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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.

Aston Martin V12 Zagato confirmed for limited production

Aston Martin V12 Zagato confirmed for production It didn’t take a genius to work out that the Aston Martin V12 Zagato would not just be incarnated as the Zig and Zag cars for the Nurburgring, but as a proper production car. Not a production car in the true sense, but a limited edition car much like the Aston Martin Zagato’s gone by. In fact we reported some time ago that we expected the V12 Zagato to start a limited production run of either 89 or 99 cars as soon as the Aston Martin One-77 ends production, and that the target price would be in the £300-350k range.

Subaru Exiga

Subaru has begun selling the new Exiga touring wagon in the Japanese market. According to the company, the seven seat Exiga was developed with 'panoramic visibility for the touring experience' and targets people who enjoy sports driving as well as practicality. Overall styling of the production car has not been changed much from the Exiga Concept unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.