#Mercedes-benzSlk

You’re a pragmatic sort of person. You want a luxury car; but you’d rather someone else pay for the depreciation. This list is for you.

The voting is in and the 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year is the Range Rover Evoque. The Evoque took home top honors after women motoring writers from 12 different countries chimed in with their votes.

Mercedes‘ Magic Sky technology might be making its way from car roofs to side glass, opening the possibility for an instantly-tinted rear window.

The 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year short list has just been announced, and women motoring writers from around the world will begin voting for their top picks.

Cutting a list of contenders from 300 down to 32, judges will now allocate points to the nominated cars that fall into four categories: Family Car, Luxury Car, Sports Car and Economy Car. Just one of the 10 criteria that cars are allotting points for is Child Friendliness, which is something vehicles aren’t usually judged on in a competition.

Winners of the 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year will be announced before the end of March, and awards will be presented at the Paris Motor Show in September. You can check out the complete short list after below.

With every new Mercedes-Benz refresh on an existing model, one can expect Brabus to not be far behind with a tuning package for it. The tuners at Brabus got to work quickly on the new-generation SLK, releasing both a styling package and power package for various SLK models.

It seems like Mercedes-Benz‘s new SLK-Class has barely rolled off the lots of dealerships and now the aftermarket already has tuning packages available for the German convertible. Carlsson, a popular Mercedes-Benz tuner, has revealed its tuning package for the new SLK-Class, which will comprise of a styling kit, suspension kit, new wheels, interior accessories and engine upgrades for various models.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK may look like just a gawky facelift. But under the skin and in its exhaust pipes lies a leaner, cleaner heart: the SLK200 with BlueEFFICIENCY, for example, reduces fuel consumption from 24 percent. Too bad it’s not available in America.

As the first compact convertible to come with a retractable hardtop, the Mercedes-Benz SLK has to be at the forefront of the segment when it comes to topless technology, and the new car is no exception.

Even though it’s been completely restyled and given a new engine lineup, the big news for the new SLK its its Magic Sky Control system, which is essentially a tinted glass folding hardtop that can adjust the tint from transparent to completely dark. Buyers who don’t want this sorcery can opt for a metal roof, but really, why would you?

Powered by Mercedes’ familiar 3.5L V6 and a new 1.8L turbocharged 4-cylinder, a 5.5L V8 is also expected for a forthcoming SLK AMG. The 302 horsepower V6 is good for a 0-60 time of 5.4 seconds while the 4-banger’s 201 horsepower should given it ample acceleration.

Hit the jump for the full press release

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz SLK