Like the C-Class and S-Class, Mercedes-Benz's "middle child" E-Class sedan will also get a plug-in hybrid variant. This prototype E-Class was sighted by our usual spy photographers undergoing winter testing, and if you look closely there's a small flap underneath the right tail lamp for plug-in charging.
This plug-in charging flap position is the same for the W205 C-Class as well as the W222 S-Class. From what we've seen so far, the connector type looks like the Mennekes/VDE Type 2 variant.
The question is - will the plug-in hybrid E-Class be an E 500 or an E 350? If it's an E 500, it will share the S 500's system which is based on a 3.0 litre twin-turbo V6. The internal combustion engine's 328 hp and 480 Nm is paired to an electric motor that does 107 hp and 340 Nm.
If it's an E 350, it will have more in common with the recently previewed C 350's system which is based on a 2.0 litre four-cylinder turbo engine. The smaller system has 211 PS and 350 Nm from the 2.0 litre engine, paired with an 80 hp electric motor. Their competitors from Munich have used a 2.0 litre turbo engine for the Chinese market BMW 530Le, pairing a 242 hp N20 four-cylinder engine to an electric motor, resulting in a combined output of 272 hp.
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