Gas 2.0

Mercedes Reveals S350 Diesel Flagship for 2012

Posted: 11 Jan 2011 03:11 PM PST

Lost in the hype surrounding the 2011 Detroit Auto Show was Mercedes-Benz’ introduction of a new diesel version of the company’s flagship S Class sedans. The new S350 Bluetec is the first diesel-engined flagship from Mercedes to be sold Stateside in decades, and one-ups the clean diesel efforts from rival carmakers BMW and Audi (who do not offer a diesel option in their 7 series and 8 series flagship sedans).

Mercedes-Benz USA has yet to release technical specifications about the new S350 Bluetec – but it is powered by the same 3.5-liter turbocharged six-cylinder currently making a business case for diesel in MB’s E, M, and GL Class vehicles. When it goes on sale in the next few months, the new S350 will compete with the S400 hybrid (which came to the US last year) and SLS-E for the title of “cleanest Mercedes”. It’ll be interesting to see how they all stack up!

Source: Autoblog.

G-Power’s M5 Hurricane is a 200 mph LPG Rocket

Posted: 11 Jan 2011 11:36 AM PST

With 660 hp on tap, G-Power‘s LPG-powered Hurricane runs to a top speed of 333 km/h – which (according to G-Power’s announcement) makes the M5-based Hurricane GS the fastest natural-gas-fueled vehicle you can go out and buy today.

G-Power starts with BMW’s production 500 hp 5-liter “high-rev” V10 (which burns gasoline), then adds a sequential, five-cylinder LPG injection system to each cylinder bank. To take advantage of the LPG’s improved burn characteristics compared to gasoline, the company adds a twin-scroll water-to-air intercooler and a pair of ASA T1-313 superchargers. The Hurricane puts all this newfound power to the ground through wide Michelin tires and exhales through an open exhaust system, which should sound AMAZING while still burning significantly cleaner than its petroleum-fueled production cousin.