Well well well. Mercedes-Benz, which knows a thing or two about making very nice diesels, is applying that expertise to a hybrid said to get 56 mpg.
Autocar, offering no attribution whatsoever, say the Germans will launch their first diesel-electric hybrid early next year. The E 300 Bluetec Hybrid will sport a "specially tuned" 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine pulled from the E 250 CDI. The hybrid components will come from the S 400 Hybrid, which has a 20 horsepower electric motor and a tiny 0.7 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery.
The S 400 Hybrid is the first production car to use a li-ion battery, and the car is proving to be a versatile machine. The slick Vision S 500 plug-in hybrid concept built upon its technology. Autocar cites Mercedes saying the diesel hybrid will deliver 56 mpg, but since it is a British magazine, we're guessing that's miles per Imperial gallon. Figure 46.6 mpg here in the United States.
If we get the car, that is. Autocar says it's "headed to European showrooms" but says nothing about the United States.
Photo of the E 300 Bluetec: Mercedes-Benz
