JohnH4260 mentioned this in another thread so I thought I would divert this topic to a new thread since it is such big news:

http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/m...ket/#more-4970

 

I wish MB well in developing more efficient powerplants.....as long as they continue to develop interesting new-tech V8 and V12s....and faster/smarter chassis computer networks...and lighter, high-strength materials...

IMO, this whole eco-debate/nonsense may ultimately turn out well for enthusiasts....

Have often observed, an upside to more mass transit is it places more drivers off-roads and onto a train/bus; given 99%+ of drivers are inept/distracted/dangerous...and many arrogantly cruise in left lane oblivious to surroundings, fewer cars and more mass transit may be a positive for public safety and efficient urban fwy speeds....(e.g., just commute from SF to SiliconValley or Greenwich to Manhattan in wee hrs of AM before the retards wake up to clog fwys....it can be an amazingly fast, enjoyable way to start one's day, arriving at office before the unwashed masses even awake)....

As one German recently pointed out to me....part of why US roads are so awful in terms of pavement quality (and sometimes dangerous for >100MPH driving) is that gas taxes in Germany are ?mandated to be used for road mtce.....personally, have no issue w/paying $10/gall for super-premium fuel if I have a smoothly-paved fwy, w/rational speed lims (if any)...and fewer inept drivers w/10yo cars/SUVs sitting in left lane on their cell, surely discussing an important business issue as they head to their high-powered retail/clerical job....

Just one Darwinian view on this eco stuff; I tend to get annoyed by much of the eco drivel....SiliconValley (esp PaloAlto) has many rather hypocritical billionaires who drive Prius (who aren't car guys) and pontificate about eco-nonsense, as they board their large private plane (G550 or larger) to head to a wkend house....I have far more admiration for the philosophically-consistent/honest guy who casually drives his 65 to the private air terminal to board his G550/7X to head to BevHills/LV for the wkend....

Ultimately, this carbon footprint debate will become a class warfare game.....should those who can afford $200K commuter cars and $10/gall
fuel be subject to socialistic consumption rules??? Should gvt mandate how many kids/pets one has?...and how many pleasure flts/yr (commercial or pvt) one takes to manage one's carbon footprint??? Sadly, problem for us car nuts may be that most of the truly wealthy are fairly disinterested in cars....most are happy w/an S550 and driver, as they work their Blkberry (see Manhattan; and most prob would be fine w/an S200 as they are clueless re: motors and typically travel at <30MPH in Manhattan or BevHills); but many are addicts for large private planes to head to one of their wkend houses (even supposedly frugal guys like Mr. Buffett)....

 

I just hope a bunch of people don't develop cancer from the batteries like they claim is going on with laptops/cellphones. All sorts of radiation energy may have to be shielded from these batteries. Anything with magnetic/chemical action is a possible suspect.

People in the northern regions (me, not included), would seriously have to consider if this car is worth the money since temps are usually way down there during the winter/spring season. In the south, we could care less about 4matic but we would love this peak battery operational time. I, for one, don't care for a battery operated car. I want the real meat and potatoes (did I spell that right?)

I also noticed that this car has a HP of around 300 whereas Lexus claims , what? 500, 600?? in their hybrid. Didn't they try to put it's power data near what an S600 is? Give me a break.

 

I tend to view a lot of this eco-stuff as nonsense....

Most US drivers should be fine driving a Camry-like car w/an "underpowered" motor that provides ?25-30MPG....like the Camry of the late '80s....most people will hurt themselves/others if given cheap power anyway....

Prob is most (esp middle-income) US buyers are too obese to fit into anything but a big SUV....perhaps this recent spike in food price inflation will force many middle-income US people to go on a much-needed, more healthy diet...and help reduce their healthcare costs, as well as need for bulky, gas-guzzling commuters....

Agree...the batteries are a tech/environmental unknown....

And am amused that some allegedly smart/shrewd tech billionaires would choose to expose selves to safety risks of driving a Prius (or any of these non-MB S-Class hybrids).....may Darwinian selection prevail....how much is one's carbon footprint influenced by fuel consump vs healthcare costs/productivity losses due to post-collision injuries/disabilities????

Interestingly, don't see many LS Hybrids in SiliconValley (in fact, haven't seen any except a mfr-plated copy in SF)......lots of new S65s and other new AMGs, few Priuses among the titans.....some wives drive ?RX Hybrids (perhaps wives due for a trade-in as well???)....

IMO, what's interesting is what the car-oriented guys in SiliconValley choose to drive.....no Lexi (or hybrids or eco-cars) of any sort....lots of AMGs.....

I suspect the eco-nonsense will be in fashion for a couple more yrs....I don't care....as long as I see a pipeline of interesting new AMGs for car guys to enjoy.....

 

Although I agree for the most part, I would like to see a diesel-hybrid mostly to see how well it would perform considering the fuel efficiency of a diesel alone, then combined with a hybrid system.

 

Why this negative reactions? This is great news!