New York – Under the heading “Vote for BlueTEC”, Mercedes-Benz announced it’s expanding its diesel offensive in the U.S. with vehicles that now comply with “even the strictest exhaust limits such as the Bin 5 and ULEV standards in the United States,” according to the company. These vehicles are also ready to comply with the future EU6 standard in Europe.
Highlighting this initiative were three new, “clean diesel” SUVs with the latest AdBlue injection technology -- the ML 320 BlueTEC, the R 320 BlueTEC and the GL 320 BlueTEC rolled out at the New York International Auto Show,
The focal point of Mercedes-Benz press conference at the auto show was the facelifted M-Class, which celebrated its world premiere as the ML 320 BlueTEC.
“The BlueTEC campaign expresses our ambitious targets for the U.S. We want to make diesel driving popular here again – especially for SUVs,” comments Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Management Board Daimler AG, Group Re-search & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. “The prospects for this are now even better,” Weber continues, “because, just in time for the world premiere in New York, we have become the first manufacturer ever to receive certification enabling registration of Bin 5 and ULEV compliant diesel SUVs, thus qualifying them for registration in all 50 states.”
Mercedes has been working for years to prepare for the return of diesel to the U.S. The decisive breakthrough came with the introduction of the E 320 BlueTEC in October 2006, which was voted “World Green Car of the Year 2007” in the U.S., followed by the launch of Mercedes diesel SUVs with CDI technology in 45 states.
“What began as a cautious attempt at a comeback, soon developed into a new diesel success story,” explains Dr. Weber. “The E 320 BlueTEC already claims 13 percent of E-Class sales in the U.S. Our diesel SUVs average 22 percent.”
These figures already put Mercedes-Benz well over the average diesel market share of 14 percent currently forecast by J.D. Power for the U.S. market in 2017. “With BlueTEC, we have the potential to build on this success.”
The BlueTEC SUVs, which will initially be available only in the U.S., are powered by state-of-the-art V6 engines. With 211 bhp and 540 Nm of torque, they bring refined and highly-efficient driving pleasure to the world’s cleanest diesel vehicles. Weber said, “With the BlueTEC diesel, our three new SUVs consume 20 to 40 percent less fuel than comparable gasoline models. They combine V8 torque with four-cylinder fuel consumption.”
Mercedes-Benz has considerably upgraded the new-generation M-Class with fresh design accents, and more extensive, even higher quality equipment. Now it’s up to the American public to show whether they are ready for clean diesel.
While the BlueTec onslaught was one of the most tantalizing announcements at the New York Auto Show the company had one more highlight behind the curtain -- the first public showing of the new-generation Mercedes-Benz SL luxury roadster.
Ernst Lieb, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA said, “As a design icon, the SL has embodied the fascination of the Mercedes-Benz brand for the last fifty years. The combination of classic SL styling characteristics with elements from the current Mercedes design language has made the new-generation more expressive and emotional.”
The new-generation SL is also at the top of its class in terms of technology. The four engine variants include two optimized six-cylinders, providing in-creased performance with reduced fuel consumption. The three-liter V6in the new SL 280 entry model generates 170kW/231 bhp. The high-revving sports engine can be found under the bonnet of the SL 350. Its output has been in-creased by 16 percent against the previous 3.5 litre V6 to 232 kW/316 bhp, while maximum torque is up by 10 Nm to 360 Nm.
With 9.9 litres per 100 km, the SL 350 is 0.4l/100 km more economical in the NEFZ driving cycle than its predecessor with 200 kw/272 bhp. At the top end of the model line-up are the V8-powered SL 500 and the twelve-cylinder SL 600. Their engines consume up to 0.4 l/100km less fuel than before. New to the SL are the AIRSCARF head-area heating, devised and patented by Mercedes-Benz, and the newly developed direct steer system, which increases the agility of the big roadster, while making it even safer and more comfortable.
With the ML 63 AMG, SL 63 AMG and SL 65 AMG, performance brand Mercedes-AMG also shines the spotlight on new models in New York. The new power SUV and the AMG roadsters embody the pinnacle of sportiness, individuality and exclusivity.
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