Mercedes-Benz made a flying start to 2001 with three world premieres at last month's Detroit Motor Show.

The spotlight was on the C32 AMG and the SLK32 AMG, above, which made their debut at Detroit. Both have identical 3.2-litre supercharged V6 engines delivering 354 horsepower.

Mercedes-Benz plans to build about 2,000 SLK 32 AMG a year with half of the production destined for the USA. The SLK 32 AMG will be available in the UK from late 2001.

Also unveiled in Detroit was the C-class estate. It goes on sale in the UK in mid-2001 and will build on the huge success of the previous compact Mercedes estate.

The new C-class estate completes the family of the Mercedes-Benz C-class. In summer 2001, both the new estate and the sports coup will go on sale in the UK.

The new estate has a long, distinctive shape. The rear seat cushions and back rests can be folded forward, either completely or with a 2/3:1/3 split to give a load surface of up to 1.5 sq m. A removable shopping crate fits neatly in the spare wheel recess.