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Mercedes reveals S500 plug-in hybrid, rated at three liters per 100 km

Via autoblog: The third model in the lineup of Mercedes-Benz S-Class hybrids has arrived: the S500 Plug-in Hybrid brings with it a 0-to-62 mile-per-hour time of 5.5 seconds, 30 kilometers (nearly 19 miles) of electric-only operation and a fuel economy rating of three liters per 100 kilometers on the European cycle (78.41 mpg US, though that’s not apples-to-apples). Those numbers outdo those of the second-generation S400 Hybrid and S350 BlueTEC Hybrid. In fact, that mpg figure is better than the Audi A3 1.6 TDI Ultra that was introduced earlier this month with a European rating of 3.2 liters per 100 km (73.5 mpg).
The miserly beast runs with a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine tied to an 80-kilowatt electric motor, its lithium-ion batteries containing ten times the energy of those in its S-Class hybrid siblings and chargeable from a port on the rear bumper. There are four drive options, two that select between either full hybrid cruising or electric power only, and two that manage battery usage.
Also helping to manage the battery are the second-generation braking system that first uses the car’s electric motor to initiate deceleration, a haptic accelerator pedal that lets a driver know when he’s about to engage the combustion engine and the Intelligent Hybrid energy management system. It uses COMAND navigation data up to eight kilometers ahead of the car to oversee battery usage, adjusting how the electric assistance system is used based the likely of the route.
It will be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show before going on sale next year. The press release below has more information.

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