Mercedes Ushers in ‘Electric Drive’ Branding With Paris Concept

Mercedes adds electric power to its B-Class line with the rollout of a battery-powered variant of the small multipurpose vehicle planned for next week’s Paris auto show.

Presented as a concept, the model is the first to carry “Electric Drive” badging, which will be positioned along the trunk lids or rear hatches of all battery-powered Mercedes, Mercedes-AMG and Smart vehicles in the future.

The Concept B-Class Electric Drive gets a 100-kW (134-hp) electric motor delivering 229 lb.-ft. (310 Nm) of torque. The vehicle’s lithium-ion battery back, positioned below the floor just ahead of the rear axle, provides a 124-mile (200-km) range. It can be charged with a conventional 230V line or rapid-charged via a 400V high-voltage terminal.

Though billed as a concept, the vehicle is considered close to the production model slated to hit the market in 2014.

Paris also will see the world debuts of production SLS AMG Coupe Electric Drive and Smart BRABUS Electric Drive models.