According to CNNMoney, Mercedes’ only diesel sedan will soon be phased out. Though diesel continues to look like a better and better option in the US, to meet emissions standards, most companies will be starting out with heavier vehicles like diesel powered SUVs. The heavier vehicles have easier emissions standards.

The M-class, R-class, and GL-class oilburners are still set to launch soon which is still great news for diesels in general, but I was looking forward to sometime upgrading to the E320 from my Jetta. I can only venture to guess that the issue has to do with emissions. The EPA has issued guidelines for the ADBlue urea SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) systems, but I believe some things still have yet to be settled, such as what happens when the ADBlue solution runs out.

Keep in mind CNNMoney is the only place I’ve heard say the E320 CDi will be phased out, but CNNMoney is usually fairly reliable. This news is especially sad because the Mecedes-Benz E320 diesel just won the World’s Greenest Car Award?!? I’ll be looking for more information on this, rest assured. Though I love the big truck diesels, and would have one if I had any use for it, the US really needs more diesel cars to show the true benefits to average car buyers.

There is more to the CNNMoney article about future diesels in general which I will get to in another post, but I thought the line about the E320 phase out was significant enough for it’s own post.