Dusseldorf, Germany - Luxury German car manufacturing group Daimler is intensifying its work on a new strategy to improve its range of vehicles adjustment to climate protection requirements, the German economic news weekly magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported.

The Dusseldorf-based magazine said that by 2012, Daimler aims to have reduced its cars' exhaust emissions to 136-138 milligrams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, thereby nearly achieving the European Union Commission target of 130 mg/kilometre. In late 2007, Daimler's Mercedes and Smart cars average carbon dioxide emissions were 180 mg/kilometre.

The target of reduced emissions is to be achieved by using smaller and more efficient engines as well as the massive expansion of hybrids - those combining electric and internal combustion engines - the report said.

The next generation of the S-Class Mercedes, due to be introduced in 2013, is to be exclusively hybrid-powered, Wirtschaftswoche said.

The new E-Class car, which is due to make its world premiere at the upcoming Detroit Motor Show, will be available with a hybrid engine starting in 2011, the report said.

However, the company has now abandoned plans to introduce hybrid engines for its current range of ML off-road vehicles. Originally, a hybrid-powered ML, jointly developed by Daimler, General Motors and BMW, was to have been introduced in autumn 2009.

But at Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart, company officials admit that the ML "is no longer in the spirit of the times." The technical reason for this is that the planned hybrid engine would have used the old and less powerful nickel metal hybrid battery which weighs around 200 kilograms. (dpa)