Detroit 2008: Mercedes-Benz E320 BlueTec is only sort of 50-state legal
Back in October, Mercedes-Benz made something of a splash in California when they re-introduced the E320 to the California market. It was the first new diesel available in the state in over two years. However, it now appears that the E320 BlueTec is not actually technically legal in California or four other states that use the same emissions regulations. The current E320 BlueTec is not equipped with the urea injection system meaning it does not meet California regs. Mercedes received a waiver from CARB that would allow them to lease the cars in the state for two years. At the end of the lease, the cars cannot be re-sold in California or the other four states. When the ML, GL and R class BlueTec models go on sale late this year, they will have urea injection and be truly fifty-state legal and can be sold in California. The E-Class won't get urea injection until the next-generation model debuts in the next couple of years.
(Via AutoblogGreen.)
