BLUETEC: The Cleanest Diesel in the World

BLUETEC – leading-edge drive system

High torque and pulling power even at low engine speeds, impressive range and economic efficiency are decisive factors in the buying decisions of most motorists, including those in the US. Vehicles equipped with sophisticated diesel engines made by Mercedes-Benz are ideal for fulfilling these criteria, since they minimize fuel consumption while maximizing torque, range and driving enjoyment. In addition, they are extremely robust. Accompanied by innovative BLUETEC technology, this power-train has the potential to fulfill even the most stringent of emission requirements world-wide and specifically, in all 50 US states. Furthermore, it is ideally suited to the vehicle genres that are popular in the US such as large luxury sedans, SUVs, mini-vans, trucks and pickups. In addition, diesel really comes into its own in the traffic conditions that prevail in the US; steady cruising speeds on highways and long city-to-city distances.

This is even more important in a global situation in which energy and crude oil costs are expected to rise over the longer term. Diesel engines consume between 20 and 40 percent less fuel than their gasoline counterparts. In Western Europe, where fuel prices are double what they are in the US, a large number of motorists have already made the switch. More than half of European customers now opt for diesel passenger cars.

As fuel prices continue to rise in the US over the longer term, fuel economy will become a more important criterion when buying a new car. This is why analysts expect demand for clean diesel drive systems such as Mercedes-Benz BLUETEC to increase in the US, as in other countries. J.D. Power and Associates, a leading market research institute, forecasts that the market share for diesel passenger cars in the US, which currently stands at around 3.4 percent, will quadruple by the year 2015. Mercedes-Benz is convinced that, once BLUETEC technology has established itself, this forecast will appear conservative rather than optimistic.

Customers who opt for diesel models are especially appreciative of their excellent fuel consumption figures in real day-to-day driving conditions, which are very close to and sometimes even better than the officially quoted fuel consumption figures. One example of this was seen in a long-distance coast-to-coast fuel consumption test involving a Mercedes-Benz ML 320 CDI, carried out in the US by a German car magazine. On the route from New York to San Francisco, the all-wheel drive SUV consumed an average of just 9.2 liters per 100 km (equivalent to 25.6 mpg).

The latest example of outstanding economy was seen in a test drive involving a Mercedes-Benz S-Class featuring the new 320 CDI engine on a stretch of the famous Route 66 between Chicago and Los Angeles. In this test, conducted by two freelance journalists over a distance of 3563 km (2214 miles), the average fuel consumption came in at 6.5 liters per 100 km (36.2 mpg).

Diesel vehicles reduce dependence on oil imports

BLUETEC is not just the cleanest diesel technology in the world. It also ensures low fuel consumption in real terms, helping customers to make tangible fuel savings and, therefore, reducing the economy's dependence on oil imports. In the US, where there are concerns about ensuring fuel supplies over the longer term, this technology is set to play a key role, especially when one considers the fuel consumption advantages for the extremely popular SUVs and pickups (light trucks) which, as it stands, are pre-dominantly powered by large-displacement V8 gasoline engines.

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