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Electrified: Ola Källenius
, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG
Photo:
Silas Stein / dpa
The automobile manufacturer Daimler is preparing for a possible earlier end for gasoline and diesel engines, at least in Europe. CEO
Ola Källenius
(52) wants to accelerate the electrification of the Mercedes model range, it is said in corporate circles. A number of electric cars of the next generation planned from 2024/2025 should come onto the market a year earlier than originally planned. More than half of the current models in the new edition only have electric drives, the combustion variants with gasoline and diesel engines quickly expired. There is even talk of an entry into battery cell production - which has been completely rejected so far - in the group.
According to the company, Källenius wants to present the accelerated electrical course to the public as far as possible before the summer break.
The CEO wants to prepare Mercedes-Benz cars for an extreme scenario such as the end of combustion engine drives demanded by the Greens from 2030.
Her chancellor candidate
Annalena Baerbock
(40) presented her goals to the board of the industry association VDA at the end of May.
When asked about a date for the combustion engine off, they did not want to set an exact date, participants told manager magazin.
But she made one thing clear: there would be no long-term future for the internal combustion engine with the Greens.
