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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