At the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26, Mercedes-Benz signed a policy paper with other auto companies and companies as well as states and cities with a commitment to a rapid transition to electric vehicles. Among other things, the premium competitor BMW and the world’s largest auto manufacturers Toyota and Volkswagen refused this. At the “Automobilwoche Kongress” exhibition, Daimler President Ola Källenius explained why it is constantly ahead of other German manufacturers when it comes to electricity.
“I signed up because we assume that customers in the premium segment will have faster access to charging infrastructure,” Kallenius said. The vast majority of Mercedes cars will be parked in a garage, and when in doubt, it can be equipped with a wall box.
The core brand Daimler, along with 24 countries and especially manufacturers Volvo, BYD, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and General Motors, have committed to eliminating combustion vehicles worldwide by 2040 and zero-emissions vehicles only in leading markets by 2035 at the latest. Estimate and trucks for sale. Some of the aforementioned brands earlier announced specific timelines for the transition to an all-electric offering.
Mercedes-Benz is also preparing for an all-electric future. As of 2025, nearly all investments in drivetrains are set to flow into electric mobility. As long as there is no nationwide shipping infrastructure in place, Källenius said, it is “completely reasonable” to continue promoting the controversial plug-in hybrids. In the next four or five years this will certainly remain “part of the solution”, but then it will end up at Mercedes-Benz at the end of the decade.
“Once you’re swimming away and you’re in the middle of the river, you want to go to the other bank,” says Callinius. In addition, there is increasing pressure from investors to switch to CO2 neutrality. The head of Daimler predicts that in the year “2030 + X” there will be a complete end to the combustion engine. For now, customers will still be able to order Mercedes-Benz conventional drivetrains. 2024/2025 comes according to Car Week Once again a new architecture for compact cars with internal combustion engines. Mercedes-Benz is developing this with its Chinese partner Geely and its subsidiary Volvo. “If the combustion engine is still up to date, we have that as an insurance premium,” Kallenius said. However, one does not want to leave combustion engines running in parallel forever.
