Mercedes-Benz considering eco-focused brand to rival BMW i
Launching a separate division or sub-brand to put emphasis on green vehicles has worked out very nice for its arch-rival BMW, so Merceded is looking into adopting a similar strategy.
The announcement was made by the person in charge of the manufacturer's Sales and Marketing department, Ola Kallenius, who recently spoken with Autocar on the subject, stating that the automaker will continue to expand its range of zero-emission and PHEV models, which will include 10 plug-in hybrids by the end of next year.
“We could choose for the purpose-made electric vehicles to create some sort of sub-brand but, right now, Mercedes is focused on investing tremendous resources into the path towards zero emissions. It’s something that will affect the whole portfolio", Kallenius said.
He didn't mention it, of course, but it goes without saying that if Mercedes goes down that road, it will have BMW's "i" series firmly in its sights.
The brand's chief also talked about the near future, which will see the introduction of three new members over the next few months, one from Mercedes-Benz and two from Smart, joined by a hydrogen-powered GLC, in 2017.
"By the end of this year, we will have three electric cars, with the B-Classand two Smarts. And at the end of next year, we will launch a next-generation fuel cell vehicle, which is a zero-emissions vehicle based on the GLC platform."
Source: Carscoops
