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Here is a press release from Mercedes-Benz Canada.

MERCEDES-BENZ CANADA TO OFFER HIGH-TECH DIESEL CAR IN 2004
Clean, Quiet, Powerful Engine to Change Perceptions about Diesel

TORONTO, ON (February 11, 2003) ¨C Mercedes-Benz, the company that invented the diesel car, has
announced that it will again offer a diesel-powered car in the Canadian market. Starting in 2004, the
company will market an E320 CDI, a more fuel-efficient diesel version of its highly successful E-Class
sedan. The new diesel engine is quiet and impressively fuel-efficient, while achieving lower exhaust
emissions than previous diesels.

Electronic Fuel Injection¡®s the Key

The turbocharged six-cylinder powerplant will feature electronic fuel injection ¨C considered technically
impossible on a diesel until only a few years ago. CDI stands for ¡åcommon-rail¡å diesel injection ¨C a
term denoting the fuel line loop supplying constant fuel pressure to each of the six solenoid injector
valves.
The leap to electronic fuel injection means that the E320 CDI engine can be even cleaner, quieter and
more powerful than conventional mechanically-injected diesel powerplants. Diesel engines inherently
produce 30 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions and significantly lower carbon monoxide than
gasoline engines, but historically, diesels have produced more oxides of nitrogen and soot or
particulates. However, with precise electronic control of fuel delivery, hand in hand with an oxidation
catalyst, the E320 CDI will pass current Canadian standards from coast to coast.
The Global Leader in Diesel Cars
Mercedes-Benz debuted the world¡®s first diesel passenger car ¨C the 260D ¨C in 1936, and on a global
basis, diesel engines power about 40 percent of Mercedes cars around the world. In the early 1980s,
approximately 75 percent of the Mercedes-Benz cars sold in the Canadian market were dieselpowered,
but as consumer tastes evolved, diesel cars became a smaller and smaller part of the
company¡®s product mix.
2004 Diesel/2
Mercedes-Benz last offered a diesel car ¨C the E300 Turbodiesel ¨C in 1999. The company planned a
one-year hiatus for the diesel until its new CDI engine was ready, but in the meantime, new emissions
standards were proposed which further delayed the new Canadian diesel.
Over 30 Percent Better Fuel Mileage
Diesel engines consistently provide over 30 percent better fuel efficiency than comparable gasoline
engines, which means that a full-size luxury sedan such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class has an
estimated fuel economy of approximately 7.85 litres/100km on the highway and can cruise nearly
1,120 km before refuelling. Relying purely on the heat of highly compressed intake air to ignite the
fuel, diesel engines operate without spark plugs or other ignition parts.
The latest generation of electronically-injected CDI diesel engines are likely to change consumers
dated perceptions about diesel engines. With surprisingly good performance, low exhaust emissions
and great fuel economy, electronic control of diesel fuel injection even makes it possible to soften the
power pulses and help make the diesel nearly as quiet as a gasoline engine, even during idle
conditions.
CDI diesel technology will help expand the company¡®s already broad product portfolio in the Canadian
market. In addition, Mercedes-Benz¡® pioneering role in alternative powertrain development means
that its modern diesel engine is likely to play a key role in the company¡®s future products that could
include advanced piston engines, hybrids, and fuel cells