Mercedes-Benz to introduce 4 Electric Vehicles by 2020
A division of German auto motor manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has now announced that it will introduce four new electric models in its line-up by the end of 2020. These cars will supposedly stand to compete against the likes of American automotive electric sedan Tesla and Audi's newly announced electric range.
This move from the German carmaker comes just after the German government's announcement that it will offer sales subsidies on all EVs that are priced less than 80,000$. The first generation of these cars will be actually limited to about 50,000 units per year, since the development cost is expected to be arguably high.
This announcement was made by Mercedes-Benz's R&D head, Thomas Weber, who also revealed that two of the four will be electric drive vehicles and two will be SUVs. The saloons are expected to be based on the C-Class and S-Class probably electrified, whereas the SUVs are expected to be based on the GLA and GLC, which will be launched in some markets like Indian region on June 2. These cars will supposedly come with a new design language which the company hopes to be immediately recognizable as the Mercedes stand-alone electric vehicle.
The cars are expected to be manufactured at Mercedes-Benz's Bremen, Rastatt and Sindelfingen plants in Germany itself with Mercedes known to locally manufacture all their cars. The company has announced that it will be investing around 8,000,000$ at its Hamburg plant in Germany, which will manufacture key components for all these upcoming cars.
An investment is being also made to expand the company's battery production facilities in Germany. This move highlights the shift of major carmakers towards alternate fuels and sustainable energy. Many leading manufacturers are now shifting their focus to electric vehicles and are making heavy investments, for not only do these cars cause zero emissions, they also reduce the burden on fossil fuels, which are depleting quite fast.
