2015 Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid Debuts in Frankfurt

At one point during its development, Mercedes-Benz had contemplated offering the new S-class solely with hybrid powertrains. That didn’t happen, but it doesn’t mean that Benz isn’t pushing forward with that technology. At September’s Frankfurt auto show, Mercedes will launch the S500 plug-in hybrid, the third hybrid version of Benz's dearest sedan.

We finally got a clear look at the Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-in Hybrid at the Frankfurt Motor Show last fall, but it took until this week to learn what the vision (see what we did there) is that Mercedes-Benz has for the PHEV. Despite it's generous size, Mercedes thinks this is a vehicle that will work well in urban areas.

Speaking to members of the media during the Detroit Auto Show, Thomas Weber, Daimler AG management board member and research and development chief for Mercedes-Benz cars, said that the S500 PHEV, "will play a major role in congested areas" and that it will offer "a lot of driving pleasure."

2015 Mercedes-Benz S500 Plug-In Hybrid — Standard Exterior Features
-6.1 KWH Lithium Ion Battery
-Bumper-mounted charging socket
-Intelligent HYBRID technology: anticipatory energy management
-Recuperative braking
-COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST
-MAGIC VISION CONTROL
-Soft-close doors

Part of that pleasure will come from a 0-62 mile-per-hour time of around 5.5 seconds thanks to a turbocharged, 3.0-liter V6 and an 80-kilowatt electric motor. The PHEV also has a 19-mile EV range, which will put it at the bottom end of the Three-Pointed star plug-in lineup. The upcoming C-Class plug-in, for example, will likely go, "closer to 50 km [31 miles]," Weber said, according to Green Car Reports.
The S500 PHEV will go on sale in Europe later this year and will come to the US in early 2015 but there is no timeline, yet, for the C-Class plug-in (and the standard gas-electric hybrid version) or the even-more-future E-Class hybrids.

Announced last summer, the S500 Plug-in Hybrid features a 328hp 3.0-liter turbocharged gasoline inline-six and and a 80kW electric motor, which combine to get the car from 0 to 60mph in 5.5 seconds. Electricity comes from a lithium-ion battery pack, which provides 19 miles of range on the European cycle. Expect US-cycle efficiency numbers to be a little lower.
The big news, however, is that Mercedes will follow up the S500 Plug-in Hybrid with a C-Class Plug-in Hybrid, with an electric-only range closer to 31 miles. Mercedes will offer a plug-in and a normal hybrid, both of which will be based on the redesigned 2015 C-Class unveiled last week in Detroit.
The C-Class Plug-in Hybrid may use the same powertrain as the bigger S500 Plug-in Hybrid, as Mercedes attempts to modularize components used in its rear-wheel drive sedans.

The new S500 Plug-In Hybrid combines a new 3.0-liter, turbocharged V-6 engine that delivers a total of 329 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque with an electric motor that adds 107 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. The electric motor takes its power from a high-voltage lithium-ion battery that allows an all-electric driving range of 18 miles.
In hybrid mode, the S500 Plug-In Hybrid will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and up to a top speed of 155 mph.