Mercedes wants 10% of their US sales to be diesels by 2010

In 2007 Mercedes-Benz is starting a major diesel push in the US market with the introduction of their BlueTec emissions technology. Mercedes sales and marketing boss Klaus Maier wants to see diesels comprise ten percent of US sales for the Stuttgart car-maker by 2010. A 45-state legal E320 diesel has been available since last October and additional 50-state legal models will be available later this year.

The fifty-state legal models will have the phase two BlueTec system that adds a urea injection system to almost completely eliminate the NOx emissions. DaimlerChrysler will also be installing BlueTec diesels in Chrysler models starting with the updated Jeep Grand Cherokee this spring and spreading to other models in the next couple of model years. DCX has also licensed the technology to Volkswagen and BMW for their diesel engines.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]