C-CLASS STILL ALL CLASS
When Mercedes-Benz launched the new C-Class model it was clear which direction the company’s design ethos was heading. Cover all bases, from your traditional Mercedes Benz buyer to the younger buyer. Gone are the circular headlights that personified a generation of Mercs as stately and refined, replaced by a less distinctive but more modern look.
This new design ethos is again on show with the all-new C-Class Estate. The new C-Class Estate aims to counter that the average age of their Estate customers was historically 57 years and 84 per cent were male.
By introducing models more sporting in style terms they aim to drive down the average age of users to late 40s and to attract more female customers. Mercedes said, in addition to sporty styling, the new C-Class Estate models have higher equipment levels, more load space, more power, more performance but less CO2 emissions.
Mercedes-Benz said that although they were looking to appeal to younger customers with the aggressive styling of the Sport versions of the new estate, they also aimed for the new range to retain its appeal to traditional C-Class Estate buyers with Standard and Elegance variants.
They also said the all new models offer high versatility, high levels of driver and passenger comfort, class leading load capacity, a Euro NCAP five-star safety rating and certified environmental credentials.
Mercedes is the only automotive manufacturer to be accredited with the Environmental Certificate recognising the achievement of meeting ISO standards in ‘Design for the environment’. What this means in practice is throughout the life cycle of their vehicles (dust to dust), emissions of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide are reduced by 12 tonnes per vehicle, equivalent of a 19 per cent reduction since 2001.
Buying an Estate is mainly about the extra space and load carrying versatility it offers over the boot of a saloon. In this premium sector, five-door hatchbacks are not considered to be up-market enough so customers go for the Saloon or Estate, whichever suits their image, lifestyle and business requirements.
The stretched exterior length over the C-Class Saloon and the steeper rear end over the previous Estate has given the new model the largest load bay in its class, up from 470 to 485 litres and with the rear seat backs folded forwards there is 155 litres more space, now 1,500 litres.
The new Estate has a wide tailgate opening and a wide and long load floor, all the features Estate owners want. The only criticisms are the rear seats do not fold completely flat to create a flat load floor and the load area cover and its fittings are not of the same high quality as the rest of the interior.
The new Estates shares all the highly praised technical features of the C-Class Saloons and S-Class models, Adaptive Braking as standard with the options of Intelligent Lighting and PRE-SAFE preventive passenger protection.
In any form, sporty or traditional elegance, the new C-Class Estate is no sluggish load carrier with a poor ride quality and compromised performance. Just look at the specification, see the quality and look at the performance figures.
It raises the bar in the compact premium Estate sector for other manufacturers to aspire to. Certainly it looks fresher and is roomier than the competition from BMW and Audi A4 Avant models.
DAIMLER DRIVES PLANTING OF FIRST JATROPHA BIODIESEL CROP
German auto-maker Daimler AG has started a new project for the cultivation of the biodiesel raw material jatropha in the south of India and the seedlings for the first 100 hectares have been planted.
The company is supporting several village communities in the state of Tamil Nadu with funds and expertise from its already successfully completed research projects.
Jatropha plants are cultivated and their seeds will be harvested in cooperation with farmers from these village communities. The seeds provide the basic raw material for biodiesel production. Only non-arable land that is no longer suitable and used for the cultivation of food crops is cultivated with jatropha plants. Thus, the jatropha fuel does not compete with local food production.
Daimler is ensuring financial support to the farmers in the communities over a period of five years by providing surety for small loans. With these funds, the farmers can buy jatropha seedlings and fulfill their tasks till the first harvest after four years. The income from the sale of the seeds, which Daimler ensures through a purchase guarantee, enables the loans to be paid back from the fifth year onwards. The loan repayments are collected in a revolving fund, which is used to grant loans to more farmers who decide to participate in the project. This creates an economic cycle that benefits many communities. The sureties ensure that the farmers suffer no financial threat to existence if the harvest fails because of reasons outside their control.
In addition, Daimler AG has been working for over a year with Bayer CropScience AG towards further development of methods for sustainable cultivation of jatropha. As part of this cooperation, Bayer CropScience AG is also supporting the current project. The Indian subsidiary of Bayer CropScience provides expertise and products from its portfolio for effective pest and disease control for jatropha plants. Experts from the company provide training to the project staff, who then pass the knowledge directly to the participating farmers.
During the five-year research project completed in 2007, Daimler AG demonstrated that jatropha is suitable for the production of high-quality biodiesel.
The use of the fuel was tested successfully in test vehicles with modern common rail diesel engines from Mercedes-Benz. The biodiesel manufactured from the jatropha seed has similar properties to fuels from other oilseeds. It also has a positive CO2 balance and offers an ecological advantage over fossil diesel fuels, particularly when the specific advantages of the plant are properly harnessed. For example, jatropha can be cultivated on non-arable, eroded soil, thus making a contribution to environmental protection without interfering with the food sources for the local people.
Andrew Koch
