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Mercedes-Benz Just Unleashed It's First Plug-In Hybrid, And It's an S-Class

Benjamin ZhangSep 19, 2014, 23:06 IST

Mercedes-Benz

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the gold standard for luxury sedans. Even with competitors from BMW, Audi, and Lexus nipping at its heels, the S-Class remains the benchmark in this segment for performance and refinement.

But until recently, Mercedes lacked a plug-in hybrid S-Class model.

With the introduction of BMW's ActiveHybrid 7 Series - and with the Lexus LS460H already on the market - the S-Class's absence from the segment was quite conspicuous.

But with the new S550 Plug-In Hybrid, Mercedes will join the party, and market its first-ever vehicle of this type.

"The S550 Plug-In Hybrid is the first luxury sedan with the performance of a V8 and the fuel consumption of a compact model," boasted Mercedes-Benz board member Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber in a statement. "The greatest challenge in this is to translate efficiency into superior performance. In this respect there is a highly interesting parallel with our successful Formula 1 racing car, which likewise has a turbocharged V6 engine and a high-tech hybrid drive."