Mercedes-Benz News - New Mercedes E-Class Coupe couples low drag coefficient to efficient engines

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New Mercedes E-Class Coupe couples low drag coefficient to efficient engines

Filed under: Mercedes Benz, Geneva Motor Show

You can have all the most efficient engines in the world, but if you’re trying to drive a barn through a hurricane they are not going to help one bit. Mercedes knows that, which is why, in addition to highly fuel-efficient engines packed under the hood, Mercedes has made its new E-Class Coupe, details of which have just emerged before the new model’s debut at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, what it claims to be the most aerodynamically efficient production vehicle on the market: a svelte 0.24 coefficient of drag (the 2010 Prius has 0.25).

Partnering the wind-cheating new shape of the E-Class Coupe, which replaces the outgoing CLK and joins the new E-Class sedan just unveiled a few months ago, is a range of fuel-sipping engines, including the new four-cylinder turbo-diesel E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, which offers more power and torque than the model it replaces while returning 17 percent better fuel economy (5.3 liters per 100 kilometers on the European combined cycle) and emitting 138 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. Efficiency is also optimized by use of on-demand activation for the steering and fuel pumps, a dynamic alternator and tires with low rolling resistance, which join the roster of new driving and safety systems you can read about in the press release after the jump. See more photos of the new E-Class Coupe in the gallery below.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading New Mercedes E-Class Coupe couples low drag coefficient to efficient engines

New Mercedes E-Class Coupe couples low drag coefficient to efficient engines originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz News - Mercedes-Benz to enter U.S. CNG market with a natural gas B-Class?

[tags]mercedes benz news, mercedes benz reviews, mercedes benz, daimler chrysler[/tags] -

Mercedes-Benz to enter U.S. CNG market with a natural gas B-Class?

Filed under: Mercedes Benz, Natural Gas, USA

Compressed natural gas may not be given the publicity it deserves. After all, it burns cleaner than other fossil fuels, it can be collected from landfills and waste facilities and it’s abundant in North America. Regardless, CNG doesn’t seem to get much support from the government as an alternative to gasoline or diesel; certainly much less so than hybrids or fully electric vehicles. This lack of government help for the fuel makes it much less attractive to consumers than other alternatives.

Mercedes-Benz is still interested in testing the American CNG waters, though, and the German automaker is proving it’s serious by bringing a natural gas-powered version of its B-Class compact MPV - the BiFuel B170 NGT -to the Auto Show that’s currently taking place in Washington D.C. A CNG-powered B-Class is already available in Europe (and South America), where natural gas, sometimes referred to as autogas, is a more popular choice than it is in the United States.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Mercedes-Benz to enter U.S. CNG market with a natural gas B-Class? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz News - Mercedes-Benz rumored to be working on hybrid sportscar

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Mercedes-Benz rumored to be working on hybrid sportscar

Filed under: Hybrid, Mercedes Benz

Mercedes-Benz has quite a history with gull-wing doored sportscars; not as much with hybrids. Regardless, the German automaker appears ready to combine the two in the next version of its SLK range, which is rumored to add the upward-opening doors and regenerative braking technology to its repertoire in 2012. It’s the hybrid drivetrain that may be causing MB to look to its past 300SL’s unique portal configuration since the twin battery packs will be placed in large side sills, a configuration that would preclude the use of normal doors.

Mercedes hopes to gain experience with the KERS hybrid system that’s currently making its way into Formula 1 racing, where the German marque has been doing quite well over the last few years. Teamed with a 3.5L V6 engine, preliminary reports suggest that the hybrid SLK could get up to 40 miles per gallon on the European cycle while also being able to accelerate the coupe to 60 miles per hour in under 5 seconds. They could sure use the efficiency boost.

[Source: Auto Express]

Mercedes-Benz rumored to be working on hybrid sportscar originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz News - Detroit 2009: Mercedes Benz unveils the concept BlueZero

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Detroit 2009: Mercedes Benz unveils the concept BlueZero

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Mercedes Benz, Detroit Auto Show

At an off-site reception tonight ahead of tomorrows opening of the Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz showed off the new Concept BlueZero. The car is both an example of clean technology and a preview of the styling for the next generation Mercedes B-Class. Like the current A and B class models, this concept uses a sandwich floor design and adds a modular powertrain system. The car is envisioned with three powertrain options depending on the range requirements. The BlueZero E-Cell uses a 35 kWh lithium ion battery pack to provide a 120 mile range. The BlueZero F-Cell variant gets a 90 kW hydrogen fuel cell to 240 miles. The efficiency of the fuel cell version is rated at the equivalent of 81 mpg (US).

The third flavor is the E-Cell Plus adds a 67 hp three cylinder engine from the Smart ForTwo mounted in the rear between the sandwich floor layers where the spare tire would normally go. The ER-EV variant cuts the battery size in half as well as the electric only range. The range extender however, bumps the total range to 360 miles.

Mercedes also announced that it will begin low-volume series production of the fuel cell B-Class later this year and follow that with low volume series production of a battery electric vehicle in 2010.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]
Live Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Detroit 2009: Mercedes Benz unveils the concept BlueZero

Detroit 2009: Mercedes Benz unveils the concept BlueZero originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz News - In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Mercedes Benz E320 BlueTec

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In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Mercedes Benz E320 BlueTec

Filed under: Diesel, Mercedes Benz, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, In The AutoblogGreen Garage

Mercedes-Benz is quite literally the first name in diesel. The 1936 Mercedes 260D was the first production passenger car powered by a diesel engine. Daimler has been building diesel cars and trucks pretty much continuously ever since. Along with Volkswagen, Daimler has also been the primary purveyor of diesel vehicles in the US market over the past three decades. The current E320 BlueTec traces its roots back directly to the 300D of 1976 and is on the verge of being replaced with an all-new model for 2010.

The E-Class is Mercedes’ mainstream mid-sized luxury sedan and is second only to the smaller C-class in US sales volume for the brand. Several new diesel technologies have debuted on the E and its predecessors over the years including common rail and injection and turbocharging. Since the car we tested is near the end of its life cycle this one wasn’t the most up-to-date example, but it’s still a good sampling of a modern diesel car. See what we thought of the E320 after the jump.

Photos Copyright (C)2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Mercedes Benz E320 BlueTec

In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2009 Mercedes Benz E320 BlueTec originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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