kilometers up to recovery – the new SLK causes 20 percent lower CO2 emissions than its predecessor.
As for the overall energy balance, the primary energy savings amount to 18 percent compared with the predecessor, which corresponds to the energy content of 4100 liters of petrol.
According to the manufacturer, the SLK already meets the mandatory recycling rate of 95 percent by weight that will come into force on January 1, 2015. The vehicle makes use of a total of 68 components with a combined weight of 35.4 kg that are produced from high-quality recycled plastics. The mass of approved recycled components has therefore been increased by 5 percent over the previous model.
"We have been making rapid advances in efficiency, the likes of which have never been seen before in the history of the automobile. And as the inventors of the automobile, we assume particular responsibility for its future," explains Professor Herbert Kohler, Chief Environmental Officer of Daimler AG. "We analyse the environmental compatibility of our models throughout their entire life cycle – from production, through their many years of usage, to end-of-life recycling. This goes far beyond mere compliance with legal requirements."
In addition to the SLK, the A, B, C, E and S-Klasse models, as well as the GLK have also received the Environmental Certificate. The Environmental Certificate, together with explanatory material, has been made available to the public in the "Life Cycle" documentation series, which can be accessed at the following link.