Jul

Turbocharge It And They Will Come. And Go Fast.

Posted by admin Published in Mercedes-Benz

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. rugged CAFE [Corporate Average Fuel Economy]
standards and increasingly strict emissions controls in North America
and Europe influenced the aggressive product line change. Mercedes will
plus introduce hybrid variants by the coming years, while the
final goal is zero emissions via fuel cell and pure electric potential.

“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 considering the boost in capability
occurs with no engine volume changes. that makes turbocharging a
responsible alternative to the honkin, naturally aspirated V8s and
potent V6s currently offered in most Mercedes models. Turbos additionally form
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 whether 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 that end and a full-electric Smart ForTwo
is planned for 2010 release. Introducing hybrid ability train technology
is additionally planned as an interim step and, according to our friends at Auto Blog, the S course flagship will be offered as a gentle hybrid starting in 2008.

No word on how that turbo offensive will affect 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.

Original post by Stuart Schwartzapfel