With “Ambition2039,” Mercedes-Benz introduced its path to CO₂ neutrality over a year ago. Mercedes Benz has now announced its plan to launch six new Mercedes EQ electric vehicles by 2022. Mercedes-Benz is targeting leadership in electric drives and vehicle software. In 2022 the portfolio includes eight all-electric Mercedes-EQ models. The global Mercedes-Benz production network is ready for the company’s electric product offensive and is integrating its Mercedes-EQ models into series production in its existing plants. The production network will have a total of six Mercedes-EQ car locations.
The six new all-electric models include- EQA, EQB, EQE, EQV, EQS, and EQS SUV. The EQS, the first electric luxury sedan from Mercedes-Benz, will start in the first half of 2021 in Factory 56 at the Sindelfingen site (Germany). With the production launch of the electric compact SUV EQA at the Rastatt plant (Germany) and the current decision to locate EQB production in the Hungarian plant in Kecskemét. High-efficiency battery systems will also be manufactured and assembled within the production network.
In May 2019 production of the EQC at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen (Germany) was integrated into ongoing series production. Just a few months later the German-Chinese production joint venture, Beijing Benz Automotive Co. Ltd. (BBAC), launched EQC production for the local market in China. In 2020 production of the EQV premium electric MPV started in Vitoria, northern Spain.
Compact car class customers can look forward to two fully electric compact SUVs in the EQA and EQB in 2021. EQA will celebrate its world premiere on January, 20 2021 as the first fully electric derivative of this compact car. The EQA production launch at the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant went smoothly. As with the EQC from Bremen and Beijing and the EQV from Vitoria, which are already on the market, the fully electric models at the Rastatt plant run on the same production line as compact vehicles with conventional and hybrid drives. That means all five vehicles produced in Rastatt are electrified.
In addition to the fully electric EQA, the A‑Class, A-Class sedan, B-Class and the compact SUV GLA are also produced at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt – with classic combustion engines as well as plug-in hybrid drive. With that the Mercedes-Benz Rastatt plant is making an important contribution on the road to a CO₂ neutral vehicle fleet and to the Mercedes-Benz AG electric offensive. EQA production will also follow next year (2021) at BBAC in Beijing for the Chinese market.
EQB production will launch in 2021 at two locations in the global Mercedes-Benz Cars production network: in the Hungarian Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemét for the world market and in the German-Chinese joint venture BBAC in Beijing for the local market.
Furthermore, in the first half of 2021 production of the EQS electric luxury sedan will begin in Factory 56 at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen (Germany). EQS is the independent, fully electric member in the new S-Class program and is the first to use the new electric architecture for luxury and upper-class electric vehicles at Mercedes-Benz. In Factory 56 the S-Class and, in the future, the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class, and the EQS will be produced in a fully flexible manner on the same line.
Furthermore, the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen will begin production of the EQE business sedan in the second half of 2021, followed shortly thereafter at the Beijing plant. The EQE thus complements the all‑electric portfolio of the two plants. The Beijing plant will then produce a total of four Mercedes-EQ models for the local market.
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa (USA) is also preparing for production of the EQE SUV and EQS SUV in 2022, which will be produced in the future on the same line with SUVs with conventional and plug-in hybrid drives.
In 2022 a total of eight Mercedes-EQ electric vehicles will be produced at seven locations on three continents. This is possible because the company made early investments worldwide in flexibility and technical equipment with future-oriented Industry 4.0 solutions. In the Mercedes-Benz AG plants, vehicles with different drive types can be produced in parallel thanks to highly flexible structures. From 2030 onwards, Mercedes Benz plans to gradually increase the electric vehicle market share and decisive advantage. It enables production to be adjusted at short notice depending on market demand.
Mercedes-Benz also plans to include more than 25 plug-in-hybrid model variants by 2025. Their production therefore also plays an important role in the global production network. Plug-in hybrid vehicles are already rolling off Mercedes-Benz Cars assembly lines in almost all car plants.
