Mercedes-AMG has confirmed that all of its vehicles
will be eventually offered with plug-in hybrid powertrains. Vehicles such as the Mercedes-AMG
CLS 53, E53, and new GLE 53 already feature mild-hybrid powertrains which
couple a six-cylinder engine with the company’s 48-volt starter and generator
electric motor that produces 22 hp and 249 Nm.
While these models are more fuel efficient than
their ICE-only counterparts, Mercedes head of external affairs for emissions
Frank Overmeyer admits that they aren’t part of the company’s long-term
strategy. Autocar reports that future Mercedes-AMG plug-in hybrids will be
outfitted with the car manufacturer’s third-generation PHEV system, already
offered in variations of the C-Class, E-Class, and S-Class. This incorporates a
powerful electric motor with 121 hp and 440 Nm of torque while
offering an all-electric range of 50 km.
Mercedes-AMG will brand this system EQ Power+ when
used by its models but it will likely feature more power and less electric
range than normal Mercedes-Benz models. “The battery itself and the
application, including the electric motor, will be the same, and you can have a
significant boost [in performance] that will reduce the range, but the
experience will be better. Same battery, same drivetrain, different
application. In an SUV, it might offer 100km . It might only be 60 km
or 70 km [in an AMG,” Overmeyer said.
If Mercedes-AMG were to add this electric motor to
its existing models, we could have some extraordinarily-fast vehicles on our
hands. Just imagine, a future hybrid A45 with a 400 hp four-cylinder and a 121
hp electric motor.
