Mercedes-Benz gets reality check from Tesla owners after asking fans if they want electric cars

Mercedes-Benz’s company-owned retail network in the UK took to Twitter to ask its followers if they would consider buying an electric car.

The automaker, which recently discontinued its only all-electric vehicle, received an interesting reality check.

Mercedes-Benz used to offer an all-electric version of its B-Class which they never actually tried to sell. The vehicle, which had a Tesla powertrain, was treated as a compliance car by the German automaker.

Nonetheless, it was the brand’s only offering in the segment and now it’s gone.

To be fair, they plan to reenter the segment in a more important way with their first electric vehicles built from the ground up to be electric instead of converting an existing model.

Those new vehicles are coming starting in 2019 with an all-electric SUV under their new EQ subbrand.

Now Mercedes-Benz’s retail arm ask if people would even consider those cars:

https://twitter.com/MB_Retail/status/893064121951940609

The brand got over 400 responses and they overwhelming were positive about EVs.

A surprising number of responses were from former Mercedes owners telling the company that they already switched to a Tesla because they were too slow to move into all-electric vehicles:

https://twitter.com/CovelloMassimo/status/894716643464675329

Driving a @TeslaMotors since two years.
No plans to change to a Mercedes 🙂

— Roberto di Gento (@robertvg) August 8, 2017

https://twitter.com/G8YTZ/status/894805767940956160

I have already switched. I've been driving a Tesla Model S since 2014. I'll never go back to fossil cars.

— Arne Kleppestrand (@arne_kle) August 7, 2017

https://twitter.com/DaveBroadway/status/894669093424566272

Some didn’t buy a Tesla yet, but they made sure that Mercedes knew that they reserved a Model 3:

Yes, Mercedes B250 (gas) owner, deposit down on Tesla 3. I asked MB dealer about electric and he said ‘not our market’.

— David Jenkins (@djenkins6) August 7, 2017

Preordered a Tesla Model 3 last year.

— Eric (@es2120) August 8, 2017

Roberto di Gento made a word-cloud out of the responses that Mercedes got from the tweet and it beautifully illustrates the reaction:

I created a WordCloud of all 300+ reactions to your question.
63 x Already
39 x Tesla
118 x Teslamotors pic.twitter.com/MEMS0TKXm9

— Roberto di Gento (@robertvg) August 9, 2017

Tesla is undeniably starting to have a significant impact on premium automakers. The company shocked the industry last year when it confirmed having delivered 25,202 Model S sedans in the U.S. in 2015, which gave the company a 25% market share in the premium large sedan market.

Earlier this year, Tesla was still dominating the segment with Model S outselling Mercedes S-Class, Porsche Panamera, and BMW 6/7 Series combined in the US during the first quarter:

Since then, virtually all other automakers on this chart have an all-electric version planned for the same segment, but they are still a few years down the road.

Hopefully for EV enthusiasts, they are taking it seriously and those vehicles will be serious mass-produced challengers.