mercedes concept

2009 Frankfurt Auto Show: Mercedes-Benz S500 Vision Plug-in Hybrid

Who said driving a hybrid had to mean ugly Japanese hatchbacks built with the same quality as a lunch box? Certainly not Mercedes-Benz. The German automaker already offers a hybrid version of its top-of-the-line S-Class luxury sedan. But it's not about to stop there. Building upon the existing S400 Hybrid, Mercedes unveiled the S500 Vision Plug-In Hybrid concept at its home-ground Frankfurt Auto Show last week.

While the conventional S500 sedan uses a V8 engine, the S500 Vision hybrid concept uses the same 3.5-liter V6 as the existing S400 Hybrid, only paired to a larger battery that enables the big limousine to accelerate to 60 in only 5.5 seconds while offering nearly 20 miles of electric motoring before the gasoline engine needs to even kick in. At the moment it's just a concept car, but it's fully functional and hints at the next development from Mercedes. See for yourself in the high-resolution photo galleries below.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Mercedes-Benz S500 Vision Plug-in Hybrid