Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius expects the new strategy to last 'well into the 30s'.
First, he withdrew the goal of only building electric cars – and thus phasing out petrol and diesel cars – by 2030 at the latest.
Now Mercedes' managing director Ola Källenius makes another concession. The German brand will invest heavily in the internal combustion engine.
– We are investing 14 billion euros in research and development and in our facilities with a focus on digitization, electromobility and high-tech internal combustion engine technology, says managing director Ola Källenius to WirtschaftsWoche .
The amount, which corresponds to just under 105 billion Danish kroner, means that Mercedes is now investing in also having cars with combustion engines after 2030.
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It will primarily be about the development of highly efficient hybrid engines that must also be able to handle longer journeys on battery power alone.
All in all, for Mercedes it is now about listening to what the customers are really looking for. A very significant part of that particular demand could otherwise have been completely out of the question for Mercedes in just a few years.
– Our engines will always be at the very highest level of technology. Otherwise, we would suddenly stop our internal combustion engine business in 2027/28, Källenius told WirtschaftsWoche.
The first evidence of Mercedes' new venture will roll out on the roads already in the middle of 2026. Here, the Germans – and not least their Swedish chief executive – believe they are ready with the next S-Class.
The top model will be the first hybrid car from Mercedes, where they go for a long range on electricity alone. However, without letting go of the safety net the internal combustion engine is.
According to Ola Källenius, Mercedes is now working from a scenario where every second new car from the factory in Stuttgart in 2030 will drive around with some form of 'high-tech hybrid engine'.
Mercedes are not the only ones in a hurry to throw ceilings about a pure electric future in the trash. Ford has also announced that it will not only sell electric cars in Europe after 2030. Read more about this here .
Read more exciting news from and about the world of cars right here!
