Mercedes-Benz A 250e confirmed for Oz

Mercedes-Benz is getting serious about plugging in to the EV movement.

Following the announcement of its first mainstream EV, the circa-$140,000 EQC 400 mid-size SUV arriving here in time for Christmas, Mercedes-Benz will bring the more affordable A 250e plug-in hybrid hatch and sedan to Australia from around April 2020.

Its plug-in hybrid twin, the Mercedes-Benz B 250e mini-people-mover, won't be sold in Australia.

Although pricing and specification for the electrified A-Class won't be confirmed until closer to its launch, the new German plug-in hybrid is tipped to be priced around $60,000.

The $62,490 Audi A3 e-tron plug-in hybrid that arrived here in 2015 struggled to gain traction with Aussie car buyers. It has since been scotched from local showrooms.

Mercedes-Benz believes it can make a go of a compact plug-in hybrid luxury car Down Under and the second car under its EQ electrified vehicle sub-brand will offer a 70km EV-only range.

"The addition of the A 250e to the Mercedes-Benz EQ family of electrified vehicles in Australia brings highly fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid technology to an even broader range of customers," said Ryan Lewis, Mercedes-Benz Australia's product communications manager.

In addition to its electric motor (75kW/300Nm) and 15.6kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack that makes up the 'plug-in' part of the hybrid powertrain, the Mercedes-Benz A 250e makes use of a 1.3-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine (120kW/250Nm).

In total the A 250e bangs out a handy 160kW/450Nm, which provides the heavier model with hot hatch-like performance. Merc claims the 0-100km/h sprint takes 6.6 seconds on the way to a top speed of 235km/h.

Power is sent to the front wheels via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and Benz reckons the car is very efficient, emitting just 32 grams of CO2 per km driven, while consuming 1.4 litres of premium petrol per 100km.

Charge times will vary depending on the type of charger but a low-end 7.4kWh wall box will fully charge the batteries from almost empty in under two hours, says Benz.

Mercedes-Benz has previously pledged to ensure half of all the new cars it sells will be electrified (hybrid or EV) by 2030. The company target by 2039 is to have a carbon-neutral passenger car fleet, as part of its cunningly-named 'Ambition2039' strategy.

Prices for the Mercedes-Benz A 250e start at €36,944 ($A60,000) in Europe. Stay tuned for our first drive of the A-Class plug-in hybrid in September.