–
Mercedes-Benz will not import any diesels for the 2017 model year, and perhaps longer, as the company continues to face a federal investigation over allegedly illegal emissions.
-The automaker’s PR chief, Rob Moran, told Automotive News that due to a tougher EPA certification process for diesel cars that has been in force since the Volkswagen diesel scandal erupted in September 2015, the company has “put the certification process for diesel passenger cars on hold.”
–
That means the four diesel-powered Benzes we expected to see later this year won’t be coming. They include D versions of three SUVs—the compact GLC-class, the mid-size GLE-class, and the full-size GLS-class—plus the C-class sedan, which Mercedes withdrew from U.S. certification last October. We’ve been waiting to sample the all-new turbo-diesel 2.1-liter four-cylinder meant for the GLC300d and the C300d, which attaches exhaust treatment parts straight to the engine. We have already driven the GLS350d (pictured above) with its carryover turbo-diesel 3.0-liter V-6. The wait will now be indefinite.
–
- –
- BMW and Benz: Diesel Has Long-Term Future in Europe, But Not in U.S.
- Mercedes-Benz Debuts New Four-Cylinder Diesel
- First Drive Review: 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS-class
–
–
–
–
Daimler received EPA approval in April to continue selling diesel Sprinter vans in the U.S. market. But since April 2016, when the company announced it was the target of a Justice Department investigation, German executives have been indecisive on the company’s diesel strategy for the U.S. market. The latest word is that diesel engines will be crucial for Europe but won’t have a long-term future here. The federal probe was launched shortly after a February 2016 class-action lawsuit alleging the company installed hardware to manipulate test results on all of its BlueTec (diesel) vehicles. The lawsuit and investigation are pending.
–
Car and Driver BlogCar and Driver Blog
