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Mercedes SLS AMG (2009): official photos and sketches

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 08 April 2009 09:55 These are the first interior photos and exterior design sketches of Mercedes’ SLS AMG, the 563bhp gullwing-door successor to the SLR that will be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2009.  The official sketch reveals a bold grille with – you guessed it – the three-pointed star hogging centre stage, sweptback headlamps (Nissan GTR, anyone?), deeply scalloped side gills and a low, pillarbox-style glasshouse. Not forgetting, of course, the gullwing doors that ape the 1950s original. That it’s a mixture of unique fixtures and fittings, plus a couple of disappointing parts lifted from lesser Mercs.

Hot seats: from design to delivery [sponsored]

As the user demands on car interiors are increasingly influenced by their growing design consciousness, so suppliers like Lear strive to bring better-engineered seating to satisfy. 2013 was another big year for Lear, as Jeanette Puig-Pey, its global fabric & leather design manager, enthuses: "At our ‘Design2Perform' event we celebrated the unveiling of our brand new collection, with special emphasis on color and texture and our TeXstyle Enhance product, perfect for customization. Laser etching is part of this offering, it is exclusive to Lear Corporation and can be used to add refined design elements to cloth and leather." A mix of fabric and leather in seating is not new but is often seen by the consumer as a cheaper alternative to full leather.

Infiniti Q50 to arrive at Geneva 2013 with ‘European Power’

The new Infiniti Q50 – the Infiniti formerly known as the G37 – will make its European debut at Geneva 2013 with a diesel and turbo petrol option. The Infiniti Q50 debuted at the Detroit Auto Show last month and came with the same two engine options the G37 got, namely the 3.7 litre V6 petrol with 323bhp and a 3.5 litre V6 hybrid sporting a total of 355bhp. But that engine lineup isn’t going to be enough to make sales of the new Q50 in Europe, where fuel costs so much more than in Infiniti’s core U.S.