Electric sports car platform very likely, says CEO
Mercedes launching flagship EQS sedan soon
While the fire and fury of the Mercedes-AMG 4.0L biturbo V8 is undeniable, the automaker is slowly revealing more about the company’s future products and the transition of Mercedes-Benz from gasoline power to electric sports cars.
“We have a very comprehensive product portfolio, including very attractive sports cars, and sports cars will go electric as well,” Harald Wilhelm, Daimler’s chief financial officer, said Friday on Bloomberg Television. “So stay tuned,” the executive added.
This just days after CEO Ola Kallenius told German monthly Manager Magazin that the automaker was very likely to introduce a battery-electric platform for sports cars in the next few years.
Tesla may have started the performance EV segment, but now Porsche’s Taycan has brought the idea of the ultra-fast electric performance car even closer to Mercedes’ own front door. The company will need to electrify to compete against EV and PHEV models from Porsche, Audi, and BMW, but it will also need to make the transition to help hit emissions targets. Getting the same power with lower emissions can only get you so far with a gasoline engine these days, and electrification is quickly becoming a faster, easier, and cheaper way to accomplish the same feat.
Before the sports cars go EV, expect more conventional electric models like the EQC crossover and the upcoming EQS full-size luxury sedan. Then we’re still expecting the Mercedes-AMG One PHEV supercar using F1-style hybrid technology.
