Got this off another MB forum:

Mercedes tries diesels again in USA


Dorothée Ostle
Automotive News Europe

Mercedes-Benz will reintroduce diesel engines into its US model lineup with the September launch of the new E class.

"We had 400,000 very happy American customers [for our diesels] in the late 1980s and early '90s," said Jürgen Hubbert, DaimlerChrysler board member for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, Maybach and Smart. "They want us to come back with a diesel. And we will do so."

A limited number of the E270 CDi will be offered in 45 of 50 American states as Mercedes-Benz gauges consumer reaction.

"We are prepared to react very flexibly," Hubbert said. "If customers want it, we can immediately offer a bigger choice and also the M class and the S class with great diesel engines."

Mercedes-Benz won't offer diesels in five states, he said. Emission regulations prevent diesel cars from being sold in California and four other states that have adopted clean-air standards.

The biggest difficulty will be overcoming an American perception of diesel engines as smelly, noisy and unreliable.

"The new common-rail diesel engines have nothing in common with what American drivers might associate with former diesels," Hubbert said. "They are powerful, sporty, agile, and offer an enormous amount of torque."

Even more torque and power will be offered on AMG diesel versions, currently under development at the Mercedes-Benz tuning specialist.

"Soon we'll have some race diesels by AMG," Hubbert said. But he would not say which models will get the special engines.

Worldwide, Mercedes-Benz expects to sell 43 percent of its cars with diesel engines this year. Better fuel economy and cheap diesel prices are the driving factors for diesels in most markets.

But in the USA, diesel and gasoline fuel prices are roughly the same and fuel economy is not a big issue for drivers, Hubbert said. Most existing diesel vehicles have a noticeable fuel odor. Fuel stations either don't sell diesel or do so in a separate area devoted to heavy trucks.

"We know all this doesn't help diesel's re-introduction," Hubbert said. "But we think the American market is ripe for another try."



Info sounds legit to me. They should really import the W203 C270 CDI (comes with the option of a 6-speed manual). That would be such a fun car to have .

But they won't be selling it in California and 4 other states. Damn!