Mercedes-Benz C-Class: new details of the plug-in hybrid version

It is not yet on sale in every European country, but the range of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class already includes a hybrid version in certain markets, the C300 BlueTEC Hybrid. Its hybrid system combines a diesel engine producing 204 horsepower with an electric motor that adds 27 extra horsepower. From 2015, this variant will be joined by a plug-in hybrid, and new details about it have just been confirmed.

The initial plan was for this version, for now known as the C350 BlueTEC Hybrid, to be fitted with a six-cylinder petrol engine. However, according to internal sources at Mercedes-Benz quoted by the British magazine Autocar, the German manufacturer has decided to replace this engine with the turbocharged two-litre unit from the C250, which produces 211 horsepower.

The electric motor supporting it develops around 70 horsepower, so the total output will be fifty horsepower more than the C300 BlueTEC Hybrid. The electric range of the plug-in hybrid C-Class will reach 51 kilometres, enough to cover most urban journeys.

Among the main changes this version will receive are the recess housing the charging plug, located in the rear bumper as on the future plug-in hybrid S-Class, and the front grille with movable louvres that can close to reduce aerodynamic drag and avoid compromising range.

According to this information, the plug-in hybrid C-Class will ultimately be available only as a four-door saloon and not as the Estate. This version, whose price according to the brand’s source will probably be the highest in the range excluding the C-Class AMG, will be aimed essentially at the Chinese and American markets.

Source | Autocar