2007 FRANKFURT AUTO SHOW: Mercedes To Be The First To Have Lithium Ion Hybrid

Mercedes-Benz is poised to be the first automaker to market a hybrid vehicle with lithium ion batteries when it launches a mild hybrid version of the S-class sedan in 2009. The company did not say when that vehicle might come to the United States.

Toyota Motor Corp. had planned to equip the next-generation Prius and its other hybrids with the powerful high-tech batteries but now says its batteries won't be ready until 2010 or 2011.

Toyota also is testing a car in Japan that uses lithium ion batteries for a stop-start system, but the car, called the Vitz, is not a hybrid.

At the Frankfurt motor show today, Mercedes executives said the 2009 S 400 will have a mild hybrid powertrain with an electric motor that also acts as a starter-generator.

Enjoy the best photo coverage of the 2007 Frankfurt auto show.

This year's gallery is sponsored by our friends at Texaco. Special thanks to them!

2007 Frankfurt Auto Show Photo Gallery


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Airliner - 9/11/2007 2:00:20 PM

+4 Boost

Oh No!! Toyota (Lexus) will have to follow Mercedes-Benz lead once again? But won't Toyota grow tired of the same dance?

ceric - 9/11/2007 2:08:02 PM

-8 Boost

I hope MB budget enough money aside for lawsuit....

w209w114 - 9/11/2007 3:20:10 PM

+4 Boost

Houstoncutie.

Think about what you just said. LMFAO! Rentention? Well its misspelled but for sure toyota is on that lowest retention path.

Kinger - 9/12/2007 5:03:07 AM

+1 Boost

You mean highest surely? And thats only in the US market, there's a whole other world out there where Lexus aren't so popular.

MB are commited to quality, they're making huge drives to get their quality back to the level it was at in the early 90's when they topped every reliability survey going: http://www.whatcar.co.uk/news-article.aspx?NA=218083

Kinger - 9/12/2007 5:03:26 AM

0 Boost

You mean highest surely? And thats only in the US market, there's a whole other world out there where Lexus aren't so popular.

MB are commited to quality, they're making huge drives to get their quality back to the level it was at in the early 90's when they topped every reliability survey going: http://www.whatcar.co.uk/news-article.aspx?NA=218083

enthusiastx11 - 9/12/2007 1:05:49 PM

+3 Boost

lexus has the lowest retention? so that means they retain the fewest buyers...they all go to other brands.

w209w114 - 9/12/2007 1:40:39 PM

+1 Boost

People,

This is proof of how incompetent this person really is. At least as a speaker. Should come as no surprise to everyone here.

mmeecc - 9/11/2007 2:46:48 PM

+4 Boost

How long have Hybrids been out? Mercedes have been working on them for just as long, but didn't want to go "half" way like many Hybrid owners will attest to (nowhere near the fuel savings as promised). With MB's return to it's roots in terms of quality and testing, be sure that they'll once again set the bar.

BMW995 - 9/11/2007 2:48:34 PM

+1 Boost

The current problem with the Lithium Ion battery is that they catch on fire. This occasionally happens in laptops and PDAs and would be disastrous in an auto. It seems MBenz has figured out how to handle this problem. I'm an auto engineer with VERY little hybrid experience but I'm guessing that MBenz is using some type of cooling system for the LI battery pack. Maybe a series of small fans to augment natural cooling.
I have to give them credit for doing this even though they are a competitor of my employer.

mmeecc - 9/11/2007 2:50:47 PM

+5 Boost

The combination of Hybrid with their new patented "DIESOTTO" combustion engine will send everyone including the japanese scrambling for their digital cameras and technology copying engineers....

w209w114 - 9/11/2007 3:24:07 PM

+3 Boost

This will shut up those overly competitive elitist Toyota fanboys. How does it feel like to be beat at your own game? If you ask me this is no surprise.

enthusiastx11 - 9/12/2007 1:07:35 PM

+1 Boost

what are you talking about?
go read the latest JD Powers results and let's quote that in our discussion.

thanks.

S4cabriofoxone - 9/11/2007 6:14:05 PM

+4 Boost

Heh, this is a slap in the face for Toylex.

sewingmachine - 9/11/2007 8:50:57 PM

0 Boost

r u serious? when so many companys thought it was a waste of time, or a fad.

S4cabriofoxone - 9/11/2007 11:47:28 PM

-1 Boost

You think they just started developing this? Wow, how naive. It's been in development, presumably, since they merged with GM/BMW on the hybrid system- they're just getting their own take on it.

Yes, I do think the Lexus iteration of this system is useless. It produces no discernable advantage in neither fuel economy nor performance. The Mercedes-Benz system, especially when coupled with a Bluetec diesel, will provide much-improved mileage, emissions and performance over its conventional gasoline counterparts. It actually makes sense.

sewingmachine - 9/12/2007 12:17:24 AM

+3 Boost

naive??? yes i know they all started working together not too long ago. not sure y u brought that up but whatever.

enthusiastx11 - 9/12/2007 1:09:01 PM

+1 Boost

how old are you houston? 15? 16?

Kinger - 9/12/2007 5:07:11 AM

+1 Boost

"But like everything else in this world, the japanese has to be the one who has to clean up the euro and american mess and get it right so it's safe, cheap, reliable for all people to enjoy."

You mean copy the technology after someone else has done all the hard work and worked the kinks out right?

Kinger - 9/12/2007 5:11:01 AM

-1 Boost

I'm all for lowering fuel uesage and emissions. The reason people have been skeptical of hybrids thus far is because they saw through the smoke and mirrors. So far hybrids haven't lived up to the hype with regard to fuel savings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdBVwwRgThU

MeanVulcan - 9/12/2007 12:52:43 PM

+1 Boost

ACTUALLY, it seems that the 2008 Audi A4 3.0 TDI will not only be the first with Litium Ion Batteries but it will be the cleanest diesel in the world. To top it off, it did not need help from BMW to produce the technology (as did Mercedes).

enthusiastx11 - 9/12/2007 1:03:29 PM

+1 Boost

that's interesting...
mercedes is coming with a lithium hybrid before toyota?

according to everyone on this site, toyota is light years ahead of everyone on hybrids. they've been selling priuses for ten years and they couldn't produce a lithium ion battery safely?

enthusiastx11 - 9/12/2007 1:04:28 PM

+2 Boost

imagine a lithium ion battery combined with a diesel engine...that should get rockin' mileage and produce gobs of torque.

enthusiastx11 - 9/12/2007 1:10:46 PM

+2 Boost

whatever the commentary here, this is a great step forward for technology.