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Mercedes Begins Big Shift to Plug-In Hybrid Powertrains
Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand plans to offer plug-in hybrid powertrains in at least 10 models over the next two years.
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Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand plans to offer plug-in hybrid powertrains in at least 10 models over the next two years.
The strategy debuts this month with the launch of the flagship S 500 BlueTEC plug-in sedan, a 436-hp car that can travel 20 miles in electric-only mode and is rated at 84 mpg on the New European Driving Cycle test.
That model, which will reach China and North America next spring, will be joined by a plug-in variant of the midsize Mercedes-Benz C-Class in 2015. Similar systems, including all-wheel-drive architectures, will then spread to most of the brand's rear-drive cars and SUVs.
Mercedes will warrant its hybrid system's battery and other components for six years or 100,000 km (62,000 miles).
Like other European carmakers, Mercedes is embracing hybrid systems to help meet upcoming carbon dioxide emission targets in Europe. Those standards demand that Mercedes cut its new-vehicle fleet CO2 to 99 grams per kilometer the equivalent of nearly 55 mpg by 2020.
Mercedes' fleet average CO2 in Europe last year was 134 g/km. The S 500 plug-in is rated at 65 g/km of CO2.
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