tamarasanborn: Report: Mercedes fast-tracks C-, E- and S-Class hybrids

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Report: Mercedes fast-tracks C-, E- and S-Class hybrids

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Europe, Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery

Along with reports that Mercedes-Benz is stepping up its U.S. diesel presence in a big way comes news that the company is also expanding its hybrid fleet. According to Automotive News, the Silver Arrow is looking to introduce hybridized versions of the company's C-, E- and S-Class vehicles in just three years. The move is an effort to prepare for ever tightening fuel-economy legislation in both the U.S. and Europe. The report says that European buyers can expect to see the battery-operated C- and E-Class vehicles show up in Europe in 2013 and that a plug-in S-Class hybrid will debut shortly thereafter.

American buyers, meanwhile, will likely see the tech arrive in showrooms six months after their European cousins. According to Herbert Kohler, the company's head of E-Drive and future mobility, Mercedes-Benz is currently spending half of its $5.6 billion research and development budget on investigating alternative powertrains.

Combined with a heavier diesel mix, the hybrids will go a long way toward upping the Mercedes-Benz corporate average fuel economy.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid