Mercedes has announced plans to provide an option of a plug-in hybrid powertrain for just about every model it produces.
“We will have a plug-in hybrid version of every volume model,” Research and Development Chief Thomas Weber said at a press event in Stuttgart, Germany. The event was held for the S550 plug-in hybrid, which apparently is the brand’s first of many plug-in hybrids.
With S-class vehicles covered, the next Mercedes-Benz vehicles to receive the plug-in hybrid overhaul are the current C-Class, next E-Class as well as replacements for the GLK-Class (to be called the GLC-Class) and M-Class (to be called the GLE-Class). While exact timing has not yet been announced, Weber says that Mercedes would launch 10 plug-in hybrids by 2017.
The plug-in hybrids will be based on a rear-wheel-drive structure and use many common parts. According to Weber, the modules can be freely combined with gasoline and diesel engines, with all the engine types starting with the Mercedes’ four and six cylinders. Weber also pointed that the system works with all-wheel drive.
Mercedes has already thought out the logistics of putting in such a system and accounted for any spacing issues. The station wagon and SUV models will have a modified, flatter battery pack to generate an even loading floor.
The German brand has already shown off the S550 plug-in hybrid’s specs, with its fuel economy being 2.0 litres per 100 kilometres on the European cycle. The vehicle uses a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 engine that can produce 329 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. It is paired with an electric motor that generates 114 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque.
Weber also announced that by 2020, compact front-wheel-drive vehicles, like the A-Class, CLA and GLA, will also be offered as plug-in hybrids.
