Although the new regulations increase the pressure on car manufacturers to switch production to fully electric vehicles as soon as possible, the current price situation shows that not everything is going to plan. In some markets, such as the United States, customers are increasingly choosing cheaper options. This was the reason for Mercedes to increase the offer of ICE and PHEV models, and the plan is 25 new ones by the end of 2024.
The German manufacturer informed its distributors in the United States that it will focus on gasoline and hybrid models, which according to many analysts is a good business move. “Mercedes is keeping in touch with reality rather than trying to change it. Last year showed that you can fly high until you lose touch with reality. The base models give consumers a taste of what’s to come, but only if they can afford to stay within the brand,” he said. said Edmunds Insights director Ivan Drury in an interview with Automotive News.
According to the distributor’s data, Mercedes customers are not very interested in electric cars. Selling cheaper ICE and hybrid cars at a small profit is a better option than keeping expensive electric cars that only a few can afford.
“We are very happy to bring to the market what is needed, which is the right balance between ICE products, electric products and now also adding PHEVs to the mix,” said Senol Bayrak, director of sales at Mercedes-Benz USA.
Source: Automotive News
