DaimlerChrysler confirms tier 2/bin 5 diesel car achievement but not 120,000/150,000 miles durability

Diesel Fuel News, Sept 2, 2003

DaimlerChrysler (DCX) Confirms Tier 2/Bin 5 Diesel Car Achievement But Not 120,000/150,000 Miles Durability: In response to a question at an automaker conference in Traverse City, Mich., last month, DCX engineer Bernie Robertson confirmed that a Mercedes car with a prototype emissions control system got inside the crucial EPA Tier 2/Bin 5 emissions limit for 2007 cars.

However, the engine/after-treatment system hasn't been tested for the mandatory 150,000 miles durability so it can't yet be called a "certified" Bin 5 car, DCX told us. The other auto companies at least partially achieving Tier 2/Bin 5 are Toyota (DPNR system) and VW (on an Audi station wagon tested at EPA labs). Big issue: Nobody has yet proven long-term durability for such systems.