Mercedes-Benz and AMG Triumph at the International Engine of the Year Awards 2009

STUTTGART/ AFFALTERBACH, GERMANY – June 18, 2009: In the coveted "International Engine of the Year Awards 2009", engines from Mercedes-Benz and AMG were voted the best in three categories.

The AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine carried off two awards in the "Best Performance Engine" and "Above 4 litres" categories. This high-revving, naturally aspirated engine developing up to 386 kW took first place by a wide margin in each case.

In the "2 to 2.5 litres" category, the new four-cylinder diesel unit from Mercedes-Benz also took first place by a comfortable margin.

The "International Engine of the Year Awards" are among the most prestigious in the automobile sector, presented annually by the British motoring publisher UKIP Media & Events. The best engines of the year are chosen in twelve categories by an independent jury of 64 well-known motoring journalists from 32 countries.

This year, two engines from Mercedes-Benz and AMG prevailed against stiff competition from Germany, Italy, Great Britain, the USA and Japan, demonstrating the great expertise of Mercedes-Benz and the performance brand AMG in the development and production of exciting engines.

For 2009 the winner in the "Best Performance Engine" and "Above 4 litres" categories was the AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine. This high-revving, naturally aspirated motor with a displacement of 6208 cc develops an output between 336 kW and 386 kW, a maximum torque of 630 Newton metres, and is used in seven AMG high-performance cars such as the C 63 AMG and the SL 63 AMG.

The basis for its agile power delivery is a concerted technology transfer from motor racing, something that has been firmly embedded in the corporate philosophy of Mercedes-AMG for more than four decades.

Jury member Bill McKinnon (USA): "Enormous pulling power and the responsiveness of a racing engine, combined with a "Wagneresque" soundtrack - this AMG V8 sets the standard."

Performance with exemplary fuel economy is also offered by the newly designed direct-injection four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine from Mercedes-Benz.

The most powerful variant develops 150 kW from a displacement of 2143 cc, with a maximum torque of 500 Newton metres. It is used in both the new E-Class and the C-Class.

The C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sedan equipped with this engine has a combined fuel consumption of just 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres - showing exceptional efficiency.

The 125 kW variant is happy with 4.8 litres of diesel fuel per 100 km (corresponding to CO2 emissions of 127 g/km) - the best figure in this category.

Jury member John Carey (Australia) describes the engine as follows: "Effortless performance and an unbelievably low fuel consumption."

According to Friedrich Eichler, Head of Engine and Powertrain Development at Mercedes-AMG: "These top rankings reflect the huge enthusiasm of our customers for the AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine and the high-performance cars equipped with it - and they confirm the extremely positive test results in all the worldwide media."

Christoph Schmidt-Arnold, Head Project Manager for the new diesel engines, echoes these comments: "We are extremely pleased that the new four-cylinder diesel engine from Mercedes-Benz has been so well received by our customers and that its combination of high efficiency and maximum driving pleasure has now been acknowledged with this award."