Auto-stop debut for Benz C-Class

Now below 7.0L/100km, C200 and C250 BlueEFFICIENCY dispense with luxury tax
discount new cars games  » Get the best price on a new Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class C200 BlueEFFICIENCY is now $300 cheaper, thanks to the introduction of Auto-stop/start technology from December production. But the better news for C-Class buyers is the C250 BlueEFFICIENCY, which is a whopping $2300 cheaper, for the same reason.

Since the new feature reduces fuel consumption to below 7.0L/100km for both C200 and C250 BlueEFFICIENCY variants, neither model is subject to the Luxury Car Tax now. The C200 BlueEFFICIENCY was only just above the LCT threshold, so the reduction in price is marginal, but the C250 BlueEFFICIENCY — priced around $7000 higher — enjoys a substantial benefit from the dispensation of the 33 per cent impost.

Auto-stop/start is an increasingly commonplace feature in modern cars and, based on Benz's own testing, can reduce the official combined-cycle consumption figures from 7.2L/100km for the two sedans to 6.8L/100km. Both the wagon variants also come in under 7.0L/100km — now 6.9L/100km, instead of 7.3 (C200) and 7.4 (C250).

“With the introduction of Stop/Start engine technology on our four-cylinder petrol C-Class Sedan and Estate we are delivering an efficiency dividend to our customers as these models now qualify under the “Fuel Efficient” LCT threshold of $75,375," said Managing Director for Mercedes-Benz cars, Mr Horst von Sanden.

According to von Sanden, the LCT that had previously been payable on the C200 and C250 BlueEFFICIENCY is  "regressive, discriminatory and inequitable". It's a philosophical position Mercecedes-Benz has long occupied, with the company going on a strong offensive from the moment the government first mooted raising the tax from 25 per cent to 33 per cent.

In classic literature, auto-stop/start would be a 'deus ex machina', by taking advantage of the fuel efficient car loophole in the LCT legislation (courtesy of the Greens). The technology, which stops the engine when the vehicle is standing at idle and then restarts the engine automatically once the driver releases the brake, provides the half-litre incremental reduction over 100km to exempt the C-Class models from the LCT.

Pricing for the C200 BlueEFFICIENCY is now $58,600 for the sedan and $60,600 for the wagon, while the C250 BlueEFFICIENCY sedan is priced at $65,600 and the wagon now retails for $67,600.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...