- The three-pointed star’s rich history with diesel continues with strong
sales growth
- Diesel now accounts for 14 percent of total brand passenger car sales, up
from six percent
Melbourne – Sales of diesel engine powered cars from the Mercedes-Benz range
have more than doubled in 2006 with demand showing no signs of slowing.
Total sales of diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz cars have grown 265 percent as at
November 2006, up from 686 units (in November 2005) to 1,823 this year.
As a percentage of total Mercedes-Benz passenger car sales, diesel-powered
units now account for an impressive 14 percent, compared to six percent last
year (November year-to-date).
Commenting on this surge in diesel engine popularity, managing director for
the Mercedes Car Group in Australia, Horst von Sanden, said customer feedback
revealed that the catalyst for demand was more than just the topic of fuel
costs.
“Many of our customers have discovered the multitude of benefits our diesel
engine range offers, and the great driving experience these models deliver,”
said von Sanden.
“It’s certainly not solely about the great fuel economy they deliver. Their
quiet operation and torque gives seamless performance both on the open road and
in traffic, and the clean emission performance of a modern Mercedes-Benz diesel
engine makes it hard not to consider one if you’re looking to buy a luxury car.
“It seems more people are discovering the secret appeal of a Mercedes-Benz
diesel,” concluded von Sanden.
The greatest sales growth of diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz cars lies with the
sought-after M-Class SUV. Almost 49% of all M-Class sales have been for the
diesel-powered ML 320 CDI and ML 280 CDI, up from 30.62% this time last year
(November year-to-date).
More than half of all sales of the recently launched GL-Class SUV have been
for the GL 320 CDI, while one third of all sales of the luxurious R-Class have
been for the R 320 CDI, both powered by the German car makers’ impressive 165 kW
/ 510 Nm 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6.
Mercedes-Benz has a rich history with the compression ignition diesel engine,
being the first manufacturer to build a diesel-powered automobile – the Type
260D in 1936. It has pursued development of the diesel engine ever since,
spearheading new technologies such as Common Rail Diesel Injection (CDI), adding
innovative thinking to the diesel engine with componentry such as the variable
geometry turbocharger, and setting records in cars such as the famous
Mercedes-Benz C111 prototype.
It’s been more than 110 years since Rudolf Diesel registered his first patent
for the diesel engine but Mercedes-Benz continues to lead the way in unlocking
the performance and clean energy potential of this power unit, as shown most
recently with the release of BLUETEC clean emission technology.
With BLUETEC Mercedes-Benz has developed a technology that will assist diesel
engines to meet strict emission laws being introduced in various parts of the
world. BLUETEC is based on Selective Catalytic Reduction Technology (SCR), using
a chemical reaction to covert around 80 percent of the nitrogen oxides normally
emitted by a diesel engine into harmless water and nitrogen.
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