Christian Schulte Mercedes innovations from 2014
01.11.2013
G big words are written quickly and fade even faster, but what Mercedes is planning in the near future deserves the title of revolution. In 2016, the E-Class, one of the most important star cruisers, is breaking new ground in drive, electronics and interior. At the same time, the Swabian car inventor openly glanced at his colleagues from BMW: The straight six-cylinder is experiencing its renaissance at Mercedes under the internal code OM 656.
Mercedes is geared towards BMW
engine gourmets click your tongue now whether the balanced mass distribution and the associated high smoothness. But the reason why Mercedes dares to step away from the V6 with its E-Class is quite rational and is called blocking: As with BMW, all gasoline and diesel engines with three, four and six cylinders can be operated using the Lego principle build the same 0.5 liter units with identical spacing - commonly known as cylinder spacing. This saves time and money in development and production.
A new generation of engines at Mercedes is also due because the previous crankcase could no longer absorb the more than 650 Nm torque without complaint. And when that is already due, the step to a new engine block is no longer difficult. There will of course not be a suction variant: All engines are charged by means of turbo and are connected to a completely new nine-speed automatic converter or a manual transmission. The latter will not shift gears and will keep six levels.
For this, the drive train of the new Mercedes is preparing for a three-stage hybridization. It starts with a parallel hybrid with a 40 kW electric disc between the combustion engine and the automatic.
Cooperation with Tesla pays off for Mercedes
The 60 and 80 kW variants are against it intended as a plug-in hybrid - i.e. with an external charging facility. Their performance levels depend above all on the size and thus the current delivery capacity of the lithium-ion batteries. Larger batteries also push more electricity. The new Mercedes batteries will probably not come from Litec's own cell factory in Kamenz. The high-performance cells manufactured there are expensive and production is already running at full capacity. But Mercedes has a stake in Tesla, and in the upcoming electric B-Class fromMercedes put in the batteries of the American electric car pioneer.
The new plug-in hybrids hum at least 35, more likely over 40 kilometers, purely electrically and locally emission-free. According to the electronic-friendly consumption calculation formulas of the ECE R101, this reduces the pure combustion consumption by up to two thirds to less than three liters per 100 km. Only the Mercedes V8 remains comparatively untouched, apart from the usual optimization of efficiency and better emission control. More braking energy recuperation and significantly improved thermal management are also in the planning stage.
New Mercedes E-Class saves 20 percent fuel
Since the greatest potential for fuel savings is known to be in the driver's foot, it will be the same Also optimized: A new, haptic accelerator pedal is supposed to lead the Mercedes drivers to a more even driving style based on the navigation topography data with counter pressure. There will be no hallelujah from traditionalists, but the new Mercedes E-Class saves an average of 20 percent fuel compared to its predecessor. An urgently needed step, if Mercedes wants to come even close to the fleet emissions of 95 grams of CO2 per kilometer required by the EU for 2020. The body of the Mercedes E-Class fulfills its share with excellent Cd values of around 0.24 and a weight saving of around 100 kilograms.
Measures such as high-strength steels and aluminum chill casting push the next Mercedes E-Class open up to 1.5 tons - that's how much many A-Class models currently weigh.
In addition, the sedan and the Mercedes T-model hardly grow in size, but have air suspension. To this end, the coupé and convertible will no longer be built on the C platform, but on the E platform and will therefore offer noticeably more space than before, especially in the rear. This creates space underneath for another Mercedes convertible based on the C-Class. At the very top, Mercedes then puts the open-air S-Class on top. There are also rumors of a hatchback C-Class variant in circulation. By 2020, Mercedes is planning 15 new products that had no predecessor.
Mercedes is revolutionizing the interior
In the interior, another revolution is following away from the rotary push button to pure touchpad operation . The new Mercedes S-Class already uses a numeric keypad with an integrated touch function. In the Mercedes C-Class coming in 2014, the keyboard will be replaced by a small touchpad that, like the front of Spaceship Enterprise, hangs over the rotary push button.
A large touchpad solution with a completely new menu structure is finally planned for the Mercedes E-Class. Steering wheel controls are also heavily detoxified by Mercedes and instead of many buttons they have two multifunctional roller balls, as was actually overdue for the S-Class. The driver sees exactly where his hand is on the pad on the large screen. And the screens in the Mercedes E-Class shouldat least as big as in the current S-Class.
Fast ARM processors such as smartphones and radar sensors with a wider opening angle pave the way for even more extensive, semi-autonomous driving and parking that is initiated externally with a key. When it comes to networking and navigation, the Mercedes E is ahead of the current S-Class. Augmented Reality, i.e. navigation instructions displayed in a real picture of the surroundings, is intended to increase both guidance precision and information quality in equal measure. When it comes to interior design, the new Mercedes C-Class in particular will lead the way: it should be more emotional and much more valuable, with a wide and high center console.
New four-liter V8 with 500 hp
The even more dynamic equivalent of this cockpit can then be found in the new Mercedes GT AMG, a direct Porsche 911 Turbo opponent at a competitive price of around 130,000 euros - over 30,000 less than the powerful 911 costs. Classic round instruments with a more elegant look than in the Mercedes SLS form a contrast to the high-resolution digital displays. Like in an airplane cockpit, buttons for the multimedia system hang directly on the headliner. The air conditioning buttons are designed in the iconic, handy toggle switch style.
Interior designer Hartmut Sinkwitz can be proud of this cockpit and his boss Gorden Wagener of the whole look of the ultra-dynamic and elegant front mid-engine sports car. With its shorter wheelbase and crisper overhangs, the R190 looks more coherent than the somewhat too powerful SLS, from which the GT at least inherits the roadster doors. In the rear-wheel drive sports car, an aluminum body weighing around 1.5 tons with a 48:52 weight distribution that promises to be fun to drive meets a 500 hp new twin-turbo V8 with a displacement of four liters and over 600 Nm.
The power-to-weight ratio of around three kg per hp of the Mercedes GT AMG is directly on the Porsche Turbo level and promises an acceleration from zero to 100 km /h in far less than four seconds. Over 300 km /h should also be possible. The seven-speed transmission, borrowed from the SLS, is flanged to the carbon fiber cardan shaft on the rear axle in a transaxle design. Nevertheless, there is still room for two golf bags in the luggage compartment. The GT symbolizes all new Mercedes that want to be more emotional and functional.
