Mercedes-Benz C-Class Diesel for U.S. Is No More

That is what Mercedes-Benz has done for plans to bring the C-Class diesel to the U.S. This week, Automotive News (Subscription Required) reached out to various manuafacters who offer diesel vehicles to see where their 2017 models are. They only found that Jaguar was selling their 2017 diesel vehicles. Everyone else was waiting on the EPA to finish their new strigent testing of diesels.

Mercedes-Benz was hoping to sell four diesel models for 2017; the C-Class sedan, GLC, GLE, and GLS crossovers. Mercedes-Benz spokesman Robert Moran told Automotive News that the C-Class diesel was off the table because of "product strategy reasons." Right now, the company's focus is getting the certification for the GLS.

What's the backstory on the C-Class diesel plans?

Mercedes-Benz was planning to launch the diesel option for the C-Class at the start of this year. The engine would have been a turbocharged 2.1L four-cylinder paired with Mercedes' 4Matic all-wheel drive. But Volkswagen's diesel emission scandal put the kibosh on those plans. The EPA began to conduct more and difficult tests to see if any other automaker was pulling a fast one.

As we reported back in August, Mercedes was planning on selling the C-Class diesel sometime in 2017.