BlueTEC is Mercedes-Benz Group's marketing name for engines equipped with advanced NOx reducing technology for vehicle emissions control in diesel-powered vehicles. The technology in BlueTec vehicles includes a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system that uses diesel exhaust fluid, and a system of NOx adsorbers the automaker calls DeNOx, which uses an oxidizing catalytic converter and diesel particulate filter combined with other NOx reducing systems.
The BlueTEC was on the Ward's 10 Best Engines list for 2007 and 2008.[1][2]
In February 2016, Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG, Bosch LLC and Bosch GmbH were sued by private plaintiffs alleging BlueTec violates standards in a manner similar to the Volkswagen emissions scandal.[3] On December 6, 2016, U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice, finding the plaintiffs had alleged no standing.[4] The case was reinstated after Plaintiffs amended the complaint, and the litigation is ongoing. On July 12, 2021, the court granted final approval to the proposed class action settlement, which includes cash payments to previous and current owners, free retrofits to the cars' emissions systems, and extended emissions systems warranties for the affected models.[5] A similar settlement was reached in Canada on February 2, 2022.[6]