As announced for the A and B-series, Mercedes is naming its environmental line Blue Efficiency. MB’s compact sedans, the C-Series, will now get the Blue Efficiency treatment. They will be offered with two engine versions, the C180 Kompressor (gasoline) and the C200 CDI (diesel). Both versions are about €500 cheaper than the previous base versions, at €30,613 and €32,516 respectively (in Germany).

For the C-Class Blue Efficiency, Mercedes has installed lighter glass (1.2 kg less) and lightweight alloys, as well as using tires that have 17 percent less rolling resistance. The car was also lowered and got a revised engine bay, closed underbody and redesigned mirrors for slicker aerodynamics. These changes reduce overall resistance by seven percent.

The C180 Kompressor had its engine size reduced from 1.8 to 1.6 liters while keeping its power and torque figures, 156 HP and 230 Nm (170 lbft), respectively. The C200 CDI got no significant improvements, and neither of the two versions got the Stop/Start feature. However, fuel consumption figures are already pretty good: 6.5 l/100 km (36 mpg U.S.), and 5.1 l/100 km (46 mpg) for the C200 CDI. Even without out any serious changes to the C200 CDI, these are 0.9 and 0.6 liters lower than the previous most economical versions, respectively.

(Source: Autobloggreen)

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 This fall, Mercedes-Benz will offer a new A-Class coupe - the A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY - that gets 52mpg (U.S.). In the NEDC consumption calculation, the car comes in at 4.5 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres and emits just 119 grams of CO₂ per kilometer. Those are the best ratings in the A-Class range, and the A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY will still deliver 60 kW/82 hp.

As is standard in the BlueEFFICIENCY range, minor tweaks to the styling and the addition of start-stop capability are what turns a standard A-Class into a more efficient ride (other new vehicles in the line-up get “just” 29mpg). Starting with an old standby - a manual transmission - and adding low rolling resistance tires and weight cuts, the A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY also features a new closed-off aerodynamic grille and lowered suspension to make the car as slippery as possible. Daimler can likely count on solid sales of the new A 160 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, as more than 1.7m A-Class vehicle have been sold since the model launched in 1997. More details after the break.

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Aside from the flying members of the Great Chinese State Circus, who presented an extract from their European tour show of Swan Lake, the stars of the Mercedes stage at the Geneva Motor Show were the C 350 CGi BlueEFFICIENCY and the Vision GLK BlueTEC Hybrid. Joining the acrobats and new models on stage were Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Jutta Benz, great grand daughter of Carl and Bertha Benz, who drove up on the historical Benz tricycle. Mercedes also unveiled a new smart, the fotwo edition two, about which more in a bit. We’ve read about the BlueEFFICIENCY and BlueTEC vehicles already (there’s a fresh press release pasted after the jump if you’re still hungry), so for now let’s enjoy the photo gallery from Geneva.

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