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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.

Future products: Infiniti adds models at top, bottom of lineup

In an effort to broaden its product coverage, Infiniti will launch a more expensive model and a less expensive one. The brand also will get two alternative powertrain technologies next year. G25: The luxury marque's entry-level sedan will go on sale this month in a bid to reach deeper into the near-luxury segment.

Peugeot 308 is European Car of the Year: Geneva Motor Show

Peugeot 308 is European Car of the Year The Geneva Motor Show also means the announcement of the European Car of the Year for 2014, and the gong for this year has gone to the new Peugeot 308. It took a jury of 58 journalists from 22 European countries to decide the new 308 offers such an appealing package it is a more impressive car than any of the seven finalists left in its wake. It’s a very mainstream choice from the jury, some would say a surprise too, and will no doubt please Peugeot to have their fourth COTY title after the 307 (2002), 405 (1988) and 504 (1969) were previous winners.