The outcome made Julia Poliscanova, senior director for clean vehicles at T&E, to heavily criticize PHEVs: “Plug-in hybrids are fake electric cars, built for lab tests and tax breaks, not real driving.”

In spite of the criticism, Mercedes believes PHEVs still have a future in its lineup. Case in point, the C300e has now gone on sale in Europe where it promises to cover more than 62 miles (100 kilometers) without sipping any gasoline.

Available in both sedan and wagon body styles, the C-Class PHEV uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine producing 204 horsepower (150 kilowatts) and 320 Newton-meters (235 pound-feet) of torque. The combustion engine works with an electric motor, good for 129 hp (95 kW) and 440 Nm (323 lb-ft).

Together, the two provide the C300e with a total system output of 313 hp (230 kW) and 550 Nm (404 lb-ft). It’s enough to enable the electrified sedan to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill in 6.1 seconds and hit a top speed of 245 km/h. The wagon is a tad slower in the sprint and as far as the maximum velocity is concerned since it’s slightly heavier than the sedan. Both of them have an electronically limited top speed in EV mode of 140 km/h.

Compared to the previous C-Class plug-in hybrid, the new model brings improvements in terms of packing as the different positioning of the battery has eliminated the step in the cargo area, making through-loading possible now. That will pay dividends in terms of practicality especially in the wagon’s case, while the cargo area itself is now bigger for both body styles.

The sedan is already on sale across the Old Continent and will be followed in December by the wagon. Pricing in Germany starts at €56,168 for the sedan and from €57,953 for the wagon. Later on, the gasoline-electric hybrid models will be complemented by a diesel PHEV.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

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Speaking with British magazine Autocar, Mercedes chief operating officer Markus Schafer said a C-Class EV is on the agenda and will arrive around the middle of the decade at the earliest. While the E-Class and S-Class will both spawn electric EQE and EQS derivatives later this year, a smaller sedan sans a traditional engine will take more time since it will use an entirely different platform.

The EQE and EQS will both sit on what the company refers to as the Modular Electrical Architecture (MEA). It’s intended for larger and more expensive EVs and therefore it’s not suitable for an electric C-Class. Instead, the smallest of the German luxury brand’s electric sedans will likely be underpinned by the already announced Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA).

MMA pledges to make EVs with more than 750 miles of range a reality and will be used primarily for compact models and also for midsize vehicles to a lesser extent. It’s likely going to serve as the foundation for future versions of the EQA, EQB, and EQC crossovers, which are based on platforms originally intended for cars with combustion engines.

Mercedes has already announced plans to preview the MMA platform with a Vision EQXX concept car capable of traveling from “Beijing to Shanghai on one charge.” 750 miles (1,207 kilometers) is certainly a healthy number and should cure range anxiety once and for all. The revolutionary EV was previewed last October during a shareholder meeting, but it’s not known when the groundbreaking electric car is going to be unveiled.

Source: Autocar

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Riding on the Modular Rear Architecture (MRA), the 2022 C-Class benefits from an entirely new 48V electrical system, and all powertrains consist of mild-hybrid, four-cylinder units. In addition, the plug-in hybrid C300e and C300de take advantage of a battery pack nearly twice as large as the previous-generation models, jumping from a capacity of 13.5 kWh to 25.4 kWh.

According to C-Class development boss Christian Früh, both gasoline and diesel PHEVs will be able to travel for as much as 62 miles (100 kilometers) without sipping any fuel in pure electric mode. That’s despite growing in size as the new generation will be 65 millimeters (2.55 inches) longer than its predecessor. About half of the stretch is going into the wheelbase, which will result in additional legroom for rear passengers. The extra footprint will also improve headroom.

While it borrows the platform used by the range-topping S-Class, it uses more steel than aluminum to keep the asking price down. A rear-wheel-steering system will be available at an additional cost, and there will be updated versions of the nine-speed automatic transmission and 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. Interestingly, the air suspension will only be available on the plug-in hybrid models for the next-gen model.

Details regarding the high-performance AMG versions have not been revealed, but it is believed the C43 will lose its six-cylinder in favor of an electrified four-pot for the renamed C53 model. The same goes for the flagship C63, rumored to eschew the loud and thirsty V8 for a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain. However, official details regarding the go-faster models are not available for the time being, so take the information with the proverbial pinch of salt.

Source: Autocar

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