UK luxury car buyers have a new, more fuel-efficient option in the sedan category. Mercedes-Benz has updated the C-Class to include the BlueEFFICIENCY technology and the C 180 KOMPRESSOR BlueEFFICIENCY joins its thirstier siblings in UK dealerships this coming January. Mercedes says the new model can save company car users up to £370.80 with its 11 percent increase in fuel economy and 18 g/km drop in CO₂ emissions (down to 149). It also gets 37.3 mpg (US) on the European combined cycle. These greener changes are the result of a lighter car, better aero design and improved "energy management." The best part is that the BlueEFFICIENCY model replaces the previous C 180 without a price increase, and I'm sure there are some who will appreciate that this BlueEFFICICNEY model still provides 156 hp and 230 Nm of torque. More details in the press release after the jump.


[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Mercedes Benz will be launching its first hybrid, the S400 BlueHybrid next spring and Phil Floraday from Automobile got a chance to sample it on a recent trip to Europe. The S400 is a mild hybrid, and in many respects it's more similar to the Honda IMA system than Toyota's Hybrid Synergy drive. The S400 will be the first mass-produced hybrid with a lithium ion battery pack. As Phil explains, the system provides start/stop capability, and some electric boost. However, the main purpose is to drive vehicle electrical systems off the lithium battery, reducing the parasitic loads on the engine. The battery itself gets most of its charging from regenerative braking that provides 75 percent of the braking capability in most urban driving.


[Source: Automobile]

While most other automakers have been backing away from plans to introduce new diesel engines to the U.S. market in recent months, the big German makers - VW-Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz - seem fully committed to oil burners. That's probably because the modern diesels provide the performance levels needed to maintain the premium image those brands have cultivated for themselves while at the same time providing the levels of fuel efficiency that are needed to meet current and upcoming fuel efficiency standards. With that in mind, Mercedes Benz appears set to drop a diesel engine into the SLK roadster when the next redesign appears in early 2010. The recently-introduced 2.2L four will likely provide power for the SLK250. In dual turbo form, the engine generates 204 hp and a massive 369 lb-ft of torque which is plenty for the little SLK. The C250 sedan that just launched in Europe with the same engine gets a combined rating of 45.3 mpg (U.S.) and should be able to achieve real world mileage in the upper 30s with ease.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

This year's festivities in Las Vegas mark the first year that Mercedes-Benz has participated at the SEMA Show, and it has done so in grand style with four separate GLK concepts. The one we're most interested in is the RENNTech Pikes Peak concept, which uses a novel new mild hybrid system that has been designed by the longtime tuning company. According to RENNTech, all the hardware is in place for the electric motor to provide 26kW of power (about 40 lb-ft of torque) to the GLK's 3.5-liter engine. The system is still in development and the GLK is scheduled to get a new set of nimh batteries that will allow for regenerative braking and an acceleration boost function. The software is tunable via an SD card interface.

RENNTech will actually race this new hybrid up Pikes Peak in the exhibition class once its lead-acid Optima batteries are replaced and put its wide body kit and various splitters and spoilers to good use. The RENNTech Pikes Place hybrid GLK is one of four GLK concepts that MB is showing off in Sin City. Of course, it's our favorite. If you want to vote for the hybrid as your favorite too, click here. We've pasted a full spec sheet after the break.

Mercedes made a big red, white and blue balloon-y smash with their BlueTEC SUVs at the New York Auto Show earlier this year and the vehicles are in American showrooms now. In the Great White North, Mercedes-Benz Canada has just launched a new BlueTEC microsite to introduce Canadian car buyers to the clean diesel technology. If you click over, you'll find videos of how the BlueTEC system works (converts most NOx emissions to water and "harmless nitrogen"!), a convenient link to book a test drive and a list of which models Canadian customers can get with BlueTEC. The flash-heavy microsite does not mention - at least, not anywhere that I could find - the little detail that these vehicles won't start if the urea tank is empty.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz Canada, eMercedesBenz]

The second-generation C 350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY was introduced today by Mercedes in Stuttgart. This is the fourth BlueEFFICIENCY model (following the A 160 CDI, the C 250 CDI and the S 320 CDI) and the latest addition to the eco-friendlier lineup gets a ten percent fuel use decrease compared to the standard C 350 while the petrol V6 produces more power. The C 350 doesn't boast tremendous eco numbers - it gets 28 mpg (U.S.) and emits 193 grams of CO₂ per kilometer - but Benz friendz will like the 215 kW/292 hp and a maximum torque of 365 Nm, thanks to spray-guided direct injection (the first in a petrol engine), and a 0-100km/h time of 6.2 seconds. The C 350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY comes in two versions - called "Elegance" and "Avantgarde" - and starts at 46,796.75 euros (incl. VAT). More information after the jump.


[Source: Mercedes]

AMG is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz that transforms mainstream models into super performing beasts. As such it has never been known as a champion of efficiency, but this is about to change. AMG chief Volker Mornhinweg recently spoke to Britain's CAR about future products that are being developed or considered. AMG has clearly demonstrated that it knows how to extract extraordinary amounts of power form Mercedes engines. Given the reality of fuel prices and emissions requirements, ever increasing power is no longer a suitable path. However, AMG wouldn't be what it is without performance so the engineers will seek new directions that require less power and consumption. That means lighter weight materials for new models so that smaller engines can be used. The AMG engineers will also move beyond straight gasoline internal combustion power. In the next few years, AMG will introduce a model using the new mild hybrid system that debuts in the S400 BlueHybrid next year. That model should beat the current AMG 6.2L V8 by 30 percent in fuel economy but have similar performance. Diesel will also be part of the picture although the focus for AMG will be higher performance diesels than Mercedes currently sells. A twin turbocharged version of the 3.0L V6 diesel used through much of the current lineup could rival the BMW dual turbo six that is used in the 335d and 535d.

[Source: CAR]

Earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz introduced us to its BlueEFFICIENCY line of vehicles, starting off with the C-Class saloons (sedans). At the time, the German automaker promised that the fuel-saving technology would make its way up the corporate ladder, and it has now reached the top rung, the S-Class. MB's new new S 320 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY manages a 10-percent improvement in fuel economy and emissions over the last CDI-powered S-Class model by way of "on-demand power steering," a 7 speed automatic transmission with "standstill decoupling" and low rolling resistance tires. You want numbers? For such a large car, the saloon manages nearly 31 miles per U.S. gallon (7.6 litres per 100km) and 199 g/km of carbon emissions. Still, zero to sixty acceleration is under 8 seconds, plenty fast for modern driving needs. On sale soon in Europe at €70,864.50, just shy of a hundred-grand in U.S. dollars, though conversions don't work like that. Full press release after the break.


[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

A week after Mercedes-Benz announced details of its first hybrid, battery supplier Continental Automotive has launched production of the battery packs. Mercedes will be the first manufacturer to mass produce a hybrid vehicles with lithium ion batteries. Continental spent €3 million to build the battery manufacturing facility in Nuremberg. The first batteries that being produced weigh 55 lbs and have a volume of just under 0.5 cu. ft. When the Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid launches in mid-2009 with this 120V battery pack it will be installed in the engine compartment in place of the standard 12V lead acid battery.

Since this is the first mass market automotive application of a lithium battery, Mercedes and Continental are being extra careful. The battery is designed to last a minimum of 10 years and 100,000-150,000 miles so Continental has developed a sophisticated monitoring system to make sure that it operates within normal operating parameters. Each individual cell is monitored to keeps loads balanced and ensure even charging and discharging. Continental had to develop special processes to weld the copper bus bars that act as cell interconnects. The whole battery is enclosed inside of a laser-welded stainless steel case. The initial production capacity of the factory is 15,000 units a year and that can easily be doubled.

[Source: Continental]

German magazine Auto Motor und Sport is reporting that Mercedes-Benz expects one fifth of its vehicle sales to be hybrids by the middle of the next decade. The information came from Mercedes sales head Klaus Maier during an interview. Mercedes has already announced the first two hybrid models that will be coming to market in 2009. The S400 Hybrid will use Mercedes new mild hybrid system and a lithium ion battery some time in the spring. Later in the year, the ML450 using the Two-Mode hybrid system is scheduled to launch. Whether the ML hybrid launches on time is unknown at this time because of a lawsuit between Daimler and battery supplier Cobasys. Mercedes plans to launch at least one hybrid every year until 2015. The company has already shown several other hybrids as concepts in the past year including a BlueTec diesel hybrid version of the new GLK compact SUV. Thanks to Matt for the tip!

[Source: BenzInsider.com]

Mercedes today released a boatload of information on the new C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Prime Edition which will house the company's totally redesigned four-cylinder diesel engine coming to Europe later this fall. The new engine displaces 2.2 liters and produces 150 kW / 204 hp and 500 Nm of torque, enough to move the C 250 from zero to 100 kmh in seven seconds. With all that power, let's not ignore the BlueEFFICIENCY tag, which means the C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Prime Edition's CO₂ emissions are a respectable 138 grams per kilometer and drivers can expect 45 mpg (U.S.), calculated on the NEDC. Mercedes says this is "a value achieved by no other comparable motor car." The C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Prime Edition got aero tweaks and low rolling resistance tires to enhance efficiency and there is a consumption display on the dash that tells the driver when to shift to another of the vehicle's six gears. 5,000 of these Prime Editions will be produced and will appear with a price tag of 40,638.50 euros ($57,527US).

If the engine sounds good to you but you're not keen on the C-Class looks, don't fret. Mercedes says the compact design of the new engine means it will someday be found in the E-Class, the new GLK-Class and in the upcoming E‑Class Coupé. Read more after the jump.


[Source: Mercedes]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the ML320 BLUETEC

We already knew that purchasers of VW's new clean diesel-powered Jetta for 2009 would be eligible for a tax credit of $1,300, and now more models from Germany get the same treatment from the Internal Revenue Service. All Mercedes-Benz models equipped with the BLUETEC emissions treatment technology will get a rebate. The 2009 GL320, R320 and ML320 BLUETEC are expected to go on sale beginning in October of this year, which should give prospective buyers plenty of time to get ready to prepare for the savings on their taxes. Each of the vehicles will get a different rebate ranging from $900 for the ML to $1,800 for the GL due to the process the IRS uses to determine how much fuel will be saved by the vehicle. As with other similar systems, each manufacturer is limited to 60,000 units sold before the rebates come to an end.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Plans for Mercedes to release the ML 450 hybrid in 2009 may very well be canceled. The maker of the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries that was to provide the energy storage component for the SUV, Cobasys, seems to be refusing to begin production of the essential part. It appears the company's parent firms, Chevron (who just posted a $5.98 billion 2nd quarter profit) and Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) have "pulled funding" from the battery supplier, preventing it from meeting manufacturing commitments agreed upon last year.

No stranger to accusations of conspiracy when it comes squelching green-tech batteries, Chevron is again facing the charge in a lawsuit filed last week by Mercedes that claims the company colluded with ECD and Cobasys to keep the imminent sale of the distressed battery maker a secret to prevent the German firm from canceling the battery deal. The suit also alleges that Cobasys refused to begin production in case the terms of the contract were not seen as favorable to the new owners. This situation should make for interesting reading in the months to come and, we suspect, give folks yet another reason to dislike oil companies.

[Source: Information Week]

Click the S400 hybrid prototype for a high-res gallery

An attentive Autoblog reader spotted what appears to be a prototype Mercedes S400 Hybrid in a Houston Texas parking lot the other day. The test car's badges were all taped over, but the S400 and hybrid badging on the trunk lid seems to match the show concept. The S400 was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show last fall and will launch into production in mid-2009 at about the same time as the ML450 Hybrid. While the SUV will use the Two-Mode hybrid system developed with GM, Chrysler, and BMW, the S400 will use the mild hybrid system created with BMW. The mild hybrid uses a 15kW motor sandwiched between the transmission and 3.5L V6. The Mercedes mild hybrid system is likely to be the first mass production hybrid with a lithium ion battery. At the auto show introduction, Mercedes claimed that the full-size hybrid luxury sedan will achieve nearly 30 mpg.



[Source: Chris N]

When Mercedes-Benz new compact SUV the GLK starts assaulting eyeballs on American roads next spring it will only have a 3.5L gasoline V6 under the hood. However, at the recent US press introduction of the GLK a Mercedes official revealed that it wouldn't stay way for long. Mercedes will add its new 2.2L turbodiesel four cylinder to both the GLK and the C-Class sedan perhaps by 2010. The engineers in Stuttgart are adding BlueTec emissions controls to the four cylinder diesel to make it clean enough to meet Tier 2 Bin 5 standards. In the GLK the 167 hp, 295 lb-ft diesel should yield real world mileage in the mid-30 mpg (US) region. If Mercedes follows through on this plan the GLK and C would join the company's large SUVs and the new E-Class next year with diesel power. Now if only they would put the camo back on until they do something about that styling.

[Source: Inside Line]