Almost all conventional car manufacturers are getting into the electric car game. Many have committed to coming out with new all-electric cars in the next few years. Mercedes-Benz itself said that it’s going to launch 10 new electric cars within the next decade but it has not decided to follow through on this earlier than originally planned.
Mercedes-Benz is now looking to launch its electric cars by 2022, at least three years earlier than when it said it would, and that’s primarily due to the increased activity in this space. The industry is shifting to electric cars faster than anticipated and given Mercedes’ position in the market, it would certainly want to lead the industry and not follow its competitors.
Another reason to revise the timeframe is to meet tighter emissions rules in Europe as buyers in the region have gradually started turning away from diesel cars.
Mercedes-Benz, owned by Daimler, is going to spend $10 billion in order to bring its electric cars to market by 2022. Bloomberg quotes Daimler Chairman Manfred Bischoff saying that this transition is going to require “fundamental” changes at the car company.
Bischoff revealed the revised timeline earlier today at the company’s shareholder meeting in Berlin. “We want to shape the profound transformation of the automotive industry from the forefront,” he added.