Mercedes M-Class going hybrid

Mercedes has announced in an interview with AutoExpress that the M-Class will be offered with a hybrid option starting 2009.

The M-Class should emit less than 200g/km of CO2 and return 40mpg. That puts it on a par with the latest C320 CDI. Mercedes said in an interview: "It’s a safe bet that our first move into hybrids will come with the M-Class, using a 3.2-litre V6 Bluetec diesel."

By linking the two-mode hybrid system, developed with BMW and General Motors, Mercedes believes it can eclipse Lexus’s trend-setting hybrid SUV, the RX400h. The set-up uses an electric motor in the transmission to reduce weight, improve efficiency and absorb less power.