BETTER LATE . . . Mercedes puts Europe on the hybrid map-at last.(NEWS)

Byline: GREG KABLE

Mercedes-Benz missed North America's move toward hybrids. It was caught sleeping, there was not enough research and development funding, it was too focused on diesels for the European marketpick your reason. It just wasted the opportunity to be a pioneer in the hybrid field. That accolade belongs to Toyota and its Mercedes-rivaling Lexus division, whose serene LS 600h is regarded as the best luxury hybrid thus far.

So, a lot hangs on the new Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid, developed in a joint engineering program with rival BMW, which plans to unveil its version, the 7-series ActiveHybrid, at the Paris motor show. Mercedes is keen to ensure that the S400 BlueHybrid is considered something extraordinary. That's one reason project leader Oliver Vollrath says it has taken so long to reach production. "When you're turning up to the party late, you want to make sure you've got something special to offer, he says.

When it goes on sale in North America in September 2009, the S400 BlueHybrid likely will cost about the same as today's S550. The problem is, to the average shopper, it looks like the three-year-old S350. You can look for aerodynamic amendments or changes in ride height, but you'll be looking in vain. Only subtle BlueHybrid badges on the flanks and the trunk lid signal the high-tech driveline. Keener observers will spot new wheels and tires: 18-inch alloys with low-rolling-resistance Continental Contact 235/55R rubber.

Underneath, a lightly reworked version of the existing Mercedes 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine gains a new cylinder head, lightweight pistons and a reprofiled camshaft for altered valve timing. It does without the direct injection used on the CLS350's similar V6. Output increases by just 7 hp over the S350, at 279 hp, with torque remaining the same at 258 lb-ft.

Those are not dazzling figures for a car that weighs 4,383 pounds. But a three-phase AC electric motor, mounted within the front of the gearbox housing, provides additional thrust when required. The S400 BlueHybrid's peak output swells to 299 hp and 284 lb-ft, with drive channeled to the rear wheels via the standard Mercedes seven-speed automatic. The new system does not support pure electric propulsion like that offered by the LS 600h; the efforts of the electric motor are used exclusively to assist the gasoline engine.

Mercedes expects that the S400 BlueHybrid's advanced new lithium-ion battery will be the envy of rival carmakers. Weighing 60 pounds and made up of five cells, the battery pack uses a chemical process based on nickel-cobalt-aluminum. This, Mercedes claims, provides more efficient charging and improved discharge properties compared with the nickel-metal-hydride