DaimlerChrysler Chairman Dieter Zetsche Urges Americans to Re-Think Diesel: Next Generation Clean Diesel BLUETEC Reduces Fuel Co
January 23 2007 - 10:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
- Encourages U.S. policymakers to provide consumers with equal
incentives on fuel-saving technologies WASHINGTON, Jan. 23
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today at the Washington (D.C.) Auto Show,
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of
DaimlerChrysler AG and the Head of Mercedes Car Group, called the
nation's attention to the new generation of clean diesels - branded
BLUETEC - while encouraging U.S. lawmakers to set regulations that
support a diversity of approaches to reducing the country's
dependence on foreign oil. To emphasize the point, he introduced
the 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 with 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel
engine offered with B5 and B20 biodiesel, available to consumers in
March. The first to do so and three years before the deadline, the
heavy duty truck will meet stringent 2010 truck emissions standards
in all 50 states. He also announced the Dodge Ram clean, light-duty
turbodiesel engine that will provide up to 30-percent improved fuel
economy, meet 50-state, 2010 emissions standards, available after
2009. With fuel economy improvements of 20 to 40 percent and a
reduction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) by as much as 90 percent,
Zetsche stressed that clean diesel technology is a viable solution
to reducing dependence on oil and improving air quality. Zetsche
also urged U.S. policymakers to stimulate greater demand and
consumer choice for fuel-saving technologies - such as diesel - by
providing equal incentives on powertrains that achieve lower fuel
consumption with clean emissions. "American policy-makers must
adopt a new and unique formula ... that encourages more
technologies and more (customer) choice," said Zetsche. "I've
always thought CAFE - in the country that is the world's model for
a free- market economy - to be a bit of a contradiction. It's an
attempt to regulate supply and not to use market forces to
stimulate demand for more fuel- efficient vehicles." Zetsche
reasoned that "trying to sell people what they don't want is not a
winnable business proposition. And it is that 'anti-free market
element' of CAFE that makes life difficult for us. We've learned to
live with CAFE and its modest increases." He added that we would be
open to re-visiting the CAFE discussion for cars, as they did
recently for trucks and make the regulation "size based" and not
"fleet based". Zetsche offered that the automotive companies should
"look to innovation, and to increasingly substituting petroleum
products with biofuels." He pointed to the modern diesel engine
which has "plenty of the former, and great potential for the
latter." He mentioned a current study that expects diesel takes
rates in the U.S. to hit 15 percent by 2015. Zetsche also detailed
the significant advantages of modern diesel engines where the
ultra-modern BLUETEC diesel vehicles provide their owners with
clean and economical performance. The Mercedes brand has been
pioneering BLUETEC in Europe, where it's been on the road for
several years. Since 2005, the Company has sold more than 40,000
BLUETEC Mercedes-Benz trucks and buses in Europe, "where they've
performed exceptionally well in everyday heavy-duty service," added
Zetsche. Mercedes-Benz intends to systematically broaden its
BLUETEC portfolio. In addition to the recently introduced Mercedes
E 320 BLUETEC, three additional BLUETEC models will join the
line-up, the R-Class, the ML-Class and the GL Class that will all
be assembled at the Company's plant in Alabama. He also submitted
that DaimlerChrysler "is not pursuing diesel to the exclusion of
other alternate fuel technologies." Zetsche listed many on-going
initiatives including the Company's fuel cell activities where
DaimlerChrysler has invested more than $1 billion and has more
fuel-cell vehicles on the road today than any other manufacturer.
The Company also has about 1,500 Orion VII diesel-electric buses in
service or on order for municipal fleets in Toronto, San Francisco
and New York City/New Jersey. And, working with GM and BMW,
DaimlerChrysler is jointly developing a state-of-the-art, two-mode,
full hybrid propulsion architecture for applications in Chrysler
Group, Mercedes Car Group, GM and BMW vehicles. The first
DaimlerChrysler vehicle to use this system will be the Dodge
Durango, coming in 2008. Unveiled during Zetsche's keynote address,
and available in dealerships next month, was the new Dodge Ram
Heavy Duty BLUETEC featuring an all-new 6.7- liter Cummins
turbodiesel engine, the first to meet 2010 truck emissions
standards in all 50 states. It is the first BLUETEC vehicle from
the Chrysler Group. "Several years ago, when the EPA set stringent
2010 diesel emissions standards for heavy-duty pickup trucks, we
didn't shake our heads and say 'no'," said Zetsche. "We went to
work with Cummins, the long-time diesel engine partner for Dodge
Ram heavy-duty three-quarter and one-ton pickup trucks, to meet the
challenge." The new 2007 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty engine uses a diesel
particulate filter to virtually eliminate particulate matter
emissions and an absorber catalyst to reduce NOx by as much as 90
percent and virtually eliminate particulate matter emissions. In
addition to the heavy duty pick up truck, DaimlerChrysler revealed
another addition to its diesel lineup. Tom LaSorda, Chrysler Group
President and CEO, announced an all-new diesel engine for its light
duty Dodge pickup trucks that will be available after 2009. Armed
with new Cummins clean-diesel technology, the new engine will
provide a dramatic increase in low-end torque, up to a 30-percent
improvement in fuel efficiency and a 20-percent reduction in carbon
dioxide (C02) emissions when compared to an equivalent gasoline
engine. The new clean turbodiesel engine will meet 50-state
emissions standards for 2010. LaSorda also announced pricing on the
2007 Jeep(R) Grand Cherokee, 3.0- liter common rail turbodiesel
(CRD) that will begin to arrive at Jeep dealerships in March. The
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the Jeep Grand
Cherokee Limited CRD will begin at $38,475, including $695
destination. The 3.0-liter CRD engine will be available on the Jeep
Grand Cherokee Limited and Overland 4x2 and 4x4 models. BLUETEC
represents the cleanest diesel vehicles in the world. These next-
generation vehicles meet the most stringent emissions regulations
worldwide, including emissions standards in all 50 U.S. states.
BLUETEC is the DaimlerChrysler-owned brand name that stands for the
cleanest diesel engines in their respective classes, i.e., those
that meet 50- state emissions standards. BLUETEC is just one of the
many fuel saving technologies from DaimlerChrysler, including
advanced gasoline, Flex-Fuel, hybrids and zero- emission fuel-cell
vehicles. DATASOURCE: Chrysler Group CONTACT: Shawn Morgan,
+1-248-512-2692, or , or Mike Aberlich, +1-248-512-2704, or , or
Todd Goyer, +1-248-512-0041, or , all of Chrysler Group Web site:
http://www.media.daimlerchrysler.com/
http://www.daimlerchrysler.com/
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