Mercedes-Benz and BMW are adding a wide range of new plug-in hybrids as they strive to reduce CO2 emissions to meet stricter EU targets this year. Both companies said putting plug-in hybrids versions on more models would help reduce carbon emissions this year by 20%.
LMC Automotive, an analyst firm, predicts that plug-in hybrids will outsell EVs in Europe this year.
Daimler CEO Ola Källenius this week said that meeting 2020 and 2021 stricter emission targets in Europe “will be a challenge.” That could mean big fines for Daimler.
Despite the struggle, Källenius said that he would not reduce prices for the company’s Mercedes-Benz electric cars. “We need to act in an economically rational way,” he said. “It is very important to achieve adequate prices on these cars and not to destroy the pricing levels.”
Luxury automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz are both pursuing robust rollouts of EVs. But the two brands also consider EV markets to be uncertain in the next few years. Their respective strategies for dealing with that perceived uncertainty are different.
BMW is integrating the production of EVs, plug-in hybrids, and internal-combustion cars on the same assembly line so it can dial EV volume up or down. Meanwhile, Mercedes is building dedicated EV platforms and a global network of battery plants, even as it reduces the short-term output of its first electric SUV.
The head of Mercedes-Benz’s work council admitted that Tesla’s acquisition of Grohmann Engineering, an automation firm, affected their own battery pack manufacturing plans.
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Mercedes-Benz has once again delayed EQC deliveries, pushing them back by another year in the US, as a “strategic decision to first support the growing customer demand for the EQC in Europe.”
Mercedes last delayed the EQC this February. It has just started deliveries in Europe in the last couple months.
At the launch of the new GLA, Mercedes-Benz released a new teaser image of the EQA, which was supposed t be a small electric hatchback, and announced that it will be based on the new GLA and therefore, more of a crossover.
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The new season of Formula E, the world’s top electric car racing series, starts on Friday with a doubleheader in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Notably, two new teams are joining from brands with classic motorsport ties: Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.
The last Formula E season was the most exciting one yet, so tune in this weekend to see if they can manage to top it. There will be two races this weekend, on Friday and Saturday at 8 a.m. PST/11 a.m. EST/4 p.m. UTC/7 p.m. local Diriyah time.
Ola Källenius, chairman of Daimler and head of Mercedes-Benz, confirmed today that the company will produce an all-electric version of the iconic G-Class wagon. Källenius made the commitment to the G-Class EV while speaking at Automobilwoche Kongress in Berlin.
Mercedes-Benz today unveils the Vision EQS, an electric sedan concept with 435 miles of range and 350 kW charging, which the automaker describes as “a trailblazer for the entire Mercedes-Benz EQ family.”
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Mercedes-Benz is unveiling today the production version of the EQV, an all-electric MPV van with 250 miles of range, the latest vehicle in its EQ electric sub-brand.
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Mercedes-Benz announced that it is going to unveil a new all-electric sedan at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt next month.
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Most markets are starting to require electric vehicles to make a sound at lower speeds to prevent pedestrian accidents, and Mercedes-Benz is now demonstrating the pedestrian sound for its EQC electric SUV.
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Mercedes-Benz is planning to release a smaller electric EQ sedan – the EQE — in 2022, according to a new report.
Mercedes-Benz is launching its new EQC electric SUV and they invited us to Norway to test drive it for the first time.
Here are my impressions of the German automaker’s first next-gen electric vehicle.
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Mercedes-Benz has announced its intentions to have a “carbon-neutral” new passenger car fleet by 2039, calling it “a fundamental transformation” of the company.
Mercedes-Benz says that it started production of the EQC, an all-electric SUV and the automaker’s first all-electric vehicle built to be electric from the ground up, and it also started taking orders for the vehicle.
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At the New York Auto show today, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the EQC Edition 1886, a special early edition of the electric SUV that will hit the market later this year.
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Mercedes-Benz is breaking ground at its new battery factory next to its existing engine factory that will be converted to an electric motor plant.
The automaker is rallying the whole city for the transition with the help of the mayor and the local university.
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Mercedes-Benz released new details about the development program of the new electric eSprinter van as it completed its winter endurance test ahead of the launch.
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At the Geneva Motor show, Mercedes-Benz is unveiling today a concept for a premium all-electric MPV (minivan), the EQV, and it announced plans to bring a production version to market by the end of the year.
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Mercedes-Benz says its EQC all-electric SUV is still coming on time after reports of delays as the automaker winter tests the EQC in Sweden.
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Mercedes-Benz is reportedly delaying volume deliveries of the EQC, its first all-electric vehicle built on the ground to be electric, until November.
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Mercedes-Benz says its first next-generation all-electric vehicle, the EQC electric SUV, is already sold out for this year and “probably” even next year, but it doesn’t confirm the actual production capacity.
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Tesla and Mercedes-Benz have been holding ‘talks’ about a possible new collaboration, according to comments made by Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche this week.
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