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Mercedes production in Rastatt: Away from diesel and gasoline
Photo: Daimler
The car company Daimler is preparing for the end of cars with internal combustion engines this decade.
Whether the Stuttgart-based company then actually no longer produces diesel or gasoline-powered cars depends on how demand develops in the markets.
"The turning point is approaching, and we will be ready when the markets switch completely to electric cars by the end of the decade," said Ola Källenius, CEO of Daimler and Mercedes-Benz.
"Electromobility is gaining momentum - especially in the luxury segment, where Mercedes-Benz is at home."
Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans did not define an absolute sales target for all-electric cars.
However, the company doubled the expected proportion of electrified vehicles - i.e. e-cars and plug-in hybrid models - to 50 percent for 2025.
From 2025, three electric vehicle architectures for compact models, luxury class and vans are to come into production.
From then on there will only be new, purely electric platforms.
Daimler is not as committed to it as Volkswagen and Audi.
These brands want to retire combustion models by the early 1930s.
A similar approach was recently announced by General Motors, Volvo and Opel, among others.
The EU Commission had recently spoken out in favor of a ban on the sale of new vehicles with internal combustion engines from 2035.
However, countries like Norway (2025) or Great Britain (2030) are already striving for an early exit from technology.
Longer range, lower consumption
More than 40 billion euros are to be invested in battery vehicles from 2022 to 2030.
Among other things, the money will go to eight gigafactory factories for battery cells around the world that Daimler intends to build with unnamed partners.
Next-generation batteries should enable “unprecedented ranges and even shorter charging times”.
In the coming year, Mercedes wants to present the research vehicle Vision EQXX - a car that can travel more than 1000 kilometers on one charge and only uses about half as much electricity as today's electric cars.
Daimler wants to retrain its workforce extensively in e-mobility.
Investments in combustion cars and plug-in hybrids are expected to decrease by 80 percent by 2026 compared to 2019.
Källenius confirmed the return targets of autumn 2020 despite the faster turnaround to initially even more unprofitable electric cars.
Accordingly, in normal times, an operating margin in the low to mid single-digit percentage range should be achieved, in good times a double-digit margin.
nis / Reuters / dpa