While the Chevrolet Volt gets the headlines, and the Toyota Prius most of the sales, Mercedes-Benz has managed to leapfrog the competition and become the first automaker to put a next generation lithium-ion battery pack into a production hybrid.

Score one for the inventors of the automobile.

New technology aside, the Mercedes-Benz S400 is also the company’s first hybrid of any type to make it into showrooms. For 2010, the entire S-Class lineup has been given a very minor refresh that includes a new grille, headlight clusters with flavor-of-the-day LED running lights, and new front and rear bumpers. The S400 shares in all of those updates and, aside from a couple of hybrid badges outside and in, the land yacht is indistinguishable from its S-Class brethren, unless you look under the hood. Even then, it's tough to tell the difference. (more)