Mercedes-Benz has a reputation for quality and durability, but it isn’t necessarily the first automotive company that comes to mind when talking about green cars. Today, the company’s reputation is now a little bit greener, as its S250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY has been named 2012 World Green Car.
BlueEFFICIENCY, Green Car
The S250 beat out its final two rivals, the Ford Focus Electric and the Peugeot 3008 hybrid, in a second such success for Mercedes Benz (the E320 Bluetec was its first winner in 2007). Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber of Mercedes-Benz Cars Development was quite proud of the announcement and the S250:
“The highly efficient gasoline and diesel engines in the S-Class show that our customers can drive a luxury vehicle with a clear conscience. The S250 CDI is the most impressive example: with a fuel consumption of only 5.7 l per 100 km [41 mpg], the S250 CDI is the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in the world.”
Three “green experts” review all the documentation and specifications for each candidate car. They’re responsible for creating the short list of potential winners. The experts help make sense of some of the complexity of the various green technologies reaching the market. According to this year’s experts:
“This is the first 4-cylinder S-Class in the 60-year history of the legendary model. Powered by a 204hp diesel turbo producing 500Nm, this S-Class develops ample power from the world’s cleanest diesel, while the incorporation of a start-stop system means that this car produces an outstanding 149g/km of CO2.”
It’s All About Protecting The Environment
The World Green Car Award is presented by Bridgestone Corporation (Japan). In order to qualify, the vehicle has to be all new (or at least all redesigned), and at least 10 have to be available for sale or lease in a major market. Once the car is actually in production, the committee looks at how its emissions, fuel consumption, and use-advanced-power-plant tech work to be make the vehicles more environmentally responsible.
Ryoji Yamada, General Manager of Bridgstone’s brand management, spoke briefly at the award presentation about what the award means to Bridgestone itself and what it represents in the greater world market:
“We are very pleased and honored to sponsor the 2012 World Green Car award. The environment is everyone’s responsibility. And throughout our global family of companies, we take this responsibility very seriously. We believe it is our mission to serve society with superior quality… not just with eco-friendly products but also in the way we produce those products and the way in which we support our many communities with environmentally-friendly activities such as wildlife habitats and our Lake Biwa initiative in Japan.”
Questions or comments? Let us know below.
Source: World Car of the Year
Image: Mercedes-Benz
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