Audi clearly demonstrated the efficiency and clean emissions of their TDI power-train system last week when the new A5 TDI was declared the overall winner in the prototype vehicle class of the Challenge Bibendum in Shanghai last week. They used their experience with efficient high-performance diesels to create the A5 coupe that was powered by the latest version of the 3.0L V-6 diesel equipped with the urea injection exhaust after-treatment system. The A5 TDI finished first overall the handling, acceleration and emissions categories and did well enough in other areas to capture the class victory. In the fuel consumption tests, the A5 managed 40.6 mpg (US) which is pretty respectable for a mid-sized sport coupe.

That same engine and exhaust system will be installed in the new A4 and Q7 TDI models that are coming to the U.S. in 2008. The A4 and Q7 will be fifty-state legal under the Tier2 Bin5 standards. In addition to the A5, Audi also ran an A6 wagon with the 2.7L V-6 TDI and an A3 with the 1.9 TDIe. The A6 had a mild hybrid system that helped it achieve 50.2 mpg in the fuel economy test which was only good enough for 25th place in the prototype class. The A3 pulled out a 62.2 mpg result in the production class which earned it fourth place behind the Mercedes E300 Bluetec, VW Passat Bluemotion and BMW Hydrogen 7.

[Source: Audi, thanks to Christian for the tip]

South Korea's Hyundai sent one of their prototype fuel cell powered Tucson crossovers to Shanghai China last week for the Challenge Bibendum and it put in a pretty good showing. The fuel cell Tucson was the only vehicle of it's type to get a perfect score during the competition. The Tucson was one of the first fuel cell vehicles capable of starting at freezing temperatures down to -20C and also uses a lithium polymer battery for capturing energy from regenerative braking.

[Source: Hyundai]

Besides the entries from Daimler, Volkswagen and Renault/Dacia, Peugeot has also sent a green model to the Challenge Bibendum in Shanghai. The model is the Peugeot 307 Hybride, which matches a hybrid system to a diesel engine that is certified to run on biodiesel in blends up to B30 (ok, PSA: Put it on sale, maintenant!).

The model is based on the current 1.6 liter diesel which is one of the top-selling diesel engines in Europe (you can see it in the Mini, the Ford Focus, the Volvo S40, the Peugeot 308, the Citroën C4 and the Citroën C4 Picasso) and is, in fact, one of the cleanest diesels available in the market. For this model, Peugeot added a hybrid system (not new) and filled the tank with diester (the French name for B30). The result: 74 grams of CO₂ per kilometer.

[Source: PSA]

Daimler earned 23 "distinctions" with its Mercedes-Benz and smart brands at this year's Michelin Challenge Bibendum and, with that, is calling itself the "most successful participant" at the event. Daimler entered seven vehicles in the contest in a field of around 80. Some of the brand's highlights include:

• The Mercedes-Benz E 300 Bluetec took ifirst place in the 170-kilometer production car rally and was noticed for it's acceleration, maneuverability and local pollutants.
• The Mercedes-Benz A-Class F-Cell, the smart fortwo cdi, the Mercedes-Benz F 600 and the Mercedes-Benz E 200 NGT were all noted for having low CO₂ emissions (tank-to-tire).

There's more after the jump.

Related:

• Renault Logan emits just 71 grams of CO₂ per km in Challenge Bibendum

[Source: Daimler AG]