The next Mercedes-Benz
SL coupes will get more power, less weight and a few neat tricks,
including features named Magic Vision Control and FrontBass. We'll get
our first look at the new car at the Detroit auto show in January.
A few journalists were invited to take a sneak peak at the car during the Los Angeles auto show, but pictures and video weren't allowed.
What
we do know is that the car will have a shell made almost entirely out
of aluminum. This cuts 242 pounds off the body, while total weight
savings over the previous year's model will total more than 300 pounds.
Magnesium and high-strength steel make up the rest of the shell. The
body will stay rigid, according to Mercedes, with components optimized
for each specific task. Some parts are made by chill casting, some by
die casting, and all are worked to be just strong enough for the
application.
A variety of joining techniques are used, including
welding, hemming, bonding, bolting and riveting. The result, according
to Mercedes, is high rigidity, high safety and low vibration.
Magic
Vision Control is a windshield-washer system that sprays water through
the wipers just in front of the blade for maximum effect. Drivers won't
see a little water splash every time they spray.
The FrontBass
system puts speakers in the free space in the front footwell as opposed
to the doors. The speakers use the footwell as resonance space. The
company says this results in clearer sound whether the top is up or
down.
No comments:
Post a Comment