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Mercedes-Benz S-Class EV

Increasingly stricter environmental dictates are making the rich man’s camel pass though the eyes of smaller and smaller needles to get to regulatory heaven. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is going to have to shrink somewhere in order to make it into the future, and it seems the company plan for that is to make an electric version, possibly even with lithium-sulfur batteries powering plug-in fuel-cell technology from the F-125! concept showed off at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

The technologies aren’t concept-only, or as out-there as using thorium for power, but scaling up to passenger car sizes and standards might be a decade or more out. The return: an S-Class with an emissions-free range of 621-miles.

That might sound like overkill, but as of now only one S-Class undercuts the European average for vehicular CO2 emissions. With the noose tightening in 2015 and even tighter strictures in 2020 and 2025, Mercedes will need to position itself for 2025 and beyond.

Venturi America EV Dune Buggy

Venturi was last seen in America a couple of months ago, blasting across the white crystals at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the guise of the Buckeye Bullet. At the Paris Motor Show, the Monegasque company revealed a different kind of terrain-blasting machine called the America EV Dune Buggy – a jacked-up, 300-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive electric sports car as open and free as the great land it’s named after.

The interior would be admirably minimal if things hadn’t got cluttered up around the console screen, but the center tunnel buttons are a chunky, metallic pleasure to behold. The single display in front of the driver will hopefully present information clearly enough to keep your eyes on the road and your hair in the wind. And we aren’t sure what kind of stereo is involved, but based on the speakers it looks pretty serious.

CitroГ«n Lacoste Concept

This is the CitroГ«n Lacoste concept, which the automaker describes as “an emblem for a state-of-mind” – that particular mental state probably including sun, sand, bikinis and Speedos. The open buggy-like four-seater with floating headrests is the opposite of “always more,” powered by a three-cylinder engine that will make its pace as relaxed as its occupants.

Fashion and four-wheelers combine all around, with the golf-ball wheels outside and bench seats with a polo-shirt-like weave inside. The dash that’s as wide as the car goes in another direction entirely, with readouts in giant pixels popping up and running along its length akin to a Times Square news ticker. And although we probably won’t see it on the roads beaches soon, there is a chance we could see it or something like it: FrГ©dГ©ric Banzet, managing director of CitroГ«n, has said he’d like to bring it to production. Ok then.

Toyota FT-86

The Wall Street Journal reports that Toyota management told dealers in Las Vegas there will be a production version of the FT-86 badged as a Scion model. The move would help bolster the struggling brand, which has been a bit product-starved of late. There are also rumors of a new price point – as high as $25,000 – and the possibility that the Subaru version will only be available in Europe.

While the report claims the FT-86 will be badged as a Scion, there is no definitive word there won’t be a Toyota variant as well. We’re sure to learn more this auto show season, as reports show that the production FT-86 could arrive at the New York Auto Show in 2011.

Auto Show, Safety, Ford Edge

When is aВ power 2,700 pound projectile? When little Muffy is riding shotgun, big old fuzzy head stuck out the window, tongue lolling in the breeze and all of a sudden master crashes the darn thing into some unforseen obstacle. In the interest of keeping pets safe, Bark Buckle UP, a pet travel safety organization, has some recommendations. Among endorsement of the Doggie Seat Belt and exhortations to take steps toward pet safety in the car, are some vehicular mentions. While pet safety is a laudable goal, this announcement leaves us feeling a little dirty, like it’s mostly a thinly-veiled ploy to sell stuff.

In any case, Bark Buckle UP gave its Top Dog awards away at the New York Auto Show, and the Ford Edge has trotted away with the Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice Top Dog award. “The Ford Edge is perfect for those traveling with pets,” says Ford Edge marketing manager Brett Burin upon the Edge’s crowning. Bark Buckle UP agrees, citing the vehicle’s combination of space, ease of ingress and egress for Fifi and Fido, rear ventilation and adaptability to pet gear as reasons for the win. Ford vehicles took four of the award’s ‘choice’ slots for 2010, with the Transit Connect, Flex, and Lincoln MKT also making the list. The other alternative is to avoid either having a dog altogether (they’re smelly, and they lick their butts) or don’t chauffeur your pooch around if you have opened your home to canis domesticus. If you’re a dog lover, though, you might want to check out the official press release after the jump.