International Engine of the Year: Mercedes-Benz and AMG win three categories

In the coveted "International Engine of the Year Awards 2009", engines from Mercedes-Benz and AMG were voted the best in three categories. The powerful AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine carried off two awards: in the "Best Performance Engine" and "Above 4 litres" categories, this high-revving, naturally aspirated engine developing up to 386 kW/525 hp took first place by a wide margin in each case. In the "2 to 2.5 litres" category, the new four-cylinder diesel unit from Mercedes-Benz also took first place by a comfortable margin.

The "International Engine of the Year Awards" are among the most prestigious in the automobile sector, in which the best engines of the year are chosen in twelve categories by an independent jury of 64 well-known motoring journalists from 32 countries, including Auto Arabia's editor Mohamed Sheta.

This year two engines from Mercedes-Benz and AMG prevailed against stiff competition from Germany, Italy, Great Britain, the USA and Japan. This once again demonstrates the great expertise of Mercedes-Benz and the performance brand AMG in the development and production of exciting engines.

For 2009 the winner in the "Best Performance Engine" and "Above 4 litres" categories was the AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine. This high-revving, naturally aspirated power unit with a displacement of 6208 cc develops an output between 336 kW/457 hp and 386 kW/525 hp, a maximum torque of 630 newton metres, and is used in seven AMG high-performance cars such as the C 63 AMG and the SL 63 AMG. The basis for its agile power delivery is a concerted technology transfer from motor racing, something that has been firmly embedded in the corporate philosophy of Mercedes-AMG for more than four decades. Jury member Bill McKinnon (USA): "Enormous pulling power and the responsiveness of a racing engine, combined with a "Wagneresque" soundtrack - this AMG V8 sets the standard."

A high performance with exemplary fuel economy is also offered by the newly designed direct-injection four-cylinder diesel engine from Mercedes-Benz. The most powerful variant develops 150 kW/204 hp from a displacement of 2143 cc, with a maximum torque of 500 newton metres. It is used in both the new E-Class and the C-Class. The C 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Saloon equipped with this engine has a combined fuel consumption of just 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres - showing exemplary efficiency. The 125 kW/170 hp variant is happy with 4.8 litres of diesel fuel per 100 km (corresponding to CO2 emissions of 127 g/km) - the best figure in this category. Jury member John Carey (Australia) describes the engine as follows: "Effortless performance and an unbelievably low fuel consumption."

According to Friedrich Eichler, Head of Engine and Powertrain Development at Mercedes-AMG: "These top rankings reflect the huge enthusiasm of our customers for the AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine and the high-performance cars equipped with it - and they confirm the extremely positive test results in all the worldwide media." Christoph Schmidt-Arnold, Head Project Manager for the new diesel engines, echoes these comments: "We are extremely pleased that the new four-cylinder diesel engine from Mercedes-Benz has been so well received by our customers and that its combination of high efficiency and maximum driving pleasure has now been acknowledged with this award."