World Record for Mercedes E 320 CDI: In Detail

Press Release

"We're the first to dare to embark on a challenge like this"

 

Interview with Dr. Michael Krämer

Member of the Directors' Board

Spokesman for the management team C-Class/E-Class

Head of passenger car development C-Class/E-Class

 

? The diesel market is booming in Europe, but is only of secondary importance in the USA. What are the reasons for this?

 

! Up till now, people in the USA just aren't aware of the advantages of today's diesel engines. With campaigns like our diesel initiative we aim to reinforce the image of this type of propulsion as a powerful, economical, clean and dynamic alternative to the petrol engine.

 

? Just how has the diesel engine changed over recent years?

 

! The fact that the diesel engine is now an up-to-date, user-friendly engine with convincing performance and outstanding environmental credentials is a consequence of our consistent policy of developing and enhancing the fuel injection, timing and exhaust gas aftertreatment systems. What one might perhaps call evolution rather than revolution. Not that we have interfered with the DNA of the diesel engine. Reliability and proverbial durability still number among the outstanding characteristics of Mercedes diesel powerplants. In the case of our CDI engines, for example, our investment in research and development alone has amounted to about two billion euros over the past few years.

 

? How can American consumers be made more amenable to the diesel engine?

 

! We have to make the advantages of today's advanced diesel engines clear to them. This can be done by means of initiatives such as the world-record run by a standard-production E 320 CDI in Laredo in Texas under FIA* conditions. Just think: a record run of 100,000 miles, in a vehicle driven 24 hours a day for 30 days at an average speed of more than 130mph (220 km/h) – we're the first to have ever attempted such a feat. And, of course, we're using an oxidising catalytic converter as well as a diesel particulate filter and we are going to comply with the strict EU 4 exhaust emission limits throughout the entire record distance. Alongside numerous other measures, this record-breaking achievement will help us to emphasise the positive characteristics of today's diesel-powered vehicles and anchor them firmly in the minds of the American public.

 

* The Paris-based FIA (Fédération Internationale de l´automobile) is acknowledged as the governing body for world-record attempts in the automotive sector

 

? What conditions does the FIA set for a world-record attempt like this?

 

! Plenty! First of all, we have to submit a detailed description of the record drive. Then an official, in our case a member of the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund as the body representing the FIA in Germany, selects the vehicles to be used for the record bid at the end of the production line. The vehicles are sealed, taken to the test circuit under the supervision of the DMSB and handed over to the American officials. For the duration of the record-breaking bid officials from the United States Auto Club are on hand. They act on behalf of ACCUS, which is in turn the body representing the FIA in the country where the record bid is to be made. Moreover, the test circuit has also to be officially measured and approved by the FIA.

 

? Are repairs permitted during the record-breaking drive?

 

! Repairs are only allowed to a limited extent. Complete replacement of the engine or transmission, for instance, is not permitted. Before the start of the record drive we have to define replacement parts, and carry their equivalent in weight the whole time in the cars. The rules limit this weight to around 100 kilograms. This restriction on its own speaks volumes: you must have a highly reliable foundation, such as our E-Class, for record drives of this kind, since major repairs are not possible.

 

?Why don't you just leave a CDI vehicle running on a rolling-road dynamometer for 30 days?

 

! Test-bench simulations are an important tool in the development and testing of new engines, electronics, transmissions etc. But they represent the lab-based side of development and can never replace real-world testing in the actual vehicle. We deliberately chose Laredo in Texas because it offers the toughest conditions for the record run and subjects the entire vehicle – rather than just the engine – to extreme stresses.

 

? What kind of testing does a Mercedes-Benz engine usually have to complete in order to be deemed fit for series production?

 

! In the course of a vehicle's development it is often subjected to even more gruelling requirements than our world record bid – which itself corresponds to more than three times the punishment a car would normally see in the hands of a customer! We test our engines in extensive real-life trials in tropical heat and Arctic cold, in various different model series and on a wide variety of test roads all over the world. Then there are the test-rig runs and laboratory tests I mentioned before.

 

? What other kinds of torture will the vehicles involved in the record bid have to contend with?

 

! To start with, there's the 5-mile high-speed circuit. It's none too recent and anything but smooth. The cars will be continuously shaken by all the potholes, cracks and bumps in it. And then there's the typical desert climate, with temperatures rising to 45 degrees Celsius during the day and then cooling noticeably at night. Depending on the weather, the air can be very dusty, so that will be a challenge not only for the engine, but also for assemblies such as electronics and the entire powertrain, which features our 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission, or the chassis.

 

? Moving on to the factors which influence the US market, will the upcoming  US legislation help or hinder diesel-powered vehicles?

 

! On the one hand, diesel and petrol models are subject to the same exhaust emission regulations in the USA. In order to comply with these limits, we would have to use catalytic converters and particulate filters as we do in Europe. On the other hand, the legislation permits diesel fuels with a proportion of sulphur that is up to 33 times than in Europe. The trouble is, sulphur is one of the main factors causing the formation of particulates when diesel fuel is burned. This is impeding the deployment of catalytic converters and particulate filters, and low-sulphur diesel fuels are not scheduled for introduction in the USA until mid-2006.

 

? How great are the savings which could be made if economical, low-emission diesel models were as popular in the North American market as they are in Western Europe?

 

! The savings would be enormous – both for the customer and for the environment. It has been stated in the clearest terms by Margo T. Oge, the Director of the Federal US environmental agency. An increase in the proportion of diesel-powered cars and light commercial vehicles from the present one percent to around thirty percent would save the USA approximately 1.4 million barrels of crude oil per day – equivalent to the entire amount of oil imported by the USA from Saudi Arabia. If we were to assume a 50 percent market share for diesels, as in western Europe, the potential amount saved in a year would be an astronomical 133 billion litres!

 

? In the past, did American drivers avoid buying diesel cars because there were no up-to-date, attractive models on offer, or did the auto manufacturers choose not to offer any diesel models because nobody wanted a car with a diesel engine?

 

! Mercedes-Benz can look back on an extremely successful diesel tradition – which extended to the USA, too. We were successfully offering diesel models there as early as the beginning of the nineteen eighties. Other manufacturers were surprised at this success, but wanted to cash in on the boom in demand which we had triggered as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, these manufacturers moved in with vehicles which were not sufficiently mature or reliable and which damaged the originally positive image of the diesel engine.

 

? What prospects do you see for the future of the diesel engine in the USA?

 

! Our diesel initiative, which I mentioned at the beginning, gives us every reason to be optimistic. Last year saw us offer a diesel passenger car again, the E 320 CDI, for the first time since the nineteen eighties. It was an overwhelming success. Our sales volume of 3000 vehicles planned for 2004 sold out in just five months. The customers were impressed not only by its excellent performance but also by its unbeatable fuel consumption figures. Capable of doing around 40 miles per gallon of diesel- which translates into a fuel consumption of around 5.9 litres per hundred kilometres in European terms - it set a new standard for fuel economy.

 

? Rising fuel prices in the USA are making diesel models with good fuel economy increasingly attractive. Will Mercedes complement its economical diesel models at the higher end of the market with diesel powerplants in the more compact vehicle categories?

 

! The Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI is, of course, only the beginning of a long-term strategy. This model will enhance the image of diesel vehicles decisively. American customers will follow their European counterparts in associating attributes such as sportiness, agility, economy, comfort, quietness and environment-friendliness with the diesel engine. We will then go on to extend the diesel range substantially in all vehicle classes.