Mercedes-Benz Diesels Back in California With Launch of Bluetec E-Class

LOS ANGELES — Mercedes-Benz put its E320 Bluetec sedan on the market in California today, marking the company's return to U.S. diesel sales after a decade in which the company didn't have a diesel product that could meet stringent California emissions rules.

Mercedes unveiled the new diesel in dramatic fashion on Monday at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, held at Smashbox Studios in Los Angeles.

The E320 Bluetec will be on sale as a lease-only vehicle, with numbers limited to 100 initially. It will cost $600 per month on a 24-month, 24,000-mile lease. The car will be available in seven Eastern U.S. states on the same terms starting in January.

The E320 Bluetec sedan has a 3.0-liter V6 making 210 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. Mercedes says the car's Bluetec technology "will satisfy the strictest emission regulations in the world — even in the future." The eventual plan is to sell Mercedes Bluetec vehicles in all 50 states, which the automaker says it will start doing with its M-, GL- and R-Class sport-utility vehicles in late 2008.

One enterprising California dealer has already posted the Bluetec lease offer on the Los Angeles Craigslist.

What this means to you: This could be the leading edge of a Bluetec invasion

© Source: edmunds
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