Most Mercedes-Benz Frankfurt alternative fuel vehicles will see production
Last week in Frankfurt, Mercedes-Benz showed off a flurry of alternative fuel and drive vehicles of various types. Of the eighteen vehicles shown, seventeen of them will be in production by 2010 with at least a half dozen of those coming to the US market. The only one that won't hit the streets by the end of the decade is the HCCI engined F700 concept. All the rest of the assorted micro, mild and Two-Mode hybrids and diesels will be on sale by then.The Two-Mode hybrid ML450 and mild hybrid S400 will be on the market in the US in 2009. In addition, fifty-state legal ML, GL and R-Class models with BlueTec diesels will be available here in 2008. The next generation of the E-Class with the Tier 2 Bin 5 diesel will be here by 2010. Mercedes will also be evaluating US sales of the micro-hybrid Smart ForTwo and US Smart distributor Roger Penske would also like to see the electric version of the Smart brought over. Smart currently has a 100-car test fleet of battery-powered Smarts running in Britain.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joseph 5:32PM (9/17/2007)
"Mercedes will also be evaluating US sales of the micro-hybrid Smart ForTwo"
In a recent ABG article you just said that...
"The Smart ForTwo micro-hybrid goes on sale in October in Europe"
Where did this talk of the Smart Micro-hybrid coming to America come from?
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Sam Abuelsamid 7:04PM (9/17/2007)
It looks like Roger Penske is pushing for the micro-hybrid Smart.
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LJKelley 10:41PM (9/18/2007)
I hope the Smart Hybrid or Electric comes the US soon... Would be very interested in purchasing.
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