Mercedes-Benz confirms four plug-in hybrids for Oz
Top-selling luxury car to plug-in as Mercedes locks in PHEV versions of GLC, A-, B- and E-Class by mid-2020Mercedes-Benz is planning an all-out plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) assault, with four new models arriving in Australia by mid next year, headlined by the newly revealed GLC 300e.
Pricing for the new Mercedes-Benz GLC 300e has not been confirmed but is expected to be pegged at around $85,000.
Tipped to be the top-selling PHEV for the German premium brand in Oz, the Mercedes-Benz GLC 300e will be launched locally around May 2020, following plug-in hybrid versions of the C-Class, A-Class and E-Class arriving a few months earlier next year.
The Mercedes-Benz GLC 300e is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (155kW/350Nm) hooked up to a nine-speed automatic transmission and an electric motor (90kW/440Nm).
The mid-size SUV can drive using either engine independently or combined, and fuel consumption is rated as low as 2.2L/100km.
Using pure electric power, it has a claimed range of around 45km thanks to its 13.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and has a top EV speed of 130km/h.
When both powertrains combine top speed rises to 250km/h, thanks to a dual-motor output rated at 235kW/700Nm. This results in fast acceleration too, taking just 5.5 seconds to blast from 0-100km/h.
Jerry Stamoulis, head of media relations at Mercedes-Benz Australia, told carsales.com.au that plug-in hybrids will play an important role in the brand's portfolio, not necessarily in terms of volume sales but as technology leaders.
"We're considering what is already working well in our model range locally, so GLC makes perfect sense. We don’t strictly have [sales] targets for these vehicles, but it's important for us to offer this technology and when the time's right, we’ll have the product ready," he said.
Globally, Mercedes-Benz will have 20 PHEVs on sale by the end of 2020, but not all of them will be offered locally.
The all-wheel drive Mercedes-Benz GLC 300e shares its powertrain with the upcoming C-Class plug-in, which has been confirmed – and priced – for Australia.
The Mercedes-Benz C 300e will arrive in Australia from February/March priced at $79,200 and will be joined by the E 300e around the same time.
The most affordable PHEV will be the circa-$60,000 Mercedes A 250e sedan and hatch, which are also scheduled to arrive in Australian dealerships around March 2020, rounding out the brand's plug-in hybrid vanguard assault on the local market.
"With A-Class, the range is usable, performance is usable, and the A-Class is doing really well in terms of sales and visibility. We need to wait and see what the demand is to see which is the most popular," he added.
Mercedes-Benz also revealed the larger GLE 350de, which has a range of up to 100km thanks to a bigger battery. However, the local importer has no plans to offer diesel plug-in hybrids Down Under and will not offer this vehicle in Australia.
"We're not going to get the diesel GLE 350de, but we will get a petrol version of the GLE PHEV. It hasn’t been announced yet but it'll be an identical package to the diesel but just a petrol four-cylinder."
The GLE plug-in hybrid is expected to come to Australia in 2021.
What’s coming from Mercedes-Benz:
AMG GLC 43 and 63 (facelift) – December 2019
C 300e (sedan) – Q1 2020
A 250e (sedan and hatch) – Q1 2020
E 300e – Q1 2020
GLC 300e – Q2 2020
AMG GLB 35 – mid-2020
AMG GLE 53 Coupe and wagon – mid-2020
GLE Coupe – mid-2020
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