PARIS SHOW: Low-carbon Mercedes CLS, S-Class

2010 PARIS MOTOR SHOW NEWS SPECIAL

The head of Mercedes-Benz cars expects CO2 emissions for the company's range of vehicles to be slashed. In an industry where two or four per cent gains are newsworthy, Dieter Zetsche, also chairman of the board of management for Daimler AG, is suggesting a 12.5 per cent reduction in corporate average CO2 emissions within two years.

"Since the end of 2009, we're down to about 160 grams per kilometre today -- but our goal is to reduce the CO2 emissions from [our] new vehicle fleet in Europe below 140 grams per kilometre by 2012," he told the Carsales Network overnight in the lead up to the Paris Motor Show.

"We will get there with a package of several technologies: Optimised combustion engines, such as our BlueDirect V6 and V8 in the CL and S-Class; our new downsizing concepts with turbocharging; our new seven-speed automatic transmission, 7G-Tronic Plus; and additional BlueEfficiency measures, including Eco-Start/Stop. Fifty models with Start/Stop are coming within the next 12 months alone," the Benz boss said.

Zetsche then cited 134g/km for the most frugal variant of the new CLS, which is to be unveiled at the Paris show. He followed up with a mention of the new S-Class variant, the S 250 CDI BlueEfficiency, which is set to deliver fuel consumption as low as 5.7L/100km and a CO2 emissions figure in combined-cycle testing of just 149g/km. It was this vehicle that Zetsche described as "a quantum leap in efficiency."

According to Benz's press material, the CLS 350 BlueEfficiency uses 25 per cent less fuel than its predecessor (5.7L/100km), but it's to be joined within two months by the 5.1L/100km CLS 250 CDI BlueEfficiency.

April next year marks the global launch of the CLS 500 BlueEfficiency.

Power figures for the BlueEfficiency models in the CLS range will be 195kW (CLS 350 CDI BlueEfficiency), 225kW for the CLS 350 petrol with Eco start/stop system, 150kW for the CLS 250 CDI BlueEfficiency and 300kW for the CLS 500 BlueEfficiency.

In reducing the new car's demands on non-renewable resources, Mercedes-Benz has put the CLS on a diet. Doors are now constructed from aluminium for a 24kg weight saving, and the lightweight metal is also used for the formation of bonnet, front quarter panels, boot lid, parcel shelf and various structural items.
 
The new CLS is more slippery too, with a 13 per cent reduction in the coefficient of drag -- now down to 0.26Cd. Even given the new model's wider track and consequently larger frontal area, the overall aerodynamic efficiency has improved by as much as 10 per cent.

CLS introduces an electromechanical 'Direct Steer' system, which also serves to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Benz claims that the new system, which reportedly adds to "driving satisfaction", also knocks 0.3 litres off the 100km consumption rate and shaves 7 grams off the CO2 emissions rate.

All the concentration of effort on the environment hasn't distracted CLS engineers from raising the level of safety for the new model. Headlights feature 71 LEDs linked to Adaptive High Beam Assist for the first time and Benz has introduced new electronic driver aids to the CLS with this new generation.

Active Blind Spot Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist are both linked to the car's stability control system. In the case of the former, the stability control applies braking to the wheels on the side of the vehicle away from the vehicle in the blind spot. This creates a mild yawing effect and basically steers the car out of trouble. Similarly, if Active Lane Keep Assist detects that the vehicle is unintentionally diverging from the lane, the system will brake the opposite side of the vehicle to nudge it back into the lane. When the system operates, it alerts the driver through an electric pulse generator vibrating through the steering wheel, as well as a visual alert in the instrument display.

The Carsales Network will have further information concerning the new CLS -- including driving impressions -- within the next few days.

Benz has several new models planned for unveiling and will also preview some forward-looking environmental initiatives to be revealed to the public at the French event. For importance, the CLS has to be given top billing, although the new CL (S-Class) coupe, as mentioned above by Zetsche features the ground-breaking new engines. Closer to the CL and CLS, but still environmentally focused is the new S250 CDI BlueEfficiency mentioned above. At the polar opposite end of the socio-economic scale is the A-Class E-Cell.

According to Zetsche, the new S-Class diesel produces the same 500Nm torque figure as the venerable and iconic 300SE 6.3 from the late 1960s, but does so using barely one third of the fuel -- 5.7L/100km for the modern car, versus 15.7L/100km for the petrol-engined V8.

Leaving aside the fact it's a diesel, the engine powering the S 250 CDI BlueEfficiency is also the first four-cylinder engine to drive an S-Class model in the luxury model's 60-year history. But frugal four-cylinder diesel or not, the new S-Class variant packs a fair whallop; 150kW of power to match the 500Nm of torque. The twin-turbo engine is matched to the 7G-Tronic Plus automatic transmission and optimises its performance for the fuel consumed by switching off when not required -- at traffic lights or when parked idling. This is due to the car's Eco Start/Stop facility, which will kill the engine if the car is stationary and the driver is holding the brake pedal depressed. As soon as the driver lifts the foot off the brake pedal, the engine promptly restarts.

Among the other initiatives and 'what if?' ideas to be revealed by Benz in Paris are the electric SLS AMG and a smart electric scooter, plus an electric version of the smart fortwo to be pressed into service for Benz's Car2go scheme, which has already notched up 30,000 registered users in the German city of Ulm.

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