Mercedes-Benz Vision C220 Bluetec Concept
 

Mercedes-Benz is unveiling its Bluetec emission-control technology in combination with a four-cylinder engine for the first time at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show.

Featuring an output of 125kW and a peak torque of 400Nm, the Vision C 220 Bluetec now requires 5.5 litres of diesel per hundred kilometres, thanks largely to modified diesel engine technology and an intelligent system of energy management.

It appears alongside the standard-production version of the new C-Class, which celebrates its premiere in Geneva.

The Vision C 220, is the latest step in the Bluetec initiative which was launched in the US last year. The initial impetus came from the market launch of the E 320 Bluetec (6.7litres/100km) in North America in October 2006, which was timed to coincide with the introduction of low-sulphur diesel in that part of the world.

Following the US launch, the company will also introduce Bluetec in other markets. The technology is currently being adapted to European market requirements and further Mercedes Benz models, the aim being to also offer Bluetec in passenger cars for European customers, starting in 2008.

Bluetec is a DaimlerChrysler-developed technology designed to reduce diesel vehicle emissions, especially nitrogen oxides ??” the only exhaust-gas constituents that are still higher in today's diesel engines than they are in their petrol counterparts.

In terms of "hardware", the powerplant in the Vision C 220 Bluetec, like the standard-production engines, includes four valves per cylinder, third-generation common-rail direct injection, a turbocharger with a variable nozzle turbine and exhaust gas recirculation. A sensitive electronic engine management unit reacts to a wide range of operating conditions and, in so doing, optimises the combustion processes.

The Bluetec technology in the new engine still includes an oxidising catalytic converter, which reduces emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbons (HC), as well as a particulate filter.

A modified NOx storage catalytic converter with a substantially extended service life, including on-board ammonia generation, is combined with an additional SCR catalytic converter to minimise nitrogen oxides. This process of exhaust-gas after treatment requires no additives.

The Vision C 220 Bluetec is prepared for future emission standards, even the considerably more stringent limits imposed by EURO 6, which will apply to all new vehicles from September 1, 2015.

For the US market, Mercedes-Benz will be offering three further V6 Bluetec models ??” R Class, M-Class and GL-Class ??” from as early as 2008.

At the Detroit Auto Show in early January, the Germans demonstrated the Vision GL 420 Bluetec with its V8 diesel engine featuring an output of 216kW, a peak torque of 700Nm and an expected fuel consumption of 9.8 litres per hundred kilometres.

Source: [url=http://www.caranddriver.com/autoshows/12577/mercedes-benz-vision-c220-bluetec-concept.html]Car and Driver[/url]