US, pleeease buy our Bluetecs!

Looks like Mercedes-Benz wants to conquer the eco-market as they are getting ready to unveil the Vision C 220 Bluetec. This will happen at this Geneva Motor Show, and this model will comply with the very strict EURO 6 emission standards. These standards aren't valid just yet, but they will be as of 2015 in all of Europe. You could say that the Vision C 220 Bluetec is a vehicle of the future, at least from an emission control standpoint.

This model has a 170 horsepower engine which reached a peak torque of 400 Nm and needs 5.5 liters of diesel fuel in order to run for 100 km straight. “The sophisticated four-cylinder diesel engine with Bluetec emission control is a prime example of leading-edge, future-compatible technology,” brags Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of DaimlerChrysler AG and Head of the Mercedes Car Group. This “sophisticated four-cylinder diesel engine” as Zetsche calls it, is coupled to a 6-speed manual transmission and seems to be one of the most economic engines out there.

Bluetec was, at first, a project meant for the American market, where the emission restrictions are very harsh. Mercedes wanted to further develop on that market so they were forced to came up with something revolutionary, something with extremely low emissions. This is how Bluetec was born. Now, the whole world will benefit from the Mercedes Bluetec engine, not only Americans, but they were still the first to get the E320 Bluetec, one of the most economical vehicles in its class in the US, vehicle which needed only 6.7 per 100 km.

By the looks of it, Europeans will get some Mercedes-Benz models with Bluetec technology in the first half of 2008, as this eco-friendly technology is currently being adapted to European market requirements.