History of the diesel car featured an aluminium block, DOHC chain driven valvetrain, common rail direct injection and variable geometry turbocharger. In Spring 2005, Mercedes-Benz unveiled their first application of a mass-produced aluminum block diesel engine for passenger vehicles and commercial use. While aluminum is traditionally considered of inferior strength and temperature resistance to withstand diesel applications, Mercedes engineers made extensive use of CAD/CAM design to arrive at an aluminum block that would meet with Mercedes' testing and reliability standards. First use was in 2006 model-year vehicles in the E-Class sedan and ML-class and GL-class SUVs. Similar in weight () to the five-cylinder it replaced,
Avion (car) updated version was entered in the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition. Recent testing, using the original body and replacing the original Volkswagen Rabbit diesel engine with the Smart Car ForTwo diesel show 80 MPG at and a remarkable 114 MPG at . The car was designed to be manufactured in small volume using existing automotive components, including a small automotive diesel engine. A lightweight composite body of highly aerodynamic design is attached to an aluminum frame, and features Butterfly doors. Avion (car) The Avion is a prototype sportscar that achieves over 100 MPG. The Avion car is based on a