Mercedes stops investing in PHEVs and shifts focus to EV
The latest series of Mercedes plug-in hybrids has yet to appear, but the plug is actually already out. The car brand confirms to the German Handelsblatt that no further developments take place. They will of course still release what they have, but the rest of the budgets go towards the electric car. They see the PHEVs as a temporary intermediate step until the full range consists of electric cars.
“No new developments are planned,” Markus Schäfer, Daimler board member and head of the research branch, told the German newspaper. ‘All the investments have already been made, so we’re using them.’ Recently, Mercedes unveiled the first AMG with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 SE Performance combines a V8 with an electric motor for a total output of 843 hp. AMG’s next C-class will get a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor.
The thickest Mercedes plug-in hybrids have yet to appear, but the AMG models turn out to be a one-time splurge. New models usually last about six to eight years anyway, so a new model with a petrol engine no longer makes sense. If all plans of the EU go ahead, it will be ready to sell combustion engines from 2035. AMG also unveiled its first fully electric model, the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+, based on the electric S-class.
