Parent-company DaimlerChrysler just wrapped up its 12th
consecutive year of profitability. The automaker is making global
growth a top goal this year, with plans to capture the U.S. market with
diesel-powered versions of their redesigned 8th-generation S-Class as
well as the new GL-Class. For example, the E320 CDI, currently on sale
in the U.S., gets an appealing 35 miles per gallon.
"Diesel" was the buzzword at the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class unveiling. Fifty percent of Mercedes-Benz models
sold in Europe are diesel powered, and the automaker believes that
there's room for multiple propulsion technologies in the u.s. market as
well.
| 2007 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class |
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Click here for a
video of the Mercedes-Benz GL-CLass from the Detroit Auto Show.
Mercedes-Benz' paramilitary cum premium-large SUV gets a redesign, a
name change, and loses its boxy image for 2008. Debuting at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show this January is a redesigned model called the GL-Class. It replaces the G-Class, and, at 200 inches long and 75.6
inches wide, is longer and wider than its predecessor. Underhood is a
4.6-liter 335-horsepower V8 engine paired with a 7-speed automatic
transmission. Also on stage this year was a diesel version of the new GL-Class, the GL 320 CDI. Powered by the group's new Bluetec V6 diesel,
it gets 26 miles per gallon and meets emissions restrictions in all 50
states. Similarly, the s 320 CDI, also on stage in Detroit, is powered
by the Bluetec V6 diesel and gets 36.2 mpg. The S 320 CDI will be
available in dealerships this fall, followed by diesel variants of the M-Class and R-Class SUVs. The GL-Class will share parts with the M-Class and R-Class SUVs and be built in Vance, Alabama.
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2006 Detroit Auto Show 
