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Frankfurt, 28 June 2009: German luxury car maker Daimler launched its first hybrid model last week, almost 10 years after the market leader, Toyota, launched its hybrid.
The world's best-selling limousine, a favorite of world leaders, the Mercedes Benz S Class, is now available in Europe with two motors, one electric and the other petrol (gasoline), to save fuel and cut pollution.
The "CO2 champion of luxury cars," as Mercedes bills it, nonetheless cranks out 186 to 189 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, remaining one of the biggest polluters on the road, well above the European average of around 160 grams.
A comparable S model with a normal engine can spew out as much as 234 grams, Daimler counters.
According to a company spokesman, Daimler intends to launch at least one hybrid model per year.
It is by all accounts a mini revolution in the German auto sector, which generally produces big, powerful cars by brands including Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, and Audi.
"For years, the German automobile sector did not believe hybrids had a chance.....but at a certain point, under market pressure, the industry changed its mind," said Stefan Bratzel, professor at a specialized auto center in the western city of Bergisch Gladbach.
German companies mainly focused on diesel engines, the specialists noted.
As a result, the German market is dominated by diesels, while hybrids represented only 0.2% of the market last year with the sale of 6,500 Toyota, Lexus, or Honda hybrids, according to national registration figures.
Since its launch, Toyota has sold 22,000 Prius in France and around 17,000 in Germany, which has a market three times bigger, according to Toyota data.
Germans, who are strongly attached to their national brands, could begin to switch over if domestic hybrid models are available however.
Until now Daimler has been considered one of the most resistant to environmental trends. But in the past few months, the company has begun to highlight its determination in the area.
It recently acquired a battery company and a 10% stake in the US electric car maker Tesla - a sign for auto specialists that Germans could be at the leading edge of the next big step, fully electric automobiles. |