Latest news with #Benz
The Citizen
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Mercedes-Benz changes its mind again: A-Class staying until 2028
Reported back in March as being discontinued next year, a new claim from Germany is that Mercedes-Benz has extended the lifecycle of the current A-Class by another two years to 2028. Change of plan First announced in 2022 as being on the chopping block, the current W177 A-Class, which received its one and only update two years ago, will become the longest-lasting generation yet, based on the latest claims. Supposedly part of Benz's range reduction strategy announced two years ago, in which it aimed to lower complexity by cutting its product portfolio from 33 to 14 models, the A-Class will now seemingly live on alongside the new CLA until before the end of the decade. 'It's not our goal to be a competitor of the volume producers. That's not what the Mercedes-Benz brand stands for. So stay tuned as far as our product portfolio is concerned,' Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius told Britain's Autocar in 2022 about the same time as the A-Class' pending demise. In a related statement, Mercedes-Benz's chief technology officer Markus Schäfer told Italy's quattoruote: 'We need models that work all over the world, including China and the USA. I know that the hatchback is the favourite in Europe, but it was not part of the plans and we had to make choices, even difficult ones.' Why the U-turn? Largely believed to be replaced by the incoming junior G-Class, called g-Class that will also succeed the B-Class, GLA and GLB, Mercedes-Benz production head Jorg Burzer hinted that ongoing demand had been the reason for the decision to continue with A-Class production for the additional two years. This is according to Automotive News Europe's German outlet, Automobilwoche, in which the executive also confirmed the end of the B-Class by next year as still being on the cards. As such, production will move from Germany to Hungary for the A-Class' final two years, hinting that another series of updates could soon be applied on top of those rolled-out two years ago. Recap Locally, the A-Class range spans six models, two hatches and four sedans, priced from R813 124 for the A200 Progressive, to R991 046 for the A200d AMG Line Sedan. In addition, the current AMG based models including three derivatives range from R1 173 973 for the A35 Sedan, to R1 457 119 for the A45 S hatch. This article first appeared in The Citizen. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
The Citizen
a day ago
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Mercedes-Benz changes its mind again: A-Class staying till 2028
Three-pointed star's entry-level model will continue in production two years longer than initially planned reportedly as a result of ongoing demand. Mercedes-Benz A-Class has had its its lifecycle prolonged by another two years. Image: Mercedes-Benz Reported back in March as being discontinued next year, a new claim from Germany has alleged that Mercedes-Benz has extended the lifecycle of the current A-Class by another two years to 2028. Change of plan First announced in 2022 as being on the chopping block, the current W177 A-Class, which received its one and only update two years ago, will become the longest lasting generation yet based on the latest claims. Supposedly part of Benz's range reduction strategy announced two years ago, in which it aimed to reduce complexity by cutting its product portfolio from 33 to 14 models, the A-Class will now seemingly live on alongside the new CLA till before the end of the decade. ALSO READ: Mercedes-Benz makes it official: Current A-Class will be the last 'It's not our goal to be a competitor of the volume producers. That's not what the Mercedes-Benz brand stands for. So stay tuned as far as our product portfolio is concerned,' Mercedes-Benz CEO, Ola Källenius, told Britain's Autocar in 2022 about the time as the A-Class' pending demise. In a related statement, Mercedes-Benz's Chief Technology Officer, Markus Schäfer, told Italy's quattoruote, 'we need models that work all over the world, including China and the USA. I know that the hatchback is the favourite in Europe, but it was not part of the plans and we had to make choices, even difficult ones'. Why the U-turn? Largely believed to be replaced by the incoming junior G-Class, called g-Class that will also succeed the B-Class, GLA and GLB, Mercedes-Benz Production Head, Jorg Burzer, hinted that ongoing demand had been the reason for the decision to continue with A-Class production for the additional two years. Current B-Class will still be discontinued next year. Image: Mercedes-Benz This, according to Automotive News Europe's German outlet, Automobilwoche, in which the executive also confirmed the end of the B-Class by next year as still being on the cards. As such, production will move from Germany to Hungary for the A-Class' final two years, hinting that another series of updates could soon be applied on top of those rolled-out two years ago. Recap Locally, the A-Class range spans six models, two hatches and four sedans, priced from R813 124 for the A200 Progressive, to R991 046 for the A200d AMG Line Sedan. In addition, the current AMG based models including an three derivatives from R1 173 973 for the A35 Sedan, to R1 457 119 for the A45 S hatch. ALSO READ: Not so fast: Mercedes-Benz A-Class renewed until 2026
Top Gear
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Here are nine of the best classic car interiors
Advertisement The most beautiful Benz of all time (fight me) also boasted a classically correct cabin. Big, slender wheel, sensibly situated vents, radio and switches, the clear, watch-like dials – it's still a paragon of ergonomic bliss. High-quality, for high society – cars like this cemented Mercedes' reputation for quality and craftsmanship at a time when the modern-era Audi brand barely existed and the idea of a mass-market Merc hatchback would've seemed preposterous. The Pagoda's probably a tad more timeless than the current A-Class's job lot of widescreens. Advertisement - Page continues below A simpler time. A time before iDrive. A time when BMW basically perfected sporty exec saloon design. It's just so wonderfully gimmick-free. A round steering wheel, dials you could read from the back seat through the wrong end of binoculars, and a dashboard console angled just-so to the driver. Not an ambient-lit heated armrest with integrated wireless tablet charger in sight. Ahh, the Nineties. Meet your heroes: the understated brilliance of the E39 M5 You might like Everything you need, and nothing you don't. Actually, the original Fiat 500 is missing quite a lot you'd need, these days – crash protection, sound and heat insulation, and any security measures whatsoever spring to mind. But just look at it – the idyllic simplicity and honesty of the small car that put Italy on wheels. Advertisement - Page continues below Of course there had to be a bonkers vintage Citroen in here, and what better than the wantonly wacky DS, with its single-spoke steering wheel, spindly gearchange, horizontal speedo and squishy, plush chairs. It's as comfy and idiosyncratic as, ooh, I dunno, a Salvador Dali exhibition in a bouncy castle? No, even comfier. Retro review: the Citroen DS The '59 Bonneville is one of the quintessential jet-age designs of Americana – it's got fins, chrome, loads of little aerospace nods and would turn a pedestrian crash test examiner's hair white at fifty paces these days. Loads of American metal from this era qualifies for ultimate interior design wackiness, but we've gone for the Bonneville because it treads the line between kitsch and caricature so cleverly. A real modern classic. The TT's interior was, fact fans, the work of the splendidly-named Romulus Rost, who also dreamt up the Bentley Continental GT's interior complete with its rotating Toblerone dashboard screen. Clearly not a man who enjoys exposed infotainment buttons, then, as the TT's trademark radio cover proves. From the knobbly air vent surrounds to the spars around the dashboard, the TT was the car that woke the world up to Audi interior design in a big way. Audi TT: Mk1 vs Mk3 It takes a marque as raving-mad as TVR to compromise something as fundamental as where the driver can comfortably hold the steering wheel, just so it can install extra gauges and an air vent underneath the steering wheel centre itself. The rest of the Cerb's interior is a crazy land of bulbous blobs and topsy-turvy leather hillocks. Quite some place to spend time, until the breakdown lorry arrives to get you home. Again. Nine of the best TVRs: a list Advertisement - Page continues below Striped seats. Dimpled gear lever. Austere, dense-looking dashboard. The GTI's template hasn't deviated much – it's one of the all-time hot hatch icons inside and out. Retro review: the Mk1 Volkswagen Golf GTI As the GT's from 2003, it doesn't seem old enough to be a classic. And yet, because it's so heavily inspired by the GT40 of the mid-Sixties, it certainly qualifies. This is one of the all-time great retro updates of a cabin – it's all so faithful to the original, from the dial layout to the holey seats, and yet it's very elegantly updated with tasteful switchgear. A true concept car made real, in fact. Advertisement - Page continues below
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Mercedes' Vision for On-Road Meetings
Mercedes' Vision for On-Road Meetings originally appeared on Autoblog. Mercedes [literally] means business If any normal layman were to think about the typical Mercedes-Benz driver, you'd probably picture an on-the-go, deal-making entrepreneur or businessperson. You know the type, someone whose day consists of nothing but constant meetings and calls while navigating between airport terminals, office buildings in the city and the suburbs, and onsite client visits and dinners. Although Mercedes sells its cars to all types of people of various stripes, it is leaning even harder into that ideal image more than ever. Starting with its brand-new CLA, it offers a mobile workspace designed to keep you productive behind the wheel, even if your email signature says you are on the move. That Teams meeting can be taken while driving Thanks to a new collaboration with Microsoft, Mercedes models will get a tech upgrade that turns the driver's seat into a mobile office chair, starting with the upcoming CLA. The highlight of the new in-car tech suite is an updated version of Microsoft Teams called Enhanced Meetings for Teams, which will let you join video calls while driving. The car's built-in camera lets other meeting participants see you in real time, so you can dial in and check in with your team without pulling over to open up your laptop. Though this might seem like a dangerous opportunity waiting to happen, the moment someone shares their screen to show a PowerPoint presentation, Mercedes says it's keeping drivers safe while in meetings on the go. When the camera is on, the car's display automatically disables shared content like slides or spreadsheets, so you won't have to take your eyes off the road. Additionally, if you're not in the mood to be on camera or if you do not want to show your teammates that you're behind the wheel of your Benz, you have the option to turn it off. The new Teams app also makes managing your workday from the car surprisingly easy. A feature called 'Next Meetings' shows your upcoming appointments, while quick-access contacts and an expanded chat function help you keep up with your team. Everything is voice-controlled, so you can write messages or jump into meetings without ever touching your phone or laptop. The CLA's in-car office features don't stop at Microsoft Teams. Mercedes is also integrating Microsoft Intune, a platform that allows secure access to business apps while keeping your personal data separate. This means you can log into your company accounts from the car, while your IT team handles security behind the scenes, just like they would with your work phone or laptop. However, what adds the cherry on top is the inclusion of Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft's in-house generative AI assistant, which can be used to summarize your emails, find client details, or help you prep for meetings. Though the GPT-4-based AI assistant is traditionally controlled similarly to ChatGPT or Grok with message prompts, Benz drivers can control Copilot in the car with simple voice commands and prompts. Mercedes says that by working with Microsoft, cars like the CLA can effectively be turned into a 'third workspace' alongside the office and home office. 'Through our industry-leading collaboration with Microsoft, we are making it even easier for our customers to stay productive while on the move,' said Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management at Mercedes-Benz Group AG. 'By integrating the latest Microsoft workspace tools directly into our new operating system, we've created an intuitive and safe user experience that boosts efficiency and reduces distractions at the same time.' Final thoughts These new features will roll out in the CLA when it goes on sale and will require the selection of the Entertainment Package Plus and a data plan, though availability will depend on the market. As someone with experience being on both the receiving end and taking phone and video calls on the move, it seems fairly natural at this point that we move on from offering just 5G-powered Wi-Fi connectivity and begin to integrate actual apps into the infotainment systems of our cars. Personally, I wouldn't use this in my day-to-day work activities; however, as someone who lives in the same area as some big-money Wall Street types, I expect to see some blue-shirted broker or analyst in their Benz close a deal or "provide some color" to someone while sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic in the near future. Mercedes' Vision for On-Road Meetings first appeared on Autoblog on Jul 16, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
I want to know what's in the Epstein files. But there could be a price.
I was watching the Benny Johnson show the other day, which I often do for my job, not my pleasure, when I caught an interview with Mike Benz, the former alt-right vlogger–turned–GOP conspiracy theory constructor. He'd been brought on the show to make sense of the bomb that had just been dropped on the MAGA base by Trump's Justice Department: The long-promised Epstein files weren't coming. There was no client list, the DOJ had announced in a memo a day earlier. Further, it said, Epstein had not blackmailed anyone and there was nothing suspicious about his death, case closed. Benz, like the rest of his MAGA cohort, was livid. 'Where's our WikiLeaks? Where's our Twitter Files?' Benz demanded. It was a telling admission — and offered a kind of warning about what might ultimately come from the release of thousands of pages of records, documents, and audio and video recordings related to the Epstein investigation and indictment. There's currently a strange moment of agreement between MAGA influencers like Benz, Democratic lawmakers and much of the mainstream public over publishing the Epstein files, but what each faction wants from them — and what they'll do next should they be published as a bipartisan group of lawmakers are calling for, on a 'publicly accessible website' — will probably ignite a whole new wave of conspiracy-mongering. For many on the far right and far left, it won't matter what's actually in those files. What will matter is what people want to find in them, and how fast they can spin it into content. The most red-pilled in the MAGA base want proof of a secret world order: one run by powerful (and often, in these fever dreams, progressive, Jewish) elites who prey on — and in the internet's worst corners, literally feed on — children. In this version, Epstein wasn't just a predator, he was a secret agent in a global blackmail network controlled by billionaires, the media and the so-called deep state. At the Turning Point USA summit last week, after an earlier Q&A included MAGA activists openly criticizing Trump over the handling of the Epstein files, Steve Bannon appealed to these conspiracy theorists when he told an uncharacteristically riled-up crowd that the release would answer a 'very simple' question: 'Who governs this country? The American people or the deep state?' Conspiracy theorists on the left, branded 'BlueAnon' by critics, have their own false fixations. Among them, an allegation — stemming from a now-dismissed lawsuit against the president — that he raped a girl procured by Epstein. (There is no evidence to support such a claim, and the story behind that 2016 allegation is more complicated.) This is the crowd of bipartisan conspiracy consumers that MAGA influencers like Benz are speaking to. And it's an audience researchers say can never be satisfied. Stephen Prochaska, a doctoral candidate who studies what's known in academia as collective sensemaking at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public, told me how it works: Conspiracy theories in the digital age thrive on a process where communities collaborate to interpret ambiguous evidence and create narratives. Sometimes known as participatory misinformation, the goal isn't necessarily to uncover truths, but to create content that resonates with the community's existing beliefs and to transform complex, sometimes totally unrelated information into pertinent, digestible and often misleading lines that can move the story along. To gut-check my unease with a public repository of the Epstein files, I called Joan Donovan, a researcher at Boston University who researches conspiracy theories and media manipulation. 'There will never be enough information to satiate the need for more clues for the next episode of this online conspiracy theory,' Donovan said. And we've seen how that ends. WikiLeaks published hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee in 2016 on a searchable website, which conspiracy consumers and opportunistic online creators mined to fuel a narrative that birthed 'Pizzagate,' the false belief that a pedophile ring was being run out of a Washington, D.C., pizza joint, and ultimately led to QAnon, a mass delusion that posited that these pedophiles ruled the world and that Donald Trump would stop them — a theory linked to multiple murders, kidnappings and various attempts to overthrow the government. With the Twitter Files, internal documents were selectively framed to stoke an irrational panic over censorship that sparked harassment campaigns against researchers and congressional show trials. In 2022, Elon Musk handed cherry-picked emails and records from his newly acquired company to ideologically aligned writers, who twisted internal debates over content moderation into claims of widespread censorship. As The Atlantic's Charlie Warzel noted, the result was 'a drawn-out, continuously teased social-media spectacle framed as a series of smoking guns.' Ultimately, the Twitter Files led to the shuttering of academic institutions that tracked misinformation and to a flood of harassment and threats directed at researchers who studied the phenomenon. Within both WikiLeaks and the Twitter Files, there was newsworthy content. They revealed a real plot against then-presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and the messy inner workings of a social media platform grappling with how to govern in an age of misinformation. But the actual facts got lost in a flood of conspiracy theories, fermented by a group project of people digging through documents, finding crumbs and spinning them into whatever story they wanted. Real people were hurt by these conspiracy theories, which traveled further and have remained in the public consciousness longer than any of the factual reporting. Similarly the Epstein files could address real questions in the public interest. About the source of Epstein's wealth (Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has been investigating these financial records for the last three years). About the full scope of Epstein's social circle — made somewhat public by Gawker's 2015 publication of his little black book — and what they knew. About the 'poor judgment' that led to a sweetheart deal by federal prosecutors that treated Epstein's victims as an afterthought. About how, exactly, a man in federal custody managed to kill himself in a facility so plagued by security failures that it was eventually shut down. For those late to the story: In 2008, Epstein struck a now-infamous nonprosecution agreement with then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta. With it, Epstein avoided federal charges and served just 13 months in a Florida jail on the charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution, with a work-release arrangement that allowed him to leave six days a week. More than a decade later, after dogged Miami Herald reporter Julie Brown renewed scrutiny in the case and fresh federal charges for sex trafficking and conspiracy followed, Epstein was arrested in New York. But before he could face trial, Epstein hanged himself in his Manhattan jail cell. It's likely Epstein would have been convicted; prosecutors secured a 20-year sentence for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime girlfriend and co-conspirator, on sex trafficking charges for her part in a kind of pyramid scheme in which Epstein allegedly paid minors to perform sexual massages and recruit ever-younger girls to do the same. (Maxwell's petition to vacate her sentence is currently pending before the Supreme Court.) The facts of the case were already fertile ground for conspiracy theories, but Epstein's death supercharged them. Over that weekend, Twitter lit up with claims that Epstein had become the latest entry on the infamous 'Clinton Body Count' list — an evidence-free allegation amplified by Trump himself, who reposted speculation that Epstein was murdered because 'he had information on Bill Clinton.' Now, six years later, we're in another frenzy over Epstein, this time sparked by the DOJ and FBI's 'case closed' memo and the administration's ham-fisted attempt to tamp things down. Trump has offered a dizzying set of reactions, including saying he didn't want the kind of supporters who fixate on Epstein or the files, which he now calls 'a big hoax that's perpetrated by the Democrats, and some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net.' After a report Thursday in the Wall Street Journal detailing a cryptic 2003 birthday card to Epstein bearing Trump's name, the president is calling on the Justice Department to seek the unsealing of 'all pertinent' grand jury testimony in Epstein's sex trafficking case. (Earlier in the week, Trump had used the qualifier 'all credible' to describe the kind of files he'd be OK with Attorney General Pam Bondi releasing.) But this won't quiet anyone down. Democrats, joined by a few Republicans who've built followings off conspiratorial clout-chasing, are still demanding a vote to publish the Epstein files. And maybe, just maybe, the files contain disturbing, disqualifying or even criminal revelations about the people in Epstein's orbit. Maybe, as some Democrats, Musk and a growing chorus of once-MAGA faithful suggest, the files contain details that would ensnare the president. Whatever the Epstein files end up being, as a journalist, I want them. But I also know what happens when a big, messy cache of information gets dropped into the middle of a post-fact attention economy. And I'm not excited. I'm nervous. The details of the Epstein case have always attracted conspiracy theorists: a rich man, powerful friends, real crimes, a sweetheart deal and a suicide. But the files aren't just evidence, they're ammunition. Depending on which citizen researcher mines them or which influencers frame what they find, the files will be used in equal measure to 'prove' Trump's innocence or guilt in all things, to confirm a liberal cabal and a conservative cover-up. Who gets caught up in the theories that follow — or the real threats those stories might inspire — is impossible to predict. If the past is any predictor, it's not Epstein (he's dead) or Trump (he's Teflon) who will be caught up in the new round of conspiracy theories. It's regular, innocent people. Prochaska, from the University of Washington, put it this way: 'What we think we're going to see may not be what we get.' This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
