The S580e combines inline-six smoothness with electric muscle and Maybach luxury.
Mercedes-Maybach has announced the company's first-ever plug-in hybrid model with the upcoming S580e. It marks a new direction for the ultra-luxury company and is in line with Mercedes greater goals of becoming an environmentally conscious automaker.
It's somewhat surprising that it has taken Maybach this long to debut a plug-in hybrid model because Mercedes released the S560e plug-in hybrid five years ago, but we also know the company isn't going to take risks with top-tier models like these. Now that it's here with about a 62-mile WLTP-estimated electric range, the car is ready to show some of the world what Maybach electric luxury feels like, just don't expect it to be available in the US anytime soon.
The setup seems to be similar to the one available in the regular S580e plug-in hybrid. We start with a powerful 3.0-liter inline-six engine that produces 367 horsepower on its own and then adds 143 hp from the electric motors for a total output of 510 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque. Due to the instantaneous torque, the setup delivers a 0-62 mph sprint of just 5.1 seconds on the way to a top speed of 155 mph.
The 28kWh battery can either be filled up with the standard 11 kW charger or an available 60 kW DC charger. Mercedes says that with the battery practically empty, it can still charge fully in about 30 minutes with the larger charger.
It's mainly an electric car first, with the engine only kicking on when the driver demands a lot of power or when the battery range is depleted. Altogether, it makes for an exceptionally efficient ride and one of the lowest CO2 ratings among hybrid luxury vehicles.
"With our first plug-in hybrid model, we are combining the luxury experience typical of Maybach with emission-free local driving when in electric driving mode," said Daniel Lescow, Head of Mercedes-Maybach. "The Mercedes-Maybach S580e represents a pivotal step in the transformation of our heritage brand into an electric future. We will present our first fully electric model as early as 2023."
That next electric model is slated to be the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV. From the spy shots we've seen of it recently, it's not looking too different from the Mercedes EQS SUV, at least on the outside. By the time it debuts, it should look a little more Maybachesque with a different paint job and whatnot, but as of right now, it has us scratching our heads a little.
As for this plug-in hybrid Maybach S-Class, it's only slated for the Chinese, Thai, and European markets, with other countries coming later. So it seems if the American uber-rich are looking for an extremely classy electric sedan, the Rolls-Royce Spectre or Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid are the only options available.
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