Protean Electric, the global leader in electric in-wheel motors, will showcase its award-winning Protean Drive system in a BRABUS Hybrid at the SAE 2012 World Congress April 24-26 at Cobo Center, Detroit, MI. The event will mark the BRABUS Hybrid's premier North American appearance.

During the event, Protean Electric Chairman and CEO Bob Purcell will unveil the BRABUS Hybrid and announce several new global partners that will accelerate its in-wheel electric drive systems to market in high-volume production.

BRABUS, the highly acclaimed independent automobile tuner, chose Protean's electric in-wheel motors to power its Technology Project Hybrid based on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The BRABUS Hybrid vehicle is equipped with two Protean Drive wheel motors, which power the rear wheels, along with the vehicle's clean diesel engine.

Protean Drive is the most advanced in-wheel electric drive system for hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and battery electric vehicles. Going well beyond performance, Protean Drive can improve fuel economy by up to 30% in a plug-in hybrid application.

Each Protean motor adds 80kW (110hp) and 800 Nm (590ft/lb) of peak torque, which, when combined with the 2.2-liter common-rail turbo-diesel engine, give the BRABUS Hybrid an acceleration of 0-100km/hr (0 to 62mph) in 7.4 seconds and 60km/hr to 120km/hr (37mph to 75mph) of 5.6 seconds.

BRABUS is known throughout the automotive sector for its discerning use of the finest technology to perfect the performance of its exclusive vehicles. The BRABUS Hybrid and Protean Drive offer elite automotive customers a practical, environmentally respectful solution without sacrificing performance and power.

"We are pleased to work with BRABUS to demonstrate what Protean's in-wheel electric drive can deliver to the world," Protean CEO Bob Purcell states. "Our in-wheel motors not only provide significant performance improvement, but do so in a very responsible way."