Mercedes-Benz is hoping that its new lineup of hybrids and 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-8s will help it meet the current CAFE standards of 27.5 mpg, which will result in the auto giant not being fined millions of dollars like it has been for the past few decades. Mercedes also hopes it can continue to meet the increasing CAFE standards to prevent any fines in the future.

Since 1983 Mercedes-Benz has paid more than $200 million in fines (It is hard to decipher the exact figure that Mercedes had to pay because of the years that Mercedes was paired up with Chrysler). Those costs are then passed on to its customers. Mercedes made a payment of $28,947,776 to the U.S. government in December of 2008 for the 2007 model year, its largest payment ever.

BMW, who seems to also be working on meeting the future more-stringent CAFE standards, was fined nearly $250 million since 1983. Just to give you some scale, Porsche was fined a tad more than $50 million and Ferrari has only paid out a little more than $6 million for the same time period.

CAFE, or Corporate Average Fuel Economy, standards will be climbing to 35.5 mpg by 2016 and the fines for not meeting that standard will be determined by how far below the standard the car’s fleet average consumption was. You may recall that Porsche is lobbying U.S. legislatures to avoid the huge fines if it cannot meet the future standards.

Look through all the fines paid so far here.

[via NHTSA, AutoBlogGreen, and Edmunds GreenCarAdvisor]

Early this week rumors of a Maybach facelift begin hitting the Internet. Those rumors have now been followed up with talk of the Maybach brand slowly coming to an end.  In fact, both these rumors could be correct. Mercedes may be planning a mild facelift for the Maybach models before eliminating the brand and turning its focus on making the upcoming S-class more opulent.

Maybach sales have never been terribly high—about a third of rival Rolls-Royces— and with no new exciting products coming down the pipeline, Maybach just doesn’t have the brand attention to keep sales in the green.

[via Top Speed]

Hennessey, best known for slapping on massive turbochargers to Dodge Vipers, has released a teaser video of its upcoming Venom GT supercar. The Venom GT will use a mid-mounted V-8 to create more than 1,000 hp. The car will be based off the Lotus Elise but will be stretched nearly one foot in width and nearly two feet in length. The car will make use of the LS9 Corvette engine, twin turbocharged to develop as much as 1,200 hp; that power will be transferred to the rear wheels.

Initial performance estimates are nothing short of extraordinary, even to the point of seeming unreasonable. Zero-to-60 mph in 2.4 seconds, add another 2.9 seconds to get to 100 mph, and a top speed, which will exceed that of the current record holder, the SSC Ultimate Aero, of 272 mph. The brakes even offer performance normally retained for fantasies. Hennessey says the carbon-ceramic units are capable of bringing the car to a halt from 200 mph in just 7 seconds flat.

The car is set to be officially launched on the 30^th of this month and sticker for approximately $600,000.

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi has released the first image of its GT rollercoaster, which races two carts made to look like a pair of Ferrari F430 Spiders down two parallel tracks. Each cart holds up to four people.

Set to open in late 2010, the Ferrari World theme Park will be located on Yas Island in the United Arab Emirates and feature more than 20 attractions. The theme park is billed as the world’s largest indoor theme park. Yas Island as a whole will be constructed as a large tourist attraction—think Walt Disney World. Ferrari World Abu Dhabi will sit near a Warner Brother theme park, which will showcase the hallmark characters from Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, and DC Comics, a water park, and a Grand Prix track along with a plethora of other amenities including malls, hotels, golf courses, and marinas.

[via WorldCarFans]

Video Update:

Lexus is prepping a more-track-oriented version of its LFA supercar to be called the LFA Nurburgring Edition. The car will come with a large rear wing, front spoiler, a firmer suspension, and an extra 10 horsepower. The car will be available in four different colors, including the special orange you see below. With Lexus already taking a close gander at any interested LFA owners, we wonder if there won’t be certain guidelines that the owner of the special edition model will also have to meet.

The normal Lexus LFA is already off to a great start with strong sales in Japan. Power comes from a 4.8-liter V-10 engine that was specially tuned via Yamaha to create some testosterone-inducing music. The engine churns out 552 hp and 354 lbs.-ft. of torque, which is then run through a six-speed automated sequential gearbox and down to the rear wheels. All said and done it can rip to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and will break 200 mph. Prices for the LFA have been confirmed at $375,000.

No word if the LFA Nurburgring Edition will make it stateside or be limited to certain areas like the Nissan GT-R SpecV.

[via eGMCarTech.com]

Nissan has announced that the base GT-R model, priced at $80,790, will be dropped for 2011 and the premium model will see a price hike of $1,020 for a new total of $84,060. For the extra monies, the 2011 Nissan GT-R comes with a retuned suspension, strengthened rear bushings, and the addition of auto on/off headlights. Standard equipment levels have also been raised with speed-sensitive windshield wipers, USB iPod Interface, and DVD playback now standard. The optional equipment still includes a cold weather package (no charge), Super Silver paint ($3,000), ultra-high performance tires (no charge), and GT-R-logoed floor mats ($280).

[via Nissan]

The 2010 Miami Runway Shootout is quickly approaching.

Location: 54575 Tamiami Trail Okeechobee, FL 34141
Date: Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 8:00 a.m.
Cost: $450 per driver
Guest / Passenger Cost: $150
Spectator: $50 CASH ONLY

About: Exotics Rally is hosting its 3rd annual Miami Airport Runway event at Miami-Dade Transitional Training Center. It is renting a private two-mile runway for the full day, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. The event will be split into 3 sessions: a one-mile top speed competition, a straight top-speed competition, and head-to-head racing.

A comfort tent with catered breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks throughout the day is included.

It will also have a mechanic on hand for any quick issues and tech inspection. All vehicles participating must have seat belts and occupants of vehicle must wear helmets while on the runway.

EMS and the fire department will be on hand for safety.

More information is on the excerpt from an ad in our magazine and last year's video below:

One of the advantages to a car that sits 45 inches off the ground.

First we showed you the pictures that Mercedes has filed for the SLS Roadster patent. Today we bring you pictures that Porsche has filed for a patent on the Porsche Panamera Convertible. The lack of a B-pillar will likely mean more weight through structural-strengthening techniques, but we have to admit the Panamera may look better as a convertible than a four-door coupe-like sedan. The Panamera convertible will most likely make due with a fabric convertible top, like the rest of the Porsche convertibles. The only major change that can be confirmed via the pictures is the more rakish windshield with the A-pillar support, which adds a small quarter window to the front of the car.

[via Autoweek]

Rumors have been running around the Internet for some time concerning a SLS Roadster being unveiled soon by Mercedes-Benz. Images from a patent filed for the car reveal most of the car’s details. The SLS Roadster will likely employ a fabric convertible top and not a folding hardtop like the SLK and SL. With the absence of a roof, Mercedes will have to reinvent the way the SLS opens its doors. It could use a conventional door design or use scissor-type doors like those used on the SLR McLaren. Beyond the doors and the convertible top, the SLS Roadster should be very similar to the SLS Gullwing. Power will come from a 6.3-liter V-8 engine making 571 hp and 479 lbs.-ft. of torque. That power will be transmitted to the rear wheels using Mercedes seven-speed Multi-Clutch Transmission.

[via Carscoop]