New Hyundai Sante Fe is the safest car in its class

The 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has been revealed as the safest car in its class by Euro NCAP, ahead of cars like the new Range Rover. But looking good and driving well are just part of the motivation for car buyers, with many wanting to make sure they carry their loved ones around in a car that not only appeals with its design and driving, but one which offers as much safety as modern technology can provide. So Hyundai has something to crow about this morning with the news that the new Santa Fe has been revealed as the safest car in its class in 2012 by Euro NCAP – those nice people who destroy cars to see just how well bolted together they are – beating others in the ‘Large Off-Road 4×4′ category like the new Mercedes M Class and new Range Rover in the process.

Mercedes-Benz axes Maybach

High ranking Mercedes-Benz sources have confirmed to Autoweek that the underperforming Maybach brand will be officially killed off in 2013. The decision to disband Mercedes-Benz’s upper luxury marque comes after a decade of disappointing sales for the Maybach 57 and 62 and a recent decision from the German car maker’s chairman Dieter Zetsche not to push ahead with the development replacement models – the likes of which were tentatively due out in 2014 – owing to what one insider describes as a “positive move to focus greater attention on the Mercedes-Benz brand” . “We’ve come to the conclusion that it is better to cut our losses with Maybach than to continue into an uncertain future with a brand that has failed to live up to original sales expectations," the insider said.

Mercedes S-Class Coupe: Frankfurt 2013

The Mercedes S-Class Coupe (pictured) arrives in concept guise at Frankfurt The Mercedes CL was never really the big seller you might expect a coupe version of probably the best saloon car in the world – the Mercedes S Class – to be, But that could change with the new Mercedes S-Class Coupe, revealed today at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a concept. The Concept S-Class Coupe – which looks pretty much production-ready – comes complete with a new look, a look that reflects Mercedes’ recent design changes with a clear feel of a grown-up CLA in its lines. The long bonnet, raised line running from the front wings to the back wheelarch, no B-pillar, and a nose that takes the good-looking front of the CLA as its cue – but takes it a step further – makes the S-Class Coupe look like a proper Mercedes in its own right and not just a two-door version of the S-Class.