Mercedes GLA SUV UK launch down a salt mine in Cheshire

The new Mercedes GLA down a salt mine in Cheshire Trying to find an unusual venue for new car launches is something that taxes the brains of car PR teams, and Mercedes came up with somewhere a little left field for the launch of the new GLA Compact SUV – the UK’s biggest salt mine at Winsford in Cheshire. The Winsford Rock Salt Mines – 130 miles of salt mining tunnels running under Cheshire – are the result of salt mining since the 19th century and now comprise of 130 miles of tunnels some 189 metres below ground, a void beneath the earth of 23 million cubic metres. Still a working salt mine, Winsford is also home to a massive storage facility for, among others, the National Archive, where constant temperatures of 14C make for an ideal storage environment.

Mercedes shows GLA45 AMG concept

Mercedes-AMG showed its take on a compact high-performance SUV at the 2013 Los Angeles Auto Show with the Concept GLA45 AMG. AMG says along with the distinctive design, power comes from the world’s most authoritative four-cylinder series production engine. That would be the AMG 2.0-liter turbocharged four, producing 355 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque.

Britain's best cars revealed: UK Car of the Year 2014

The inaugural UK Car of the Year Awards have been announced - naming the best models on sale in Britain today. MSN Cars' managing editor Tim Pollard was one of 27 UK judges, who have voted on the best cars in 11 categories. The first award goes to the Jaguar F-type, which picked up the best open-top car gong.