| Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. Time to say goodbye: The E92 BMW M3 coupe is no more, and the last M3 convertible will roll off the production line in September. The coupe's successor is to be called the M4; the M3 moniker will henceforth be reserved for the 3-series performance sedan. With its heavy folding metal top, the M3 convertible is not the most purist-friendly of BMW's M-badged offerings, but it is significant nonetheless for being the last M model with a naturally aspirated engine. The unique 4.0-liter V-8, derived from the last-generation M5′s 5.0-liter V-10, will make way for a heavily modified variation of the N55 3.0-liter inline-six from the 335i/435i. Audi nostalgics might wish to bid a farewell to the SEAT Exeo, which is nothing less than a slightly modified Audi A4 B7 with SEAT-specific front- and rear-end styling. It also is fitted with the A4 B7 cabriolet's unique dashboard. I found it to be a more than adequate offering in its class, superior to many competitors despite its aging platform—and priced competitively. The top engine was a 211-hp 2.0-liter four, unless you were the brand's chief designer. Luc Donckerwolke's Exeo company car sounded suspiciously like an Audi S4, meaning it may have had a 344-hp V-8 under the hood . . . While the Exeo sedan does not get a direct successor, the Exeo station wagon is (sort of) replaced by the Leon ST (pictured above), a sibling of the Volkswagen Golf Mk VII Variant. The Leon ST's edgy look is more appealing than the VW wagon's somber look, especially given the SEAT's full-LED headlights and muscular shoulder line. It is one of the best works yet by Donckerwolke's successor, Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos.  The Chevrolet Cruze: American car, German diesel technology. Bosch Goes Ga-Ga for Diesels If there's one supplier that knows diesels, it is Bosch. The Stuttgart-based juggernaut is betting strongly on a surge of diesel interest in the U.S. market and says that by 2017, there will be more than 60 diesel vehicles available here. For the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel (actually the vehicle's name), Bosch supplies the engine control unit, fuel-injection system, ceramic glow plugs, and exhaust treatment technology. Bosch is hoping to capture a large piece of this type of business as other carmakers expand their diesel offerings. Fiat is just now launching the 500L in the U.S., and American versions get only a 160-horsepower turbocharged 1.4-liter four. That engine isn't even available in Europe. The Old World gets the choice of a naturally aspirated 1.4-liter four with 94 horsepower, or a ridiculously buzzy turbocharged 0.9-liter two-cylinder with 104 horsepower. Moreover, there are two diesels: a 1.3-liter with 84 horsepower and a 1.6-liter with 104 horsepower. My spoiled Michigan-based colleagues found that even the higher-output U.S.-market 500L turbo's acceleration trails off beyond city speed . . .  Benz aims for the top – eventually. Benz Numbers and Plans In a conference call with financial journalists this week, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said that he is aiming for the top of the U.S. luxury market, but "it is not about pulling gimmicks to get ahead." Taking a hit at BMW without explicitly naming the rival, Zetsche said "[Mercedes-Benz] were ahead until November, but in December, things took a different direction." The demand for new vehicles "will lead us to the top, but it does not matter whether that is this year, next year, or the year after that." Zetsche is optimistic that the Chinese market won't bottom out hard, but he added ironically that "if such a thing should happen, we have less of a risk position than our direct competitors." Mercedes-Benz is still trailing other luxury car brands in China.
Down the road, it will be less likely than ever that your Mercedes-Benz is actually made in Germany. The mix between German-built Benzes and those manufactured elsewhere, such as the U.S. and China, is currently somewhere between 75/25 and 70/30. "By the end of the decade, it will be closer to 50/50," Zetsche predicted, "not because we will make less cars in Germany. But the growth will happen elsewhere." Next year will see the debut of the GLA crossover, the next-generation C-class, the next-generation Smart, and the successor to the Vito mid-size van that it positioned below the Sprinter and may eventually be offered in the U.S. The company's growth strategy might work out handsomely.  from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com | |||
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