Normally we'd be dealing with a flood of press releases at this time of year for cars due to hit the
North American International Auto Show, but sadly this year we're not. The problem is, there's another little
Detroit-based melodrama taking all the headlines right now, so the makers are more hesitant about pedalling their latest wares than usual.
Still, Mercedes has unveiled a big three of its own to rock up to Detroit in. It's called the Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO, and comes in three specific guises: the E-Cell, the E-Cell Plus and the F-Cell.
Using the 'sandwich floor' platform debuted with the first generation A-Class in 1997 (which allows the engine to slide underneath the cabin in the event of a front impact), the BlueZERO is designed to provide a green solution for all via the three versions.
The E-Cell can cover up to 120 miles on CO
2-free electric power alone using a lithium-ion battery pack, and the E-Cell Plus adds the three-pot 1.0-litre turbo engine from the Smart ForTwo to allow up to 370 miles of green motoring. The first 60 of those are on battery power alone, before the engine kicks in to recharge the battery and provide hybrid power.
Meanwhile, the F-Cell uses a fuel cell powered by hydrogen - a fuel widely regarded as the most viable green fuel of the future - connected to a 100kW motor, which Mercedes claims will endow the car with an 11-second 0-62mph sprint.
Mercedes claims that the sandwich floor concept, as well as its safety benefits, allows all three cars to be packaged without any compromise on passenger or luggage space, because all the drivetrain gubbins are packed neatly into the space beneath the floor, like a delicious eco baguette.
Of course there's no word on pricing, or even if any of the BlueZERO concepts will see the light of a production line, but Merc design supremo Gorden Wagener said the following: "This is yet another clear statement that environmental awareness and driving pleasure will continue to go together in our vehicles in the future. We want people to realise at first sight that the Concept BlueZERO is definitively not a lesser option." So, that's a definitely maybe, then.
Mark Nichol - 16 Dec 2008