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Mercedes-Benz CL gets a facelift for 2011

Three years after its introduction, Mercedes-Benz has given the CL a mid-cycle facelift, providing the big two-door with lightly altered bumpers--those up front with new LED daytime running lamps, reshaped headlamps, a more contoured hood, larger exterior mirrors with integrated indicators and revised tail-lamp lenses, among other detailed visual changes. More significant than the styling tweaks, however, are the changes underneath the hood, with the arrival of a new twin-turbocharged 4.6-liter V8 direct-injection gasoline engine--the first of Mercedes-Benz's advanced MoVe powerplants that aim to bring efficiency gains to its lineup. With 429 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, the new engine delivers 47 hp and 125 lb-ft more than the naturally aspirated 5.5-liter V8 it replaces in the four-year-old CL500--enough to lower the luxury coupe's 0-to-62-mph time by 0.5 second to 4.9 seconds.

Video: Jan Kaul explains Mercedes-Benz A-Class' interior

Mercedes-Benz has released a video exploring the interior of its new A-Class featuring the designer who headed the project. Jan Kaul explains in the video how the inspiration behind the interior was the subject of aviation, the same inspiration that produced the Concept A-Class show car. "The theme running through the design of the A-Class was definitely ‘less is more,'" says Kaul.

Four-door version of Fiat 500 coming to North America

Fiat is bringing a four-door version of the 500 small car to North America, three company sources say. The vehicle will appear in Europe at the end of 2011. Timing for the United States is still uncertain.