Hybrid hoedown

Newswheel staff :: 21 September 2005 :: Filed under Hybrid, Saloon, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz S-Class, Europe & UK, US

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Mercedes, Audi and Porsche announce hybrid strategies

What a difference a year makes. Last autumn, the Frankfurt motorshow was heaving with more with heavy metal horsepower than you can shake a supercharger at. 12 months later, oil prices are going through the roof and conspicuous petroleum consumption is going out of fashion faster than a footballer’s wardrobe.

Of course, that didn’t prevent Mercedes-Benz from giving environmentalists the bird courtesy of the usual pimped-out AMG rigs (this year’s highlight was a 6.3-litre 550bhp MPV/SUV crossover vehicle, the R-Class). But the German goliath also proved it hasn’t completely lost the plot by taking the wraps off a pair of hybrid S-Class barges.

Known slightly bafflingly as the “Direct Hybrid” and “Bluetec Hybrid,” the concepts represent a glimpse of what the production hybrid S-Class will look like when it appears around 18 months from now.

Details, details
The S350 Direct Hybrid’s petrol-electric powerplant is based on Merc’s existing 3.5-litre V6, but with the addition of a next-generation spray-guided direct injection system and a high-torque electric motor. Total power output is rated at 300bhp and quoted torque is 295 /b/ft. The S320 Bluetec derivative, meanwhile, packs Mercedes’ familiar 3-litre V6 turbo oil burner, but adds a new exhaust gas purification technology that reduces the nitrogen oxides by about 80 per cent. Together with the electric motor, the combined diesel-electric powerplant kicks out 243bhp and 424 lb/ft.

All of which is terribly admirable. But Mercedes has two problems. First of all, the fuel economy gains aren’t awfully dramatic for a revolutionary new technology. Compared with existing diesel and petrol S-Classes, consumption is reduced by 20 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. If that sounds reasonable enough, the headline consumption figures of 30mpg and 28mpg are hardly the stuff of an environmental activist’s wet dreams.

Playing catch up
But perhaps the more significant challenge is the head start the big Japanese brands have. Toyota, for one, is way ahead of the game. It already has both the econo-box Prius and luxury 4x4 Lexus RX400h hybrids on sale. And it showed off the production-ready Lexus GS430h at the Frankfurt show. With as much as 340bhp on offer from its 3.5-litre V6 petrol-electric setup, it’s a seriously mean petrol-sipping machine. What’s more, a hybrid version of the upcoming new Lexus LS, with petrol power coming from a V8, is likely to be available at launch. Honda also has petrol-electric cars in production.

Indeed, the European and US manufacturers are so far behind the Japanese, an unlikely – and some might say unholy – alliance between GM, Mercedes-Benz and BMW has been created to jointly develop hybrid drivetrains. Audi and Porsche have similarly gone tag-team on hybrid technology. Better late than never.