Mercedes-Benz

The automaker only announced the new 4-door electric sedan last spring and it’s already adding a new variant. The Mercedes-AMG GT 53 will be a new high-performance model arriving in US dealerships in 2027. Mercedes has used the 53 badge for its electrified 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engines. Now it will be applied to an all-electric sedan with a dual-motor 800V architecture, 536 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, and a 0-60 acceleration in 3.4 seconds.

I’ll let Jalopnik’s Daniel Golson set the scene for you:

According to documents filed with NHTSA, defective software was triggering a system reset that would result in temporarily blank screens. (If you’ve seen Mercedes’ massive screens, you’ll know that’s a lot of blank real estate.) Drivers could lose access to their driving information, which could cause a crash. The recall affects 144,000 vehicles built between 2024-2026, including the AMG GT, C-class, E-class, SL-class, CLE-class, and GLC-class.

The three-pointed star may have backed off its plan to sell only EVs after 2030, but that doesn’t mean it’s given up on plug-in power altogether. In addition to teasing its new electric GLC — including an illuminated grille with “a total of 942 dots backlit from behind” — the German automaker also plans to launch no fewer than 15 new EVs over the next two years, calling it “the biggest product launch program in the history of Mercedes-Benz.” No argument here.

The Samsung Wallet now supports digital key compatibility with Mercedes-Benz models starting July 2025, the company said. Samsung phones can already be used to unlock and start a variety of automotive brands, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Ram, and Polestar vehicles. Samsung has also been working with smart lock manufacturers to enable its phones to be used to lock and unlock homes and residencies.

Mercedes-Benz is building 460 limited edition G550 SUVs with retro styling that makes it look like an old-school G-Wagen. MotorTrend reports what’s up with the hilariously long name.

The automaker announced its upgraded MBUX Virtual Assistant at CES last year, which can carry conversations with passengers. However, it did not share the LLM partner behind the technology at the time, which we now know is Google Cloud with this new tailor-made vehicular AI Agent running on Vertex AI.

The automaker has received the green light to push new Drive Pilot software that enables its cars to operate as fast as 95km/h (just shy of 60mph) on the Autobahn.

After opening its first charging hub in Atlanta, which features 400kW chargers by ChargePoint, the automaker will now install Alphitronic HYC400 models at new locations later this year. It has two plugs, supports CCS and Tesla’s NACS, and features dynamic load sharing, i.e. one car can charge at 150kW while the other at 250kW. It’s part of Mercedez-Benz’s $1 billion investment to build 400 EV charging hubs.