The S400 shown above, arriving here very soon.
A big shock. A Short notice . CATS Motors, Mercedes Benz's distributor will bring the S400 Hybrid this September,. Sure an early Christmas present to the Mercedes Benz afficionados out there, namely, the super elite and the executive expats and diplomats from all the countries, haha.
The S400 Hybrid will be powered by a 3.5 liter supplemented by an electric motor powered by a lithim-ion battery that will produce a combined output of 295 horsepower, and a combined maximum torque of 284 pound-feet. The electric motor contributes 20 hp and 118 lb-ft to the powertrain. The combined fuel economy for the S400 is estimated at 29 miles per gallon, a 30 percent increase over the S550.
The S400 Hybrid is the first series production hybrid car to be equipped with a lithium-ion battery. During braking the electric motor acts as a generator and is able to recover kinetic energy. The lithium battery is particularly suited to this task. The battery’s high energy density means it is small enough to fit in the engine compartment. As such, the trunk capacity and interior dimensions remain unchanged. The car’s 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission is specially configured for hybrid operation.
“The S400 Hybrid is a major milestone on our road towards emission-free mobility”, said CEO Dr. Dieter Zetsche. “In this way the S-Class and the Mercedes-Benz brand are doing important pioneering work for the electrification of the automobile.”
The German -made masterpiece can accelerate from zero to 100kph in 7.3 seconds while still being environment-friendly.
The good news: To date this is the Philippines' second Hybrid car in the market, the first being the Prius, relaesed last June. We at least got 2 hybrid cars so far this year.
The bad news is the the base price for a hybrid is still Php2.25 M (Prius). Surely not much is done by the government regarding giving the hybrid manufacturers tax breaks and other exemptions.
