Mercedes C350e plug in hybrid

In the recent months BMW and Volvo launched their plug in hybrids with good response and looks like Mercedes really did jump on the bandwagon by launching their C350e plug in hybrid. This trend looks to stay since the incentive is too good to ignore. The price difference between the fully imported version versus the locally assembled version with tax incentives is well over RM100,000 (about US$25,000). This is a very significant amount and automatically makes the car look more attractive price-wise.

No doubt that Mercedes went all out with this model being much more powerful and have more torque than its closest rival, the BMW 330e plug in hybrid. Nevertheless the launch time for both BMW and Mercedes was barely 10 days apart. From the response BMW received for the X5 it is quite likely that the Mercedes C350e will be good. the car is also attractively packaged with extra items such as 19" wheels and airmatic suspension which both come as standard items.

It will be interesting to see which car company will follow suit. Companies such as Lexus, Infiniti and Ford have access to local assembly plants and this could mean that if BMW and Mercedes see good success from their hybrid sales the other car brands are likely to follow.

Those in the market for a new Mercedes C300 will very likely be tempted to switch to the C350e considering that its fuel economy is far better than the C300 and the 600Nm torque is incredible for a car this size.