Mercedes to bring A and B-Class to America?

Click above for more shots of the A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY

The move to smaller cars in the United States will cover nearly all vehicle classes, even touching such luxury car stalwarts as Mercedes-Benz. Fortunately for MB, the automaker already has a few small vehicles which it can consider selling in the States, and new rumors indicate that the automaker could be considering launching its A-Class subcompact and B-Class compact cars here. Buyers who associate the three-pointed star with luxury alone may be surprised by the A-Class, which is most certainly an economy car, albeit one of high quality. Interestingly, though, the B-Class was initially planned for the U.S. market but was dropped shortly before launch due to the poor Euro-to-Dollar ratio. That particular situation has only gotten worse, but the rising price of gasoline may prompt Mercedes-Benz to reconsider that decision anyway.

It would be pure speculation, but we wonder if Mercedes has some excess capacity at its SUV plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. If so, the automaker could retool the plant for the new small cars, a move which could alleviate some of the poor exchange rate issues. We'll cast our official vote for the A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY that gets 52mpg (U.S.). In any case, don't expect to see the new models in the U.S. until 2011 or so.

2010 Mercedes E-Class

Its a spy shots of the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz E Class, which was caught in the desert. The test mule still a bit of camo on it, but you can clearly see a lot of the new sheetmetal. Previous photos see here. The car is rumored to be making its official debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2008.

As you see, it looks like the S-Class wheel arches haven’t made it to the new E, which resembles M-B’s C Class instead.

Audi A4, Q5 could be built Stateside

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Audi Q5.

Taking a lesson from BMW, who have been successfully manufacturing cars and SUVs in Spartanburg, South Carolina for more than a decade, Audi may seek manufacturing capabilities for their A4 sedan and Q5 SUV in the States. The new Volkswagen factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee, just announced last week, may be tasked with building upwards of 200,000 vehicles per year -- including the two Audis. Estimated to cost $973.5 million, the 1,359 acre plant is large enough to handle the domestic production for VW, Audi, and even shareholder Porsche... although the proud automaker from Stuttgart vehemently denies even considering it.

Audi RS4 and RS5 to keep V8s

There have been countless conflicting reports about what will power the next generation Audi RS4 and the forthcoming RS5. Fourtitude had heard the rumors and decided to go straight to its sources for clarification. While the four-ringed obessesives weren't able to divulge the identity of their insiders (neither did CAR, which published of one the first stories about future RS powertrains), Fourtitude may have put to rest the rumblings that the next RS4 would ditch it's V8 in favor of a supercharged six.

According to Fourtitude, the 4.2-liter FSI V8 will soldier on in the RS4, and will also find a home in the RS5, which is currently undergoing testing both in Germany and the U.S. While a boost in output wasn't divulged, engineers will supposedly keep displacement the same, while decreasing frictional losses and possibly incorporating a new version of Audi's Valvelift system. If all goes according to plan, expect at least 450 hp from the direct-injected 4.2 and don't be surprised to find the tweaked V8 in the revised R8 around the same time.

2010 Porsche Cayman - Rendered Speculation Leaked

Hey there petrol-fueled-heart people. Did you hear that Porsche is planning to hit us in the near future with a new Cayman and a new Boxter S? If you didn’t, here’s the news.

We all knew Porsche was up to something, but we didn’t know what exactly. Apparently the new Cayman and Boxter will get direct injection, the new seven speed PDK transmission for faster shifts than the conventional six-speed manual box and a limited slip differential. Now stop your WOWs because there’s more. Because of all these, the Cayman is getting a 25 hp boost up to 320 hp and a 273 lb-ft torque.The other models won’t get direct injection, but something else. A displacement bump from 2.7- to 2.9-liters and a corresponding jump to 265 hp. The Boxster and Boxster S each will come with 10 fewer horsies under the hood, than the Cayman.

There’s also a Sport Chrono package included, that will be available along with Launch Control.

Seems like a good change under the hood, but do you have anything for us on the outside? Guess not now!

What Did You Do This Weekend?

Yesterday, Ryan and I went to the motorcycles races down at Pacific Raceways, and even though I came home with a wicked sunburn, I had a blast. While this was an amateur event, the folks from the Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association clearly aren't fooling around, and there was plenty of serious hardware in the pits. Along with the vintage bike classes葉he tires are so skinny! 葉here were races for 600s, 750s, 1000cc twins and an anything-goes class where all the insane liter bikes went head-to-head. I'll have pics posted in the events section tomorrow, but for now, make sure to check out this clip of some bikes whipping down the straight, and don't miss the photos of the sidecar bike after the jump. Riding on that little platform at triple-digit speeds must be one hell of a rush! What did you do this weekend?

Fuel Cell Motorcycles: Eco-Friendly, Rider Hostile?

While I love the concept of a hyper-efficient, totally green motorcycle, I have to admit that Intelligent Energy's ENV Bike does sketch me out. Why exactly? Well, since the power comes from a fuel cell, it's whisper quiet, which just seems dangerous on a bike. And seriously, most drivers have a hard enough time looking out for two-wheelers as it is, so riding a silent one seems like asking for trouble. If my paranoia hasn't rubbed off on you, head over to Wired and check out the gallery of eco-friendly bikes.