On April 25, Mercedes-Benz in Hall E4 of the Beijing International Auto Show was already bustling with people just after it opened. 21 models and forward-looking digital technology lined up, G-class off-road vehicles, Maybach, and E-class cars all brought new electrified products, which attracted the attention of the crowd at the same time, but also made the previous rumors that "Mercedes-Benz gave up electrification" self-defeating.
In particular, a new Mercedes-Benz pure electric G-Class off-road vehicle located in the center of the booth, the iconic square box shape, classic and rugged "big G" style seems to pull the audience back to that free, speeding field. And its world debut at this year's Beijing Auto Show also sent two signals: Mercedes-Benz is determined to electrify and the Chinese market is unwavering.
After the press conference, Tang Shikai, member of the board of directors of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and head of business in Greater China, had an in-depth exchange with a number of media, including Huanqiu Automobile. In this heart-to-heart exchange, Tang Shikai expressed several key insights to Huanqiu Auto: Mercedes-Benz's determination to promote electrification transformation has not changed, China is the most important market for Mercedes-Benz, and Mercedes-Benz must also tell its own story while increasing investment in electrification and striving to make products more suitable for Chinese needs.
01
There is no need to prove yourself, action is the answer
Back in March this year, based on a previous plan adjustment of Mercedes-Benz - "the proportion of pure electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles will reach 50% in 2030", there was a wave of "singing" in the industry about the electrification of multinational car companies, believing that many multinational car companies, including Mercedes-Benz, are slowing down or even giving up electrification.
Mercedes did not rush into the trap of "self-proof", but always maintained its own rhythm. "So far, all Mercedes-Benz brands can have a choice of pure electric products," Tang said.
In particular, focusing on the new pure electric G-class off-road vehicle, as the first pure electric production model in the 45 years since the birth of the family, its emergence not only creatively fills the gap in the global luxury pure electric off-road segment, but also meets the expectations and yearning of users for hard-core off-road, but also means that the entire Mercedes-Benz has successfully completed the electrification of the whole brand from Mercedes-Benz to AMG, from Maybach to G-class off-road vehicles, which undoubtedly further demonstrates Mercedes-Benz's determination to firmly electrify the transformation.
The first mass-produced all-electric Maybach EQS all-electric SUV was also officially launched at this auto show. If the Maybach is the pinnacle of Mercedes-Benz luxury, then the launch of the all-new Maybach EQS electric SUV officially opens the era of electrification of this "ultimate luxury" brand sequence.
In addition, Tang Shikai also emphasized, "We have noticed that in different markets, especially in different market segments, the development speed is different. We need to be strategically focused while maintaining tactical flexibility. ”
For example, the all-new Mercedes-Benz long-wheelbase plug-in hybrid E-Class debuted at this auto show, and the all-new Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC SUV and coupe SUV officially launched, all of which take into account the growth trend of hybrid and plug-in hybrid in the Chinese market, as well as the diversified choice of multi-technology paths such as fuel and pure electric in the entire automobile market.
It can be seen that Mercedes-Benz's electrified model lineup is accelerating its expansion to meet the evolving market demand with a more complete and diversified product matrix.
Of course, in addition to the development of products, Mercedes-Benz is also worth paying attention to in the improvement of supporting facilities. In October last year, the world's first Mercedes-Benz super charging stations were announced in China, and up to now, Mercedes-Benz's public charging service has been involved in more than 650,000 public charging piles across the country, covering more than 360 cities and highway fast charging networks across the country.
At the end of last year, Mercedes-Benz and BMW also announced the signing of a cooperation agreement to establish a 50:50 joint venture in China to jointly operate a supercharging network open to the public. While triggering the battle for the energy supplement system on the Internet, it also makes the market look forward to the positive effect that the cooperation between the two will bring to Mercedes-Benz.
02
Mercedes-Benz in China to "move steadily and fast"
When it comes to the Chinese market, Tang Shikai is even more excited. In his view, China is Mercedes-Benz's largest single market and one of the important strategic fulcrums. In the past 2023, Mercedes-Benz's sales in China will reach 765,000 units, accounting for 29.58% of Mercedes-Benz's global sales share, making China the largest regional market for Mercedes-Benz again in 2023. He believes that "in China, Mercedes-Benz should not only run, but also move fast and steadily." ”
However, for this "report card", Tang Shikai behaved quite humbly. Including the frequent visits to China by Kang Linsong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, "He came to China not only to understand the market, but also to learn from it, and bring confidence in China back to Stuttgart", he said, "We know that the glory of the past may not bring us new glory, and we must strengthen learning and strengthen the deployment of R&D in China in the midst of change." ”
Therefore, we can see that with the layout of Beijing-Shanghai innovation "twin engines", Mercedes-Benz has about 2,000 R&D personnel engaged in R&D in China, and has made full efforts in various fields such as forward-looking design, electrification, intelligent cockpit, autonomous driving, and vehicle testing. In the past five years, Mercedes-Benz has invested a total of 10.5 billion yuan in R&D in China.
Not long ago, Mercedes-Benz's R&D center in Shanghai was upgraded again and a new building was officially opened to further accelerate the R&D and layout of intelligent innovation in China.
"Currently, the Chinese R&D team is playing a leading role in some of our international R&D projects, including a new battery pack for plug-in hybrid models, a new rear seat entertainment system, and intelligent connectivity and autonomous driving features for new models equipped with the MB.OS operating system. ”
In 2025, the MMA platform, including the CLA model, will start production in China. "We will fully exploit the potential of the MB.OS architecture, offering a China-specific version and features specifically for the Chinese market. ”
In addition, Tang Shikai also revealed that Mercedes-Benz will further strengthen exchanges and collaboration with Chinese technology companies, universities and other partners, and actively embrace China's advantages in software development, high-end talents and supplier partners. For example, vehicle on-ramp and on-ramp, and end-to-end navigation assistance in urban areas. Through the innovation of the Chinese market, it feeds back and even leads the trend of Mercedes-Benz in the global automobile market.
03
"Mercedes is still that Mercedes"
In this auto show, another impressive detail is that in the process of immersively checking in to the Mercedes-Benz booth, a media person blurted out a sentence, "Mercedes-Benz is still that Mercedes-Benz", which made many media people present empathize.
From the classic off-road totem that travels through time and space, to the ultimate electric luxury Maybach EQS electric SUV, to the all-new Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC SUV and coupe SUV, the obvious signal is that Mercedes-Benz will not lose its luxurious, high-end tonality. While firmly committed to the transformation of electrification and the Chinese market, Mercedes-Benz also needs to tell its own story.
In this regard, Tang Shikai said, "Our electrification strategy remains unchanged, and we will continue to increase investment in the field of electrification, and we are committed to making our products more suitable for the Chinese market, more high-tech and smarter, while maintaining the original Mercedes-Benz characteristics." ”
For example, while developing driver assistance systems and maintaining sufficient technical reserves, Mercedes-Benz insists on a comprehensive evaluation and all-round testing of the application of new technologies, preferring to be a little slower in the rollout time and ensure safety. This is precisely because of Mercedes-Benz's insistence on the brand's DNA "safety first". It can be seen that while accelerating and running, Mercedes-Benz also has its own unchanged value standards.
As Mercedes-Benz has always emphasized, timeless luxury design, durability, safety and high quality are the genes of Mercedes-Benz for 100 years. Constantly seeking a balance between integrity and innovation is the way of building cars for a hundred years of Mercedes-Benz, and these fundamental things will not change.
Luxury is never achieved overnight, but honed over a long period of time. With the continuous deepening of Mercedes-Benz's electrification and China-focused strategy, Mercedes-Benz's brand potential and brand potential will continue to be released with confidence and calmness, a sense of ceremony and a sense of quality as the core.