Total sales of diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz cars have grown 265 percent as at November 2006, up from 686 units (November YTD 2005) to 1,823 this year.

As a percentage of total Mercedes-Benz passenger car sales, diesel-powered units now account for an impressive 14 percent, compared to six percent last year (November year-to-date).

Commenting on this surge in diesel engine popularity, managing director for the Mercedes Car Group in Australia, Horst von Sanden, said customer feedback revealed that the catalyst for demand was more than just the topic of fuel costs.

“Many of our customers have discovered the multitude of benefits our diesel engine range offers and the great driving experience these models deliver,” said von Sanden.

“It’s certainly not solely about the great fuel economy they deliver. Their quiet operation and torque gives seamless performance both on the open road and in traffic and the clean emission performance of a modern Mercedes-Benz diesel engine makes it hard not to consider one if you’re looking to buy a luxury car."

“It seems more people are discovering the secret appeal of a Mercedes-Benz diesel,” concluded von Sanden.

The greatest sales growth of diesel-powered Mercedes-Benz cars lies with the sought-after M-Class SUV. Almost 49% of all M-Class sales have been for the diesel-powered ML 320 CDI and ML 280 CDI, up from 30.62% this time last year (November year-to-date).

More than half of all sales of the recently launched GL-Class SUV have been for the GL 320 CDI, while one third of all sales of the luxurious R-Class have been for the R 320 CDI, both powered by the German car maker's impressive 165 kW/510 Nm 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6.

Mercedes-Benz has a rich history with the compression ignition diesel engine, being the first manufacturer to build a diesel-powered automobile – the Type 260D in 1936. It has pursued development of the diesel engine ever since, spearheading new technologies such as Common Rail Diesel Injection (CDI), adding innovative thinking to the diesel engine with componentry such as the variable geometry turbocharger and setting records in cars such as the famous Mercedes-Benz C111 prototype.

It’s been more than 110 years since Rudolf Diesel registered his first patent for the diesel engine but Mercedes-Benz continues to lead the way in unlocking the performance and clean energy potential of this power unit, as shown most recently with the release of BLUETEC clean emission technology.