Due to weak demand for electric cars, the Mercedes-Benz works council is in favor of postponing the abandonment of combustion engines.
The website of the weekly Der Spiegel writes this, recalling that, according to EU regulations, starting from 2035 only cars with zero climate impact will be able to be registered.
Currently, Mercedes is still able to produce more combustion engines or more electric cars, depending on the market situation, noted Michael Häberle, head of the works council at the Stuttgart-Untertürkheim plant and member of the supervisory board of the automaker.
“We need to maintain this flexibility for as long as possible to organize the transformation correctly,” said the representative.
If the abandonment date were postponed, Mercedes-Benz could "organize the transition to a different driving world in a more socially acceptable way for employees".
This would probably also increase the chances of a pact to safeguard jobs until 2035, as requested by the Works Council.
So far, there is such an agreement only until the end of 2029.
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