Taking a page out of BMW i’s book, Mercedes-Benz might create a separate brand just for its electric vehicles. These cars would reportedly come from an existing Mercedes plant, and if everything moves along smoothly, the company could give this decision the green light by as early as next month.
In January, we reported on how Mercedes apparently plans for four EVs as part of a two billion-Euro “Ecoluxe” project. The first car, expected in 2018, would be a sedan that slots in between the C- and E-Class. Following that would be a crossover, sized between the GLC and GLE.
New developments now say otherwise. The first car under this new brand now will likely be an SUV-type model based off of the GLC crossover, according to Handelsblatt. Mercedes plans to unveil the the EV brand in Paris in the fall, with the car going on sale next year and more models planned up to 2020.
This all looks good to me, especially if Mercedes also has some kind of AMG-EV variant in mind. That’s not too far-fetched, right? And with this potential foray into the EV fight, the next logical step is autonomy. BMW’s started doing it already.
We have reached out to Mercedes for further comment.
(H/t to Autoblog)