Mercedes-Benz Plug-In Hybrids To Be ‘Toe In Water’ Exercise

Mercedes-Benz Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to bringing its plug-in hybrid technology to Australia, however it won’t be looking to take down all-electric upstart Tesla - at least not straight away.

Instead, according to local Mercedes CEO Horst von Sanden the arrival of plug-in Benzes will serve to gauge customer appetites for greener powertrains.

Benz’s trio of plug-in hybrid models - to be made up of the C 350e, S 500e and GLE 500e 4Matic - will also allow the German automaker to compete with Audi's e-tron products and establish a greener product portfolio locally.