UPCOMING NEW CARS

The 125th anniversary of the world's oldest car maker brought a new version to the Mercedes-Benz Viano range called the Avantgarde Edition 125. Taking its place as the flagship version of the series, this Viano comes with a host of styling features including bespoke 19-inch wheels, chromed mirror housings, chrome trim on the front bumper, chromed side skirts and, finally, chrome trim on the tailgate. Exterior colors are restricted to obsidian black or brilliant silver.

Inside, the Viano Avantgarde Edition 25 can seat six passengers, two in the front and four at the back. The individual seats can be covered in “Lugano” leather or the new “Twin DINAMICA” microfiber surface. Mounted on rails, the rear seats can be moved in 25 mm steps and include height-adjustable head restraints and adjustable armrests. At the front, the instruments have a white scale illumination, while the sports pedals are from brushed stainless-steel.

There are two available V6 engines, a 3.0-liter diesel and a 3.5 liter gasoline unit. The first has an output of 224 horsepower and develops a healthy 440 Nm of torque (324.5 lb-ft), accelerating the 2 tonne minivan from 0 to 100 km/h in 9,1 seconds en route to a top speed of 201 km/h (125 mph). The gasoline engine puts out 258 hp and allows the Viano to complete the 0-100 km/h sprint in 10,4 seconds and achieve a top speed of 217 km/h (135 mph). Both versions are rear-wheel-drive and have automatic transmissions, while their suspension has been tuned for a sportier feel.

The diesel variant is equipped with BlueEfficiency technology, so average fuel consumption amounts to 8.5 - 8.6 liters/100 km, while CO2 emissions are 224 – 226 g/km. The Edition 125 will be available in two different lengths, compact and long with sales starting this spring.

Carlsson showed up at the Geneva Salon with a new version of its C25 supercar dubbed Royale. Based on the Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG, the heavily customized coupe with the fixed rooftop will be built in a limited run of 25 units. Company officials said six vehicles have already been sold and will be delivered to the customers in 2011. According to Carlsson, each C25 Royale takes six months from order to delivery.

Compared to the Mercedes SL65 AMG coupe-cabriolet, the C25 Royale is 180 kilograms lighter, thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber, which is found on the hood and the fixed roof. This contributes to a lower center of gravity, in addition to the revision of the weight distribution, both aimed at offering improved handling.

Other weight-saving measures include the fitting of a full ceramic brake system, which is 50 percent lighter than on the SL 65 AMG. The German sports car also features a C-Tronic Suspension system developed by Carlsson, which detects road conditions and driving style and acts accordingly. For instance, on bad roads, the car is raised to offer better ride comfort.

At the heart of the C25 Royale is the biturbo V12-engine, tuned to deliver753 horsepower and 1,320 Nm of torque (973 lb-ft), which is electronically limited to 1,150 Nm (848 lb-ft). These impressive figures allow the C25 Royale to go from 0 to 100 km/h in 3,7 seconds and reach a top speed of 352 km/h (219 mph).

The custom exterior styling is matched to a bespoke interior with Carlsson offering buyers a variety of choices in features and materials.

There are very few (if any) people that can lose control of their car at 199mph or 320km/h and live another day to tell the tale. But that's exactly what happened to a 28-year-old German driver of a black Pagani Zonda F and his 21-year-old [sic...] Lithuanian passenger, after the young man lost control of the $1.5 million supercar earlier this week on Italy's A10 autostrada.

According to reports from Italy, the driver was going around 320 km/h (198.8 mph) when the car spun out of control hitting a guardrail on the right, losing a wheel, overturning and then colliding with a Mercedes, with which the driver was allegedly racing on the highway. Both the driver and the passenger of the supercar, as well as the driver of the Mercedes, came out unscathed.

Italian daily Corriere Della Sera also reported that the owner of the Pagani Zonda F had been fined last April on the same highway after he was clocked traveling in a Lamborghini at triple digit speed.

If you have been following us here on Carscoop, you already know about the new C-Class Coupe from Mercedes-Benz thanks to a bevy of spy shots and more notably, a series of leaked photos that left little to the imagination. However, this time, its official with Mercedes-Benz releasing a ton of pictures and preliminary details on both the North American and European lineup.

As its name implies, Mercedes-Benz's newcomer is a two-door variant of the facelifted C-Class sedan, and it has been designed to replace both the CLK and CLC Sportscoupe. It sits right under the larger E-Class Coupe in Mercedes' range, offering the company a direct competitor to the BMW 3-Series and Audi A5 coupes.

From the outside and apart from the two door body style, the chief differences over the sedan model concern the more steeply raked windshield and longer sloping roof, the arched window line with an upsweep kink into the C-pillar, plus the redesigned rear end. The Coupe's front end is identical to that of the four-door model.

Inside, the C-Class Coupe sports the same updated dashboard as the rest of the range but features a four-seat layout with independent sports seats. The rear backrests can be folded to extend the storage area.

Underneath the sheet metal, the Coupe packs the same hardware as the rest of the C-Class family.

In the U.S., it will be offered at launch with two engine choices, a 1.8-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit with direct injection and turbocharging technology delivering 201HP and 229 lb-ft of torque in the C250, and a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 producing 302HP and 273 lb-ft in the C350. Both models are equipped with a 7-speed automatic transmission as standard.

In Europe, Mercedes has announced an initial range of three gasoline engines and two diesel powerplants, all equipped with direct injection and the ECO start/stop function as standard.

The diesel lineup includes a 2.1-liter four-cylinder unit available with 170HP and 204HP guises, while the gasoline range, a 1.8-liter turbo with 156HP and 204HP, and a 3.5-liter V6 with 306HP.

The most economical coupé model is the C 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY with a manual six-speed transmission and the standard ECO start/stop function, which has an average diesel consumption of 64.2 mpg UK, equal to 53.5 mpg UK and 4.4 lt/100km, and emits 117 grams of CO2 /km.

A BMW M3-rivaling performance version featuring the C 63 AMG's 457HP / 487HP 6.2-liter V8 is also believed to be in the works.

The new 2012 C-Class will receive its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show on March 1 and make its way to European showrooms by June and in the U.S. in September.