Daimler marketing chief Hubertus Troska said that his company is planning on selling Mercedes-Benz electric cars in China, thus taking advantage of government initiatives meant to boost demand for new-energy vehicles (NEVs).
According to Autonews, Troska also stated that thanks to the government’s tax breaks and other policy support, the number of NEVs sold last year surpassed 300,000, turning China into the world’s biggest market for electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles.
During an analyst and investor conference in Beijing, Troska stated that most of those NEVs were priced under 250,000 yuan ($37,515), and were sold mainly by Chinese automakers.
Daimler is “very confident NEVs will be an important factor of the Chinese market,” said Troska. “Mercedes-Benz is also going to play a role in China in NEVs,” he added while referring to cars currently in the pipeline.
While the Daimler exec didn’t get into any specifics about cost, pricing or launch dates, we do know that Mercedes will reveal more details about their future EV plans during this year’s Paris Auto Show, possibly part of a new sub-brand of electric cars.
Currently, Daimler only sells one EV in China under its Smart small-car brand, and another under the Denza brand. Its local lineup also includes the plug-in hybrid versions of the Mercedes C-Class and S-Class, as well as the GLE.
Note: Mercedes IAA Concept pictured
PHOTO GALLERY
