Reason:
‘We don’t drive to win only in Formula 1, but also in ‘Formula Green’ with premium automobiles that combine environmental responsibility with the fascination of Mercedes-Benz,’ stated Dieter Zetsche on the occasion of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The problem: At present we are not even good enough in ‘Formula Green’ for a place on the rostrum. The Group is still driving miles behind the competition. Explicitly: BMW’s current fleet consumption is the equivalent of 150 grams of CO2 per kilometer. Daimler’s cars have about 160 grams per kilometer. A few weeks ago, the competitor from Munich presented the 320d EfficientDynamics Edition with maximum power output of 120 kW and consumption of just 4.1 liters of diesel per 100 km. In comparison: the C 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY consumes 5.0 liters/100 km, the C 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY 4.8 liters/100 km. BMW is meanwhile one of the manufacturers that have been able to reduce their fleet consumption the most in recent years. The reason is the early introduction of consumption-reducing packages well before the competitors, including Daimler AG.
If one considers the complete product ranges of both manufacturers, all cars of the Mercedes-Benz brand consume an average of 8.9 liters/100 km. In a direct comparison, the competitor BMW comes to just 7.6 liters/100 km. Compared to the figures for the 2007 model range, Daimler AG was able to reduce the average fuel consumption by just 0.55 liters/100 km. In the same period, BMW reduced the mean fuel consumption of all its cars by 1.4 liters/100 km. Meanwhile, the competitor in Munich offers 27 models with a maximum of 140g CO2/km.
The orientation towards fuel-efficient models and the use of new, alternative drive concepts is of crucial economic importance. In the past 15 years, the Critical Shareholders have again and again submitted countermotions and made speeches pointing out the importance of research and the development of efficient cars. It took the Group far too long to adapt to this market trend. Today, we are still driving behind the competition.”