Mercedes plans to offer a range of small displacement, turbo-charged engine offerings by 2010 as a short-term solution for better fuel economy, reports *Automotive News *Europe. Tough CAFE [Corporate Average Fuel Economy] standards and increasingly strict emissions controls in North America and Europe influenced the aggressive product line change. Mercedes will also introduce hybrid variants over the coming years, while the ultimate goal is zero emissions via fuel cell and pure electric power.
"All our vehicles will have turbocharged engines in series production by the end of 2010 at the latest," said Thomas Weber,
Daimler board member responsible for research and development.
Using turbos will allow Mercedes to install smaller, lighter and more fuel-efficient engines without sacrificing performance because the boost in power occurs with no engine volume changes. This makes turbocharging a responsible alternative to the honkin, naturally aspirated V8s and potent V6s currently offered in most Mercedes models. Turbos also make it possible to get normal gas mileage while cruising or off-boost.
The European Commission is calling for a cut in Mercedes’ average fleet emissions from 178 g/km to 138 g/km by 2012 and will fine the automaker if it fails to meet targets. So improving existing engine efficiency is the first part of Daimler's strategy to reduce CO2
emissions while zero-emission driving is a longer-term goal. Mercedes plans to use fuel cell technology and electric-powered vehicles to reach this end and a full-electric Smart ForTwo is planned for 2010 release. Introducing hybrid power train technology is also planned as an interim step and, according to our friends at Auto Blog, the [S class flagship](http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/17/mercedes-s-class-hybrid-coming-in-2008/)will be offered as a mild hybrid starting in 2008.
No word on how this turbo offensive will impact the company’s horsepower-laden AMG line or on how the current diesel Mercedes models will fit into the fuel efficiency picture moving forward.
Photo by Mercedes-Benz USA.
