Mercedes-Benz said on Thursday that the last version of the less expensive sedan would be first available as a comprehensive car and then as a hybrid. And the company will no longer sell a gasoline version of the car.
This is a great break from the way Mercedes and other established manufacturers have operated typically. Until recently, most vehicles adapted vehicles designed for fossil fuels to be powered by batteries. Sedani Mercedes, CLA, which the company discovered in Rome with rapper Will.I.am, is an example of how at least some of the established creators manufacturers are developing electric cars first, then adjusting them to customers who still want a gasoline engine.
CLA, the first of more than two dozen Mercedes vehicles to use the same basic technology, is a sign that many global manufacturers manufacturers are setting advantage in electric vehicles even when Republicans in the United States try to support the legislation of the Biden era aiming to promote battery technology.
However, faced with uncertain demand for electric vehicles and unpredictable government policies, Mercedes is passing its bets offering hybrids, which pair traditional gasoline engines with relatively small batteries and electric motors.
“If the world is not dominant electric until 2030, we as Mercedes-Benz, as a set manufacturer, we cannot depart from an important part of our income,” said Ola Källenius, the chief executive of Mercedes, in an interview in Rome. “So, indeed, you can call it a protection.”
Mercedes did not discover a price for new CLA, but said it would be affordable for current version owners, which starts at $ 45,000 in the United States. Finally, some of the components from the car will be used in sports service vehicles and a station truck.
The company decided to first introduce all-electric CLA to the belief that technology advances are addressing the reasons that people are reluctant to buy electric cars, including the insufficient range of directing between charges and time for fuel.
“We have addressed all those with new CLA,” said Markus Schäfer, a member of the Mercedes Management Board responsible for technology during a meeting with reporters.
Some CLA versions can travel almost 500 miles between charges, and when using high voltage charges can add more than 200 miles of range in 10 minutes. The hybrid version will receive most of its energy from a gasoline engine, but will be able to travel short distances only to battery energy.
The United States, where the car will be available at the end of the year, are critical for Mercedes, which produces sports services vehicles in Alabama. But China, where hybrid and plug-in vehicles make up more than half of new car sales, is the world’s largest vehicle market and increasingly puts tone for the industry.
Like almost all foreign automobiles, Mercedes has seen her sales fall in China as customers switch to electric vehicles built by local manufacturers like Byd.
Sales of electric vehicles increased 35 percent in China in January and February a year ago, according to Rho Motion, a research firm. This is compared to the growth of 20 percent in Europe and 20 percent in the United States and Canada. Figures include hybrid plug-in vehicles.
Increasing sales in the United States has increased this year, perhaps because people are buying electric vehicles while they can still collect tax loans up to $ 7,500, which Republican leaders in Congress have said they intend to abolish.
The new CLA illustrates the rapid progress that car manufacturers are making in battery technology. Is the first vehicle sold by Mercedes with a battery in which some of the graphite have been replaced with silicone oxide. The circuit breaker helps increase the amount of energy the battery can carry, extending the range of the car.
Cars also show how artificial intelligence is infiltrating automobiles. Drivers can ask the car to find a carrier that is nearby, let’s say, a good Italian restaurant.
Among the apps on the digital dashboard of the vehicle is Raidio.Fyi, created by Will.I.am, who is a software entrepreneur in addition to leading black -eyed peas.
The service uses artificial intelligence to let people ask questions during programming, a personalized call radio type.
“You may ask, ‘Hey, so Rihanna has a makeup line I have heard. Can you tell me where to buy it based on the place where I am now? And does she have any product for my cocoa skin face?'” Will.i said in the Mercedes event. “And it will guide you and tell you where it is.”