This paper presents a new integrated model predictive control (IMPC) method that combines power management and adaptive velocity control during vehicle-following scenarios in reality, for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Innovatively, the IMPC is able to plan the battery state of charge (SOC) and vehicular velocity trajectories, in order to improve fue economy and driving safety. To assess the performance of the IMPC, a comparison is performed with common charge-depleting and charge sustaining (CDCS) and DP-based energy management strategies, where an improved full velocity difference model (IFVDM) is incorporated to simulate vehicle-following behavior. These solutions are examined using a real-world driving cycle. The results reveal an enormous potential of flexibly tuning the inter-vehicle distance to increase fuel economy. This is distinct from the rigid vehicle-following behavior of the IFVDM just for driving safety. Moreover, the proposed IMPC can ensure the battery charge depletion at the end of the trip. The quantitative results witness that the total cost of the IMPC with a preview horizon of 3s can be reduced by 17.9% and 36.1% for a 70 km city-bus route, compared to IFVDM-based DP and CDCS counterparts, respectively. In addition, the effect of the preview-horizon length on both fuel economy and computational time is examined. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.