Key concepts that world automakers have to consider to remain in the competitive auto market of today are the product as a whole and then the parts sharing and efficiency of the car. The next generation Mercedes Benz ML Class SUV is perhaps the perfect example of this exhibiting the right mix of G-Class and the R-Class while having a higher efficiency engine fitted on it.
The car is due in the middle of 2011 and therefore details of the car are yet a case of speculation. The body is expected to be smaller than the current ML model as revealed form spy shots that had been received before. The wheel base although appears to remain unchanged in the photographs. The spy shots also reveal a lot of the interior details of the car.
There have been reports about a diesel electric hybrid ML Class model also coming up. The gasoline electric hybrid model though has been confirmed to be named the ML450 Hybrid. There is also the possibility of the ML hybrid coming up. This model would have an 80 hp electric motor that would be paired with a twin-turbocharged and direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6. The car would be able to go a distance of 18 miles on electric power alone.
The car would be built taking the hybrid systems that already exist on other models of Mercedes and that include the S400 power train. Other parts would be drawn from the R-Class successor and the G class vehicles. This would enable to get a car that is economically viable while retaining distinction between each. The chassis of the car would be drawn from the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee which has been one of the lasting legacies from the now defunct Daimler Chrysler.
The ML would have its dominant position as the consumer 4 x 4 of choice. The focus though would shift to efficiency rather than performance. The European models would therefore have a 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine rated at 204 horsepower. Plans are also afoot for models having a V-6 diesel rated at 225 horsepower and a 333 horsepower V-6 gasoline engine. For the AMG model the V-8 engine will gain direct-injection and twin-turbochargers. The expected power to be delivered by this power train would be 570 hp from its 5.5 liter displacement engine. The 2012 Mercedes Benz ML class is expected to make its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show which is to be held in March of 2011.
Source: motorauthority
