Mercedes C350 Plug-in hybrid revealed

Mercedes has given us a sneak height at a prototype for the C350 Plug-in hybrid, months ahead of its on sale date in early 2015. The C350 will be Mercedes’ second plug in hybrid to join the range – alongside the new 100.9mpg S500 Plug-in hybrid – and there are plans to roll out 10 new plug-in models by 2017, automobile express learned.
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Technical details on the C350 Plug-in are scarce – a lot more will follow in the new Year – but we know it will use a 208bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine (instead of the twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 in the S500 Plug-in), coupled to an 80bhp electric motor incorporated into the seven-speed automatic transmission. expect an electric-only range of around 20-miles, and even better fuel economy and CO2 emissions than the S500 Plug-in’s figures of 100.9mpg and 65g/km.
“This is the start of a broad range of plug-in automobiles ranging from C to S,” Ola Kallenius, head of sales and marketing told us. “To start with they will make up a single figure percentage of the sales mix, but it’s absolutely practical that we’ll hit double figures by 2020.”
Mercdedes C350 Plug-in powertrain details
Key to the rapid expansion of Mercedes’ plug-in hybrid line-up is the modular design of the powertrain. For example, while the S500 Plug-in and C350 Plug-in use completely different combustion engines, the gearbox and electric motor module, the power electronics and battery design will all be shared, speeding up the development process and dramatically minimizing costs.