Mercedes Benz will be launching its first hybrid, the S400 BlueHybrid next spring and Phil Floraday from Automobile got a chance to sample it on a recent trip to Europe. The S400 is a mild hybrid, and in many respects it’s more similar to the Honda IMA system than Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy drive. The S400 will be the first mass-produced hybrid with a lithium ion battery pack. As Phil explains, the system provides start/stop capability, and some electric boost. However, the main purpose is to drive vehicle electrical systems off the lithium battery, reducing the parasitic loads on the engine. The battery itself gets most of its charging from regenerative braking that provides 75 percent of the braking capability in most urban driving.

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An attentive Autoblog reader spotted what appears to be a prototype Mercedes S400 Hybrid in a Houston Texas parking lot the other day. The test car’s badges were all taped over, but the S400 and hybrid badging on the trunk lid seems to match the show concept. The S400 was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show last fall and will launch into production in mid-2009 at about the same time as the ML450 Hybrid. While the SUV will use the Two-Mode hybrid system developed with GM, Chrysler, and BMW, the S400 will use the mild hybrid system created with BMW. The mild hybrid uses a 15kW motor sandwiched between the transmission and 3.5L V6. The Mercedes mild hybrid system is likely to be the first mass production hybrid with a lithium ion battery. At the auto show introduction, Mercedes claimed that the full-size hybrid luxury sedan will achieve nearly 30 mpg.

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