2012 MERCEDES-BENZ S 500 PLUG-IN HYBRID

[marwan25]

as the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show came and went, Mercedes-Benz apparently missed the boat – or at least the Vision S 500 plug-in hybrid did. It’s been months since, and we still have not seen the full release on this mysterious luxury hybrid, but we do have several juicy details to hold you over until the official release takes place.

The Vision S 500 plug-in hybrid will reportedly use a gasoline V6 engine mated a 60 horsepower electric motor – and will also feature the ability to have plug-in charging. The setup will likely be similar to the system employed on the S 400 Hybrid, but the S 500 plug-in will use a larger lithium-ion battery pack. Mercedes says that it will be an “almost series” hybrid, which means it won’t be quite like the Chevy Volt in terms of how it approaches its efficiency, but in what ways it will fall short it is not yet clear.

Thanks to that extra storage capacity, the S 500 plug-in hybrid is said to be capable of traveling up to 18.6 miles on pure electric power. In the combined cycle, the S 500 plug-in is expected to return better than 73 mpg on the European cycle, which means expect something in the realm of 55 mpg in the U.S.

Despite its green intentions, the S 500 plug-in will feature plenty performance, ripping from zero-to-60 mph in just 5.5 seconds.

Br sure to keep checking back for more details and live images after the Vision S 500 plug-in hybrid is officially revealed.