The Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec today was named 2007 World Green Car. The E320 beat out the BMW Hydrogen 7 and the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion for the honor. The initial entry list had 14 contenders, including the Saab 9-5 BioPower flex-fuel, Fiat Panda, Citroen C2 Stop & Start and Subaru R1e. The Green Car honor was part of the World Car of the Year award ceremonies held at the New York Auto Show in which the the Lexus LS 460 was given the top honor.

To be eligible for the World Green Car award, the vehicle must be all new or substantially revised and be available for sale in at least one major market during the last calendar year. It must also meet or more of the following "green" criteria:

• Tailpipe emissions equal or better than California SULEV or US EPA Tier 2, Bin 2, or Euro V.
• Fuel consumption equal or lower than 47.6mpg combined
• Use of an advanced power plant technology aimed a specifically increasing environmentally responsibility.

For the Green Car honor, the vehicle may be a prototype with a near-future application provided is has been released for press fleet or individual evaluation.

According to the voters made up of journalists from 22 countries, the E320 Bluetec won the award for diesel re-entry into North America and paving the way for super-clean diesel technology.

My friend John over at Autoblog did a good job of highlighting the fact that the German automakers cleaned up when it comes to the World Car of the Year finalists. Speaking of cleaning up, (haha) a subcategory of the competition offers up some choices of the "World Green Car", also all from Germany. The finalists are... in no particular order...

• BMW Hydrogen 7
• Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC
• Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion
  

Cast your unofficial vote here or submit your own choices in the comments. The cars in the poll only include models that can currently be purchased somewhere, hence no Tesla or ZAP-X.

Which car would you select as World Green COTY?
	BMW Hydrogen 7
	Mercedes-Benz E320 BLUETEC
	Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion
	Smart ForTwo
	Toyota Prius
Free polls from Pollhost.com

[Source: WCOTY.com via Autoblog via Winding Road]

Click on the image for two high-res images of GM's new 2.9-liter V6 turbo-diesel engine.

General Motors has debuted a new 2.9-liter V6 turbo-diesel engine, destined to find its way into the 2009 Cadillac CTS. Indicating that it will be "sold mainly in Europe", GM have signalled their intentions to go after Europe's finest in the hotly contested executive saloon market with the powerful new engine.

Delivering 184 kW / 250 hp of power and a monstrous 550 Nm / 406 ft-lbs of torque (compare this to the 155 kW and 526 Nm of the new Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec), the oil burner is built to match Cadillac's performance-oriented brand character. But Cadillac is likely to be far from the only brand in GM's stable which will eventually get to take advantage of this new engine; it can be installed in a longitudinal or transverse layout and can be adapted to a wide range of two- or four-wheel-drive vehicles so expect it to pop up all over.

Other high tech features include a closed-loop combustion control system which has been designed to give the engine longevity by allowing it to meet future emissions standards; state-of-the-art injection and combustion technology for low emissions and high performance; a variable geometry turbo; and an advanced engine management system for optimal fuel economy as well as reduced emissions and noise.

Analysis: GM's getting serious about the European market where you have to be packing an advanced clean diesel under the hood to be taken seriously when petrol prices are so high. It looks like a lot of work has gone into making this a really flexible engine through the emissions controls employed and its ability to be installed in a longitudinal or transverse layout. No word yet on whether it meets the latest Californian emissions standards or what the fuel economy can expect to be. I'll be looking forward to the details.



Full press release after the jump.

Related:

• Los Angeles Times: E320 Bluetec is best car Californians can't buy
• Geneva Motor Show: VW's new diesel line-up detailed
• Geneva Motor Show: Lotus unveils EVE Hybrid technology demonstrator

[Source: GM]

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec.

Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Dan Neil has a good piece about the California Air Resources Board adopting the EPA's Tier II, Bin 5 emission standard two years before most of the U.S. leaving the 2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec as out of reach for Californians. Neil points out that the new E320 Bluetec does meet the Bin 8 emissions standard and gets 45 percent(!) better fuel economy than the equivalent petrol-powered E350.

Bluetec of course is Mercedes-Benz's branding for their clean diesel technology which sees the E320 Bluetec equipped with a NOx adsorber-catalyst, exhaust gas recirculation and a particular filter. Like your average modern oil burner, the off-the-mark times and power ratings aren't all that noteworthy, but the torque is massive. Neil describes the E320's pull well, "[it] has torque like a nuclear attack sub."

As I described in my recent Volkswagen Passat TDI review, all that torque results in amazing overtaking ability, "Even while driving up a reasonable gradient doing 100 km/h with the engine ticking over at 1,500 revs in sixth, there is torque on tap to blow past other cars without the Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) even needing to switch down if you bury your foot."

Neil describes a similar sensation in the E320, "In the passing lane, this inoffensive burgher of the interstate pulls like a BMW M3."

Analysis: The only problem with buying a huge saloon with a clean diesel engine and great fuel economy is that you probably should have bought a smaller car anyway. Switching to diesel vehicles to maintain an unsustainable love affair with big vehicles is false economy.



Click here to watch Neil eat an E320-toasted bagel.

Related:

• In the AutoblogGreen Garage: 2007 Volkswagen Passat TDI
• Green Car Journal names its favorite 2007 models
• Camry Hybrid named 2007 Canadian Car of the Year

[Source: LA Times]

Now that ultra low sulfur diesel fuel has finally gone on sale in the United States, Mercedes-Benz has released the previously announced E320 BlueTec as well as new diesel versions of the R-class and the ML-class. All three vehicles use the same 3.0L V-6 common rail diesel engine. The E320 is the only one using the BlueTec system. The two SUVs along with the GL-class will get the BlueTec system with Urea injection next year. For now, the two trucks are rated at 215 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque.

The E320 is rated at 27/37 mpg, the ML320 at 21/27 and the R320 at 21/28. These numbers are 40 percent, 26 percent and 32 percent better than the similar gas engined models respectively. The E320 has a 700-mile cruising range on the highway while the trucks can go 600 miles, all figures well beyond any normal human bladder endurance. All three vehicles are available in 45 states (not California and the north-east states). The Mercedes-Benz press release is after the jump.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Mercedes-Benz announced the pricing for the "world's cleanest diesel." Yes, the one that narrowly missed achieving legality in all 50 states. At $52,325, the 45-state compliant vehicle is just $1,000 more than the gas-powered E350 with comparable performance. When juxtaposing stat sheets, you'll find the zero to 60 for the diesel is just one tenth of a second slower, yet it gets 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway in contrast to the E350's 19/26 mpg.

By keeping the price competitive, Mercedes hopes continues to offer an attractive option to diesel drivers as they sold 11,000 E320 CDIs since the launch of that vehicle in 2004. The E320 BlueTec is set to go on sale immediately following the deployment of the low-sulfur diesel fuel required by the BlueTec system to American pumps nationwide in October of this year.

Related:

• Mercedes exec sees bright future for diesel, biodiesel
• Mercedes E320 Bluetec arrives as 45-State Vehicle

[Source: Car and Driver]