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October 1st through November 1st 2011
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When it comes to engine suppliers, McLaren has had more partners than the girl you took home from the bar last night. It was driven by Cosworth for the first seventeen or so seasons on the grid, then switched to TAG-Porsche engines, won a few world championships with Honda, and even dabbled with Ford and Peugeot. But since 1995 it's been exclusively powered by Mercedes-Benz.

Until recently, the German automaker even owned a stake in McLaren - a partnership that extended beyond the racing circuit to produce the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren as well. Daimler has since divested from the team, though, opting to buy instead the Brawn team that was once Honda's and leaving many to wonder how much longer Stuttgart and Woking would continue working together.

Well, we just may have our answer. According to the latest reports, McLaren is committed to staying with Mercedes-Benz for the foreseeable future - not only through the end of its current contract (which expires in 2015 and would take them through the swap to turbocharged V6 engines in 2014), but for years to come.

This would seem to put an end to earlier speculation that McLaren could distance itself from Mercedes by either building its own engines in-house (as it has done with its latest road cars) or acquiring another team's engine operations (like those recently shuttered by BMW, Toyota or Honda).

McLaren's team leaders also dismissed any concerns that the Mercedes GP team could get preferential treatment from Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines (the outfit founded by GM and Roger Penske as Ilmor Engineering and which now builds Mercedes' F1 engines). They are, after all, separate enterprises that happen to share a name and common parent company, but not facilities, making the relationship between the Mercedes team and its engine supplier about as close as it is to McLaren, with which it's been collaborating for over sixteen years.

If you have, like us, been salivating at the notion of a new generation of Maybach and Lagonda ultra-luxury crafts built by Aston Martin, we've got some bad news: According to reports emanating from Germany, talks between AML and Daimler have broken down.

The proposal under negotiation would have seen Daimler outsourcing production of the next family of Maybach models to Aston Martin, which in return would benefit from Mercedes-Benz platforms and engines - not only for its svelte GTs, but also for its own future Lagonda line of limousines and luxury SUVs. That, and a boatload of money - or at least that's what AML was reportedly seeking, an issue that served as the stumbling block over which the deal reportedly collapsed.

That's not to say the two parties couldn't still reach some sort of a compromise, but short of that, Daimler may opt to either shut down Maybach altogether, find another partner, or take another stab at building new models internally.

Cadillac really is ready to challenge all comers in the luxury automobile segment, then Mercedes-Benz is a great target to shoot for. As such, perhaps it's not surprising that Caddy put together a video showing how it can easily dispatch one of the German automaker's products. The battleground is a straight stretch of asphalt with a starting line, finish line and hit-the-gas-now light tree. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a little bit of America versus Germany automotive action, no? Problem is, from our vantage point, Cadillac isn't exactly fighting fair.

General Motors' luxury arm picked out a Mercedes-Benz C300 as its desired target. There's really nothing in Cadillac's stable right now that lines up directly with the C300 (the CTS is too large and the ATS isn't here yet), so the American automaker decided to trot out... an Escalade.

Now, we're all for vehicles of different shapes and sizes lining up in one-on-one motorsports combat, but there's nothing fair about this fight. The C300 is an entry-level luxury sedan powered by a modest 228-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 engine (it's not even the most powerful 'regular' C-Class - that distinction belongs to the 302-hp C350). In the other line sits a gurgling, much more expensive luxury SUV with its 6.2-liter 403-horsepower V8 power plant loping eagerly under the hood.

Why not put an Escalade Hybrid up against an SLS AMG? If the 'Slade managed to beat that, then we'd really have something to talk about, eh?

Click past the jump to watch Cadillac show up a Mercedes-Benz that didn't deserve it.

Continue reading Cadillac beams over Escalade beating Mercedes-Benz C300 in drag race

Here at Autoblog, our love for the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen runs deep. It's arguably one of the coolest vehicles available in the United States, and it sits alongside the Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover Defender as seemingly unchanged stalwarts of the off-road world. Perhaps the best part about the G-Class, however, is that Mercedes-Benz continues to offer a high-performance AMG version, and according to this latest set of spy shots, it appears that the G55 AMG is due to receive a host of updates.

Most notably, the naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 from the current G55 is expected to be yanked out in favor of Merc's new twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter powerplant. This means the new AMG Wagen should produce somewhere between 525 and 545 horsepower, sending its power to all four wheels.

Additionally, it appears that a modest visual freshening is in store, with the G55 getting new side mirrors and a revised front fascia, encompassing what appears to be a three-intake design. New LED running lamps should also be in the cards, and while one G55 prototype was sporting a new set of wheels, we're hoping those gaudy rollers don't make it to production. Well, except maybe in Dubai.

At the heart of every dyed-in-the-wool car nut is someone who loves gadgetry. Lately, automakers like Mercedes-Benz have been fueling that symbiotic passion with a host of incredible on-board technology integrations. The SLS AMG Roadster is the latest model to flex its technical muscles with the AMG Performance Media telemetry system. The kit uses the central Command display to serve up a variety of information, from G-force load on the vehicle to power data and, most importantly, track times. It's all very impressive, and Mercedes-Benz says that the tech will spread to the SLS AMG coupe for 2012. The rest of the AMG line won't be far behind.

Now, as much as we like our toys, we have to say that the only thing we're interested in on the instrument cluster while we're banging out a few hard laps is whether or not the engine is going to vomit out its guts before we make it to pit lane. Anything beyond a quick glance at oil pressure and coolant temp is time we're spending not lining up the next apex. Maybe things are different in a Mercedes-Benz supercar, but we doubt it. Hit the jump to check out the tech in action.

Continue reading AMG Performance Media Telemetry display in action around Hockenheim

Back in the day, one team dominated Formula One like no other before it and none since. Michael Schumacher was driving, Ross Brawn was running the team and Aldo Costa was designing the cars. It was a winning combination, to say the least, one that yielded seven world championships. That was at Scuderia Ferrari. And now the three are together again at Mercedes GP.

Brawn and Schumacher working together at Mercedes is nothing new - it's a familiar relationship that has found its roots again under the Silver Star for the second season running. The news is the addition of Costa.

The Italian engineer was recently sacked by Ferrari after years of service during which time Costa had ascended to the role of technical director - one step below team principal and in charge of pretty much everything this side of commercial and political aspects. Ferrari let him go out of dissatisfaction over its (and therefor his) performance in recent years, but his former boss Brawn was quick to scoop him up.

Costa will now be serving as engineering director, staying back at HQ to design and develop the cars, as part of a new team that also includes ex-Red Bull man Geoff Willis as technology director (aerodynamics and electronics) and Bob Bell, formerly of Renault, as technical director, overseeing both. Official announcement after the jump.

Continue reading Aldo Costa joins Brawn and Schumacher at Mercedes GP