Oilers are us! Benz confirms diesels Down Under

Hot on the heels of the announcement of an aggressively pro-diesel 2006 program by Audi, comes news that Mercedes-Benz will also widen its CDI range Down Under.

The brand that seven decades ago introduced the world’s first diesel passenger car, today announced its intention to doubling the availability of diesel models in Australia over the next 12-months.

Mercedes-Benz has produced more than seven million diesel passenger cars worldwide and arguably pioneered the prestige passenger car diesel.

In the early 1950’s the 170 D kicked off volume sales of diesel passenger cars in Australia. Since then Australians have had a soft spot for diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz.

Currently, four diesel passenger models are on offer in Australia: the C 220 CDI, Viano 2.2 CDI, E 280 CDI Saloon and ML 320 CDI. The new V6 powered E 280 CDI went on sale in September, replacing the previous five-cylinder E 270 CDI. Similarly, the V6 ML 320 CDI which was released this month and replaces the previous ML 270 CDI.

The new models will include diesel variants of the B-Class, yet-to-be-released R-Class, E-Class Estate and a yet to be confirmed fourth model. It is CarPoint's belief this fourth model will be a V8 diesel-engined variant of the new S-Class.

The recently launched B-Class petrols will be joined by a four-cylinder B 180 CDI (80kW), boasting fuel consumption figures of 5.6–5.8lt/100km (combined), mid next year.

The Estate variant of the E 280 CDI will join the Saloon in the third quarter of next year, sporting 140kW of power, 440 Nm of torque and fuel consumption figures of 7.6-8.1lt/100km (combined).

“Mercedes-Benz prides itself on providing products that meet the demands of discerning consumers, increasingly so with the arrival of a number of new diesel models,” said Horst von Sanden, managing director responsible for the Mercedes Car Group.

“Mercedes-Benz diesel engines are ideally suited to all vehicle categories. It is not just their fuel consumption and environmental credentials that make them a practical choice. In terms of performance and comfort, diesel engines are today the equal of petrol powerplants,” said von Sanden.

Last year Mercedes delivered nearly 700 diesel models throughout Australia and with the introduction of the new models, the company expects to double its sales of diesel cars over a 12-month period.