Valeo said that Mercedes Benz will use Valeo’s StARS micro-hybrid system in Mercedes’ new A and B class vehicles. The StARS system features a Stop-Start function that cuts off the engine when the vehicle is standing still and then restarts it quickly when the driver releases the brake pedal. Valeo said the system provides average fuel saving of 9% in addition to reducing CO2 emissions, and as much as a 25% fuel saving in heavy traffic.
Valeo's micro-hybrid system is also available in the Citroen C2 and C3 and the smart mhd. Valeo has won a contract from PSA Peugeot Citroen to equip more than a million vehicles with StARS by 2011.