According to Autocar, German automaker Mercedes-Benz is looking for a piece of the EV market by planning four new electric vehicles by the year 2020. The report says the lineup will likely consist of two sedans and two SUVs that are based on existing vehicles.
The most likely candidates on which to base the new vehicles are the C- and S-Class cars and the GLA and GLC crossover SUVs, although none of them have been confirmed as of this writing. The electric motors the company is reportedly developing have power figures ranging from 102 horsepower all the way up to 543 horsepower.
Thomas Weber, Mercedes-Benz R&D chief, says the minimum range to make EVs viable for mass consumption is 250 miles, so we can expect that is what the company is targeting.
The GLA-derived EV will use a modified MFA platform used in the B-Class, with the others will adopt a version of the MRA architecture that is modified for electric vehicles.
While these new vehicles will be made in Germany, no word yet on whether or not we will see them here in the states. As the electrification of vehicles continues – and as Tesla and Audi both plan to have new EVs available within the same time frame – the competition would surely be welcomed by consumers.
Would these new EVs place Mercedes-Benz in direct competition with Tesla? They may not have the coolness factor that a Tesla does but a luxury EV from a big name manufacturer would certainly get the attention of people who are in the market.
Mercedes still makes great gas engines, too. Check out this TFLcar video review of the twin-turbo S550:
