Photo of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE300d by Paul Clinton.

Photo of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE300d by Paul Clinton.

Mercedes-Benz USA has reduced its 2017 diesel vehicle lineup for the U.S. market and plans to offer only a single diesel-powered model due to increased regulatory scrutiny resulting from the Volkswagen diesel scandal.

Mercedes-Benz is working to gain certification for the 2017 GLS350d that's powered by a 255-hp diesel V-6. The GLS is the company's flagship SUV.

The decision means Mercedes-Benz will no longer seek certification to offer diesel-powered versions of the C-Class, GLC, and GLE. The C300d 4Matic will not be offered for 2017.

"Numerous authorities are currently testing diesel engine vehicles for compliance with emission standards," said Christian Bokich, a company spokesman. "Of course, this process has a considerable impact on new diesel certification projects both in terms of effort and duration. As such, we are concentrating initially on the certification of the six-cylinder diesel (GLS), however, a firm launch date has not been communicated. For reasons of product strategy, we will not offer the C300d 4MATIC for the time being."

Light-duty diesel models must gain certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be sold in the U.S. In California, they would also need approval from the California Air Resources Board.

About the author
Paul Clinton

Paul Clinton

Former Senior Web Editor

Paul Clinton covered an array of fleet and automotive topics for Automotive Fleet, Government Fleet, Mobile Electronics, Police Magazine, and other Bobit Business Media publications.

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