U.S. to get Diesel Hybrid S-Class

At last year's Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes showed off an S-Class hybrid concept in both gasoline and diesel variations. More recently Mercedes has begun to allow publications behind the wheel of its gasoline powered S400 BlueHybrid which is still under development. Certainly the lithium-ion battery pack is of interest, but what caught my eye was an article in this week's Automotive News. Under the Future Product section (sub req) for Mercedes, AN states that

"The S400 goes on sale late next year with a diesel engine connected to the hybrid motor. (Dieter) Zetsche said the S Class is one of a handful of diesel hybrid models coming to the United States."

That's a surprise to me because I had thought that the U.S. would only see a gasoline variant. Things are a bit confusing, because in another article (sub req) in the same issue, Automotive News states

"The first hybrid, the S400, goes on sale in the United States next fall. It will be powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 gasoline engine and lithium ion batteries."

I would take it that this means the U.S. will get both diesel and gasoline hybrids, but that's my interpretation. It is important to note that Mercedes has heretofore identified the gasoline hybrid at S400 and the diesel hybrid as S300. It's a small quibble, but notice that in the first Automotive News quote, they refer to the diesel version as the S400 which would appear to be incorrect to me.

A diesel hybrid certainly is the most potent combination, but one that is very rare given the costs involved. Buyers of a high-end sedan like the S-Class would be better able to absorb the double whammy of diesel and hybrid powertrains than a Prius intender, so why not?