Sleuth: The Week of August 17

Hot off the press!

Mercedes hybrid hits power snag: Gas/electric hybrid vehicles are seen as the next logical step away from gasoline as a power source and most manufacturers are hitting the hybrid highway. However, Mercedes-Benz might have to put the brakes on its ML 450 hybrid plans due to a supplier dispute. Michigan’s Cobasys LLC was slated to supply the batteries for the Mercedes hybrid sport-utility vehicle ML 450, but Cobasys has apparently not delivered the goods, at least not to M-B’s satisfaction. A lawsuit filed by Mercedes-Benz claims that Cobasys failed to honor its battery supplying commitment and that it also tried to cover up its current financial situation, according to the Tuscaloosa News newspaper. Whatever the situation, the dispute means that Mercedes missed its June production goal for the ML 450 — which was slated to be the automaker’s first hybrid — with the fate of the program left up in the air.

Who’s gunning for the title of world’s fastest car? During the 1990s, the fastest “production” street car in the world was the McLaren F1. This amazing machine was eventually dethroned by the Bugatti Veyron, but it took 1,000 horsepower to do it. Now, Gordon Murray, the designer of the F1, is reportedly looking for a little payback. In fact Gordon Murray Design wants to build a compact and lightweight supercar with mega-power coming from a small displacement engine that would also have relatively low emissions. Earlier this year, Caparo, one of the investors in Gordon Murray Design, announced plans to build street-legal versions of its T1 track car and a small city micro car, code-named T25. The new supercar might not necessarily be based on or in any way be similar to the T1, and unlike the city car, it might be marketed and sold by the company, most likely under the Caparo badge.