Daimler displays vision of emission-free mobility at expo
Environmentally friendly vehicles embolden German automaker’s future strategy
The first China-made Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle, the EQC SUV, will be released in the local market by the end of 2019.
Daimler continues to bring Chinese customers innovative products and services.”
Leading German automaker Daimler is showcasing its latest range of environmentally friendly vehicle technology and pioneering fuel cell research at China’s first import expo being held in Shanghai Monday to Saturday.
Daimler’s line-up at China International Import Expo, which aims to help countries and regions worldwide to strengthen economic cooperation and trade, highlights the development of new energy vehicles, and demonstrates the company’s vision for the road to emission-free mobility.
Apart from its leading fuelcell technology that began over 30 years ago, the Stuttgart-based company is also displaying its Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the new CLS models which feature an electrified engine with a 48-volt onboard system that optimizes fuel efficiency while improving power, agility and comfort.
“We welcome China’s further opening-up and believe that the expo is an important platform to promote innovation and global trade. Daimler continues to bring Chinese customers innovative products and services,” said Hubertus Troska, member of the board of management of Daimler AG, responsible for China.
“Mercedes-Benz is paving the road to emission-free driving with more efficient combustion engines, plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles. It is with our new emission-free technology on display at the expo that we aim to continue to play a leading role in future mobility,” he said.
Daimler has plans for more than 130 electrified vehicle variants, ranging from a 48-volt onboard electrical system with EQ Boost, to plugin-hybrids with EQ Power, to all-electric vehicles with battery or fuel cells. The electric initiative is subsumed under the new technology and product brand EQ. EQ stands for “Electric Intelligence” and draws its strength from the two central Mercedes-Benz values: emotion and intelligence.
Together with battery and hybrid power, fuel cells are also becoming increasingly important for Daimler as the company gathers momentum to electrify automobiles. Mercedes-Benz announced the series production of its nextgeneration fuel cell vehicle, the GLC F-CELL, after developers succeeded in fitting the fuel cell system into the engine compartment of a series-produced vehicle, just like a conventional combustion engine. In addition, the GLC F-CELL also uses a unique combination of a plug-in hybrid and a fuel cell for two sources of power. The result is a fuel cell system that is around 30 percent more compact, and an overall drive system that is nearly 40 percent more powerful than before.
Daimler’s push into new energy vehicles is taking place as part of its corporate strategy to shape the future of mobility
Hubertus Troska, member of the board of management of Daimler AG, responsible for China
through concentrating on the four pillars: “Connected”, “Autonomous”, “Shared & Service” and “Electric Drive”. Better known by its acronym CASE, the strategy that is being implemented in China will transform Daimler from being a leading automotive manufacturer to a premium mobility service provider. In July, Daimler became the first international automaker to receive a road test license for level 4 highly automated driving research vehicles in Beijing. Daimler will continue to invest in local R&D, enabling the company to emphasize CASE topics and tailor them to the Chinese market.
The company expects its entire Mercedes-Benz Cars product range to be electrified by 2022 from smart to large SUVs. Daimler is planning a global investment of more than 10 billion euros ($11.37 billion) into its new EQ line-up of battery cars over the next few years, and more than one billion euros into battery production. At the same time, China – the world’s largest NEV market – is implementing various policies to develop the NEV market.
To this end, Daimler plans to make significant investments in China over the next few years as part of its support for the country’s goals in advanced manufacturing. The company and its Chinese partner BAIC Group have announced plans for an 11.9 billion yuan ($1.71 billion) investment into a second production facility in Beijing in anticipation of increased local demand. Together with BAIC Group, Daimler is investing 5 billion yuan in preparation for the local production of Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles and batteries.
Response from Chinese consumers to Mercedes-Benz has been strong. Last year, more than 600,000 Mercedes-Benz cars were sold here, making China the largest single market for the third year in a row. This year, sales exceeded half a million for the first time in the first three quarters.
Daimler’s locally produced range of models will soon expand to eight MercedesBenz passenger cars and vans, including the Mercedes-Benz GLA, GLC, C-Class, E-Class, V-Class and Vito, as well as the A-Class Sedan later this year, and the EQC SUV in 2019. Among these, five models offer “Made in China, for China” long wheelbase versions and come with a longer, more spacious rear compartment, a feature favored by Chinese customers. The EQC SUV will be the first locally produced Mercedes-Benz battery electric vehicle, marking a big step by Daimler in China on the way to emissionfree mobility.