Geneva Debut for Mercedes Vision C 220 Bluetec

Mercedes-Benz will debut the Vision C 220 Bluetec — a combo of Bluetec emission-control technology and a consumption-optimised four-cylinder engine — at the Geneva Motor Show. The new Bluetec Benz already complies with the überstrict Euro 6 emission standard, which will apply to all new vehicles across Europe starting in 2015. Mercedes says its 125 kW / 170 hp engine manages to get a hundred km (not miles, so don't get too excited) out of 5.5 litres of diesel. Here's the versatile Dr Z — talking, for a change, about something he enjoys talking about:

"Our diesel strategy is an effective answer to the question of how to save fuel and, therefore, CO2, how to further reduce all exhaust emissions including NOx and yet still ensure effortlessly superior driving enjoyment. In this respect, we believe our state-of-the-art diesel concept is currently the best and most efficient solution available."

Mercedes timed its October 2006 North American launch of the E 320 Bluetec to coincide with the introduction of low-sulphur diesel here, and has been pushing the idea of clean diesel to Americans ever since. Bluetec is impressive stuff — the question is, can U.S. drivers overcome their historic aversion to diesel?

[Source: DaimlerChrysler]