It’s time for the New York Auto show, and although not the first show to spring into one’s mind, this is the show that Mercedes-Benz usually rolls out some interesting stuff. For example, when they first wanted to show their gullwing to the world back in the 50s, Mercedes did it in New York. Anyway, at this year’s show, the three-pointed star has decided to roll out some very interesting and efficient clean diesel concepts.

Case in point: the E 250 BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé. Sure, it’s just “a concept”, but it looks like one that could hit the showrooms by next week if they wanted to (and my bet is that Merc really wants to). The E 250 BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé gets 28 MPG around town and 39 MPG out on the open road. Which is pretty impressive for a car that weighs about what a WW II Tiger tank did. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but Mercedes hasn’t made a light car for 100 years, so getting figures like that is pretty impressive. What’s even more impressive is that Mercedes manages to pull 369 lb-ft of torque from a 2.2-liter four-cylinder direct-injection diesel engine. And on top of that, it’s a diesel that’s legal in all fifty states.

Concept? OK Mercedes, here’s a concept for you: very high sales figures in places like California. Just bring it to market and stop teasing us.

Source: AutoBlogGreen

The good news is that Mercedes-Benz is going to bring a diesel/electric hybrid out later this year. The bad news is that it will be in their M-Class SUV.

Mercedes-Benz is bringing a hybrid version of its S-Class sedan, the S400 BlueHYBRID, to market first, that’s true, but the FIRST hybrid Mercedes wanted released was their SUV. A hybrid version of the automaker’s M-Class SUV was supposed to make production last June, but a supplier glitch delayed that plan.

The M-Class hybrid will share the same hybrid drive system found in the S400 BlueHYBRID, only it will be diesel-powered, using the same 3.2L clean turbo-diesel found under the hood of the ML320 BlueTEC.

The M-Class hybrid will crank out a combined 340 horsepower, which is very comparable in power to the V8-powered ML550. Thanks to the electric motors fuel economy should be improved by about 30 percent. The ML320 BlueTEC already achieves 18/24 mpg city/highway, so the new model should be even better, particularly in city driving.

The hybrid M-Class is expected to hit showrooms sometime during the fourth quarter of this year.

Source: LeftLaneNews

Europe is taking the lead when it comes to being more environmentally responsible with its new cars, working on lower emissions and higher horsepower. Of the American car makers, Ford has been the most proactive in the chase for greener vehicles, with cars like the Ford EcoBoost, which has been the buzz maker since early in 2008. The race to be green is on, and it will be interesting to see who gets to the top of the heap first.

Electric, diesel, biodiesel, hydrogen, natural gas—even restaurant grease. Scientists, engineers, physicists; even chemists are all working overtime to spare the air and find alternative fuels that won’t clog the air and ruin our lungs. There hasn’t been a technological race since the 60’s when we were fighting against the USSR to put a man on the moon!

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Mercedes-Benz is continuing to build on its world-leading position in the field of clean diesel technology. The Stuttgart-based manufacturer has become the world’s first car producer to receive a certificate for licensing BlueTEC SUVs in all 50 US states.

Mercedes-Benz will shortly be launching three BlueTEC SUVs – the ML 320 BlueTEC, the R 320 BlueTEC and the GL 320 BlueTEC – featuring the technology for the world’s cleanest diesels. The vehicles, which will first be available in the US, comply with the extremely strict requirements of the American Bin 5 and ULEV emission standards, making Mercedes-Benz the first manufacturer to be able to license diesel SUVs in all 50 US states. Following the successful market launch of the “clean diesel pioneer” – E 320 BlueTEC – in October 2006, this new step – which coincides with the 150th anniversary of Rudolf Diesel’s birth – is another extremely important milestone in the diesel initiative launched by Mercedes-Benz.

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New York – The concept models of the Mercedes-Benz bionic car are appearing as part of the “Design and the Elastic Mind” exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition at the world-famous “MoMA” showcases trailblazing innovations in the fields of design and science.

The “Design and the Elastic Mind” exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York is devoted to the dramatic changes in aspects of human life witnessed in recent decades. The series of exhibits highlights the rapid pace of development – in mobility and communications, for example – with the focus on innovative design solutions that take into account life’s quickly changing requirements. The exhibition will be open to the public from February 24 until May 12, 2008.

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smart and Mercedes-Benz demonstrate high environmental friendliness in a real-world test

Detroit – In an unusual long distance test the smart fortwo and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class demonstrated their top position among the most climate-friendly cars. On a trip from Los Angeles via Chicago to the Detroit Auto Show 2008 they demonstrated outstanding fuel-saving qualities in everyday real-world conditions. On the 4,400 kilometre route the smart fortwo mhd recorded an average consumption of just 4.8 litres per hundred kilometres. The two smart fortwo cdis were satisfied with 3.9 litres, and even the business saloon E 320 BLUETEC (US version) consumed an average of just 5.8 l/100 km.

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