New Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive goes in to production

The first Mercedes B-Class ED (pictured) rolls off the production line in Rastatt With the BMW i3 grabbing headlines – and flying out of showrooms – as BMW’s first electric car, Mercedes need to play catch-up with a convincing EV of their own, and that’s the new B-Class Electric Drive – an EV version of the regular B-Class – which has now gone in to production in Germany. Built alongside regular ICE versions of the B-Class at Mercedes’ Rastatt Plant, the B-Class ED (Electric Drive) looks practically the same as its more conventionally powered siblings – although the front bumper does look a bit different – and has an electric motor good for 177 bhp and 250 lb/ft of torque, can manage a scoot to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds and has a range of up to 124 miles. The range – at least the quoted range – is a chunk better than the BMW i3′s and on a par with the latest Nissan LEAF, thanks to EV technology provided by Tesla, and the wrapping of an EV drivetrain in a conventional series production car could appeal to more buyers than the ‘statement’ design of the BMW i3.

Councils urged to shun yellow lines

COUNCILS are being asked to cut unsightly yellow lines as part of a Government drive to rid the streets of clutter. Local Transport Minister Norman Baker has urged local authorities to think about using restricted parking zones, instead of automatically opting to use yellow lines to control parking, particularly in single streets and environmentally-sensitive areas in towns and cities. Restricted parking zones require a limited number of signs which tell motorists if they can or can not park and during which times and are considered less intrusive than conventional yellow lines.

Porsche Macan production starts in December

The Porsche Macan (pictured) starts production in December with a bolder look It does seem that the baby Cayenne – the new, Audi Q5 based Porsche Macan – has been on its way for a while, but Porsche has now confirmed production will start in December, with first Macans hitting Porsche showrooms in early 2014. But despite the Macan having been spied many times, seemingly almost undisguised, we really don’t know what it will look like. That’s because Porsche’s man in charge of the design of the Macan - Michael Mauer – has admitted that Porsche has had to go back to the drawing board with the Macan to try and address its design in light of the huge success of the Range Rover Evoque.