new all-wheel-drive variants of the Jaguar F-Type new powertrain and driveline options intended to broaden the range from six to 14 models.

To enable the car to be driven to its full potential on wet, icy or uneven roads, torque on demand all-wheel drive (AWD) has been introduced to extend the F-Type’s per-formance and dynamic capability on all road surfaces and in all conditions.

Similar options are available for the XF and XJ – although not in Britain.

However, if anyone is worried about a loss of performance – don’t be. In AWD form, the 550PS F-Type R Coupé will accelerate from 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds, with a lim-ited top speed of 186mph.

JLR has also developed what it calls Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD, a system designed to exploit maximum performance potential of AWD traction while retaining rear-wheel drive character.

For drivers preferring a more hands-on approach, JLR has also introduced a six-speed manual transmission option for the F-Type’s rear-wheel drive supercharged V6 models.

The new 2016 model year F-Type range goes on sale next spring.

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