FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Mercedes-Benz is putting China, the world’s biggest car market, at the heart of its 2025 electric vehicle (EV) strategic plan, its chief executive told German magazine Automobilwoche.
“To do this, we must master electric propulsion as perfectly as digitalization. This is what our customers expect,” says Ola Källenius.
From 2025, all new Mercedes-Benz vehicle platforms will produce only EVs, in line with the strategy outlined in 2021 by the German automaker.
A Mercedes-Benz official told Automobilwoche that the models the company plans to launch in China based on the upcoming MB.EA platform are being reviewed to ensure they better meet the needs of local customers, with a focus on space and digital content.
China is the most important market for German automakers, but local Chinese brands dominate the electric vehicle segment with an 81% market share last year, according to Counterpoint Research.
Mercedes-Benz also counts among its shareholders the Chinese group Beijing Automotive Group and the chairman of Geely, Li Shufu.
(Report Christoph Steitz; French version Claude Chendjou)
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