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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.

How to be an EV Evangelist

It was called a webinar but it seemed more like EV evangelism to us. Electric car advocacy group Plug In America spent an hour this week on the Internet telling 91 true believers how to spread the message of the kilowatt to those who still believed internal combustion was the only way to go. “People need to be convinced that they will like a plug-in vehicles,” said Plug In America board member Chad Schwitters online.

Spyker confirms new Saab 9-3 coming in 2012

Spyker, Saab’s new supercar-building owner, has outlined its plans for the brand – which include a new 9-3 range – ahead of an extraordinary general meeting on 12 February where it hopes its shareholders will ratify its purchase of the ailing Swedish car company. If it gets the green light, Spyker and Saab will be renamed as Saab Spyker Automobiles NV – though each company will operate separately – and Saab will be positioned as 'an independent performance-oriented niche car company with an industry-leading environmental strategy'.  Up first is the new 9-5 – which will be launched this summer – followed by an Estate version and an Audi Allroad-aping 9-5X. The new Cadillac SRX-based 9-4X SUV will arrive in early 2011, and Spyker is plotting the new 9-3 a year later.