Mercedes is blew its electric sports car lead, but Mercedes is still Mercedes, meaning that even if Porsche is out here with the Taycan and Tesla is out here with the Model S Mercedes still has the financial might to catch up. In interviews this week, its executives say that that’s exactly what they’re trying to do.
To recap: Mercedes said earlier this month that it has six new electric cars, in the electric versions of the S-Class, E-Class, GLA, GLB, GLE, and GLS. This is all part of a big bush to stay compliant with European emissions regulations and also maybe stay current with the moment, since, you know, the world is teetering on an overheating tightrope.
But mostly about emissions regulations, since car companies rarely do anything unless you make them. Which brings us to Mercedes’s electric sports cars, namely, where are they?
The Tesla Model S has been here for over eight years, the Porsche Taycan for about a year and Mercedes electric sports cars for about zero years. But, Mercedes insists, they will come eventually.
From Bloomberg:
CEO Ola Kallenius has dropped hints this month that Mercedes plans to challenge brands including crosstown rival Porsche by introducing plug-in performance models. He told German monthly Manager Magazin in an interview published Thursday that it’s very likely Mercedes will introduce a battery-electric platform for sports cars in the coming years.
“We have a very comprehensive product portfolio, including very attractive sports cars, and sports cars will go electric as well,” Harald Wilhelm, Daimler’s CFO, said Friday on Bloomberg Television. “So stay tuned.”
If Mercedes seems a little reluctant to move away from high-powered ICE cars pumped out by AMG, I don’t blame them. I get the aura. I get the allure. But a bigger statement would be an AMG that was also all-electric. You know, something like the AMG Project One, except that’s a hybrid. Something to punch Tesla and Porsche in the mouth, like maybe only Mercedes is capable of. An AMG GT EV, perhaps. The solution is just sitting right there.
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
