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"         Leipzig, Germany \u2014 Ferropolis is a monument to the past. A vast unused open-pit mine left over from the Communist era, its giant machines that once tore the earth apart stand rusted and abandoned alongside pits long since flooded. An auditorium now hosts rock concerts where mountains of waste once stood.   So, perhaps it was a fitting destination for my brief drive in Mercedes-Benz&amp;#039;s first production hybrid, the S400 BlueHybrid, in the sense of old meets new; dirty carbon-laden coal gives way to eco-friendly hybrid power.   Of course, there&amp;#039;s nothing new to hybrids \u2014 Toyota, Lexus, Honda and GM have them in their portfolios, but what is new and unique to the Mercedes is its lithium-ion battery.   Developed by Johnson Controls-Saft, the lithium-ion battery occupies the space under the hood normally taken by the car&amp;#039;s conventional 12-volt battery, and not only stores energy for the electric motor but is connected to the car&amp;#039;s electric network via a transformer to supply power to functions such as the headlamps and comfort features.   The disc-shaped electric motor, developing 20 hp and 118 lb.-ft. of torque, is sandwiched between the 7-speed automatic transmission and the 3.5-liter V-6 engine. This has been modified over the standard power unit with variable valve control and now employs the Atkinson cycle, which allows the intake valves to remain open slightly longer between intake and compression phases to improve thermal efficiency while reducing fuel consumption and untreated emissions. Additional revisions to the cylinder heads, pistons and camshafts result in a 7-bhp increase to 279 bhp and 166 lb.-ft. torque. When combined with the electric motor, power increases to 299 bhp and torque to 284 lb.-ft.   Mercedes-Benz claims the S400, which will be coming to the States only in long-wheelbase format, is the world&amp;#039;s most economical spark-ignition luxury car, returning a combined fuel consumption over the European drive cycle of 35.7 Imperial mpg (29.7 U.S. mpg).   You&amp;#039;ll have to wait until nearer the car&amp;#039;s launch (fall 2009) to learn what the figures will be when tested using the American drive cycle. Likewise, Mercedes said it was far too early to even suggest a sticker price.   Apart from the discrete badges on the car&amp;#039;s flanks and trunklid, there&amp;#039;s nothing to indicate it&amp;#039;s a hybrid \u2014 the script on the sides and trunk are there purely for PR purposes. Even when seated behind the steering wheel, there&amp;#039;s nothing to suggest this is anything more than Mercedes&amp;#039; top-line model. It&amp;#039;s only when the engine is started and the instrument panel illuminates there&amp;#039;s the first sign of hybrid technology.   In the center of the speedometer, a simple diagram of the powertrain displays the energy flow during boost and regeneration phases as well as the status of the battery. During acceleration, red indicates the electric motor is boosting the V-6, while green shows that energy is being recovered, for instance under braking, and fed back into the battery; white denotes a neutral status. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/reviews/a14482/2010-mercedes-benz-s400-bluehybrid-1/>