Mercedes-Benz–S-Class plug-in

Company car drivers in the market for a luxury car will soon have the option of a plug-in hybrid courtesy of Mercedes. Its S500 Plug-In Hybrid offers 94.2mpg average economy and the ability to travel up to 18 miles on battery power alone. A 3.0-litre V6 turbo petrol engine works with an 80kW electric motor to produce 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds yet emissions of only 69g/km. The battery can be recharged during braking or coasting, and Mercedes offers four different drive modes for the hybrid system comprising Hybrid, E-mode, E-Save and Charge. Quick charging allows the S500 Plug-In Hybrid to be fully charged in around 40 minutes and the new battery pack is said to have around 10 times the capacity of the S400 Hybrid’s. There is also a pre-entry climate control to warm the car while it’s still attached to a charger so the battery is not run down when warming the car up. Prices will be announced in the summer.