Raymarine Raystar 120 125 Nmea2000 Alternative = Garmin Gps17x W/seatalk Ng Conv on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes to sell Sprinter vans through its own stores

Mercedes-Benz USA is getting back into the commercial-van business Jan. 1 and will appoint up to 120 dealers to sell Sprinter vehicles. That means Mercedes will yank the Sprinter from nearly 350 Dodge dealers who now carry the van.

Mercedes-Benz reveals SLS E-Cell performance data

Mercedes-Benz has lifted the veil of secrecy on the plug-in-electric propulsion system of its upcoming SLS E-Cell, first revealed in concept form at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show. Set to go into limited production in early 2013, the zero-emission version of the German carmaker's signature gullwing coupe is set to rival a raft of new high-priced electric or hybrid supercars due out in the not-too-distant future, including the Audi E-tron, the BMW i8, the Jaguar C-X75 and the Porsche 918. The car is undergoing development at Mercedes-Benz's performance-car AMG unit and its British-based sister company, AMG High Performance Powertrains--the company behind Mercedes' latest 2.4-liter V6 Formula One race engine.

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.