On October 21, 33 E-Class cars with clean diesel drive will start on a fascinating long-distance drive from Paris to Beijing, each covering around 13,600 kilometers. With this automotive marathon, Mercedes-Benz is once again demonstrating the capabilities of its latest diesel engines with respect to emissions, economy and operating range, even under the most extreme conditions. Over long stretches of the journey, this long-distance event follows the route of the first transcontinental car race in history, which went from Peking to Paris in 1907. During the five stages of the journey, the new-generation E-Class models will be driven by around 330 drivers from 35 nations, covering a total of more than 450,000 kilometers in nine countries within 26 days.
The E-Class fleet leaving Paris on October 21 consists of 33 standard E-Class models with clean diesel engines, some of them equipped with 4MATIC four-wheel drive. In addition to 30 E 320 CDI models, three E-Class cars equipped with BLUETEC are included. This forward-looking technology makes the Mercedes-Benz saloon the world’s cleanest diesel car. The E 320 BLUETEC is the first and only diesel worldwide that can undercut the US exhaust emission standard BIN 8, which is particularly stringent with respect to nitrogen oxide emissions. From October 15, 2006 the E 320 BLUETEC will initially become available in the USA (in 45 states) and Canada, and consumes up to 30 per cent less fuel than comparable petrol-engined cars in North America. Owing to its enormous operating range of up to 1,200 kilometers with a full tank, it is ideally suited to an automotive marathon like the Paris-Beijing event – as is the E 320 CDI.
The long-distance journey from Europe to Asia passes through France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Kazakhstan before ending in China. This event is not only a particular challenge owing to very low temperatures, ice, snow and short hours of daylight. Absolving the daily stages of up to 750 kilometers through sometimes impassable areas, under unusual traffic conditions and crossing passes at altitudes of up to 2,900 meters will require outstanding concentration, experience and fitness of the approximately 330 drivers from 35 nations, who will take turns at the wheel during the five 1,900 to 3,400-kilometre stages of the event. They include international journalists, celebrities and online applicants who were chosen from more than 50,000 who expressed interest in the Internet.
The most unusual vehicle in the fleet is an E-Class taxi from Paris, which will accompany the convoy for the entire distance across eight national borders and six time zones. Altogether the 33 diesel saloons will cover around 450,000 kilometers within 26 days, corresponding to eleven and a half times the orbit around the earth on the equator. Their arrival at Beijing is planned for November 17. “70 years after Mercedes-Benz as the first car producer introduced the diesel engine in passenger cars, we now want to underline the performance of our modern diesel technology with the long-distance drive from Paris to Beijing”, explains Dr Thomas Weber, member of the board of DaimlerChrysler AG and responsible for Group Research & Development at the Mercedes Car Group. As fuel prices increase, independent experts forecast an accelerating worldwide trend towards diesel cars. The latest JD Power study “Global Outlook For Diesel” forecasts that the worldwide market share of diesel will increase from the present 18 to around 30 per cent by 2015.
Retracing the route of the first transcontinental car race in history
The route of the “E-Class Experience” substantially follows that of the first transcontinental car race in history, which was held from Peking to Paris 99 years ago. The aim of its French organizers was to demonstrate the technical superiority of the automobile over the horse. The winner was the Italian aristocrat Scipione Borghese, who reached the finishing line in Paris after 62 days – his rivals arrived three weeks later.
In contrast to the historical event – and despite the ambitious schedule of just 26 days – speed is not the most important consideration during the long-distance E-Class journey. Instead, the sporting challenge for the participants is to achieve the lowest possible fuel consumption for the separate stages and the overall distance. Despite a high output of 165 kW/224 hp and a maximum torque of 540 Newton meters, the usual fuel consumption of the E 320 CDI is impressively low at 7.3 to 7.6 liters per 100 kilometers.
In May 2005 the economical and clean Mercedes-Benz V6 diesel engine had its debut with an extraordinary endurance test. In three series-production E 320 CDI cars, the engine completed a failure-free, 30-day test marathon on a high-speed circuit in Laredo, Texas. The results were three FIA-acknowledged diesel world records over 100,000 kilometers at an average speed of 225.903 km/h, 50,000 miles at 225.456 km/h and 100,000 miles at 224.823 km/h. Despite the extraordinary stresses, the maintenance-free diesel particulate filter worked without any losses over the entire record distance – clearly demonstrating the reliability and durability of this exhaust technology.
For updates on the “Paris-Beijing” E-Class experience including Google Maps showing real time positions of the vehicles, go to: www.e-class-experience.com.
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