Last month, there were rumors that Mercedes-Benz would build its next-generation models based on Nio's standards, though this was quickly denied by Nio.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has high hopes for the Chinese market, despite a weak sales performance for the time being.
China will be absolutely at the center of Mercedes-Benz's next wave of electric offensive, which will begin in 2025 with the new e-architecture, its CEO Ola Kaellenius told German automotive magazine Automobilwoche.
"To do this, we must master electric propulsion just as perfectly as digitalization. That's what our customers expect," Kaellenius said, according to a July 23 story in Automobilwoche.
Mercedes-Benz is reviewing models planned for China based on the upcoming MB.EA platform to make sure they better meet local customer needs, especially in terms of space and digital content, the report said, citing another executive.
According to Mercedes-Benz's strategy presented in 2021, all of its new car platforms will produce only electric vehicles from 2025 onward.
Mercedes remains one of the top three players in China's premium car market.
Between July 1 and July 16, Mercedes sold 31,700 units in China, the highest among premium brands, according to figures shared by Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) last week. Audi was at 27,400 units and BMW at 24,300 for the period.
However, German carmakers are generally lagging behind in China's fast-growing new energy vehicle (NEV) market.
In the January-June period, BYD sold 1,154,573 NEVs, including battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), the highest in retail sales of NEVs in China, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
Tesla was second with 294,105 units, and Nio (NYSE: NIO) was 10th with 54,561, according to the NEV sales ranking by the CPCA, which Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi all failed to make.
Last month, there were rumors that Mercedes-Benz would use Nio's battery swap network and build its next-generation models based on Nio's standards. However, the rumor was quickly denied by Nio.
NIO denies after rumors of partnership with Mercedes-Benz swirl
