# Mercedes will build first all-electric "EQ" by 2020



## tim330i (Dec 18, 2001)

Mercedes-Benz takes the next step for the implementation of its electric offensive: The first production model of the new EQ product brand is to be produced in Bremen by the end of this decade. "Emission-free automobiles are the future. I am pleased that for the series production of our first electric EQ model, we can count on one of our most important partners in the global production network: our colleagues from Bremen. The Bremen plant delivers a maximum of flexibility and high speed as well as Mercedes quality from the beginning, also for our electric models," says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The production model will be based on the EQ show car - an electric vehicle in the look of a sporty SUV Coupe, that was presented at Paris Auto Show in September. With a range of up to 300 miles and the typical Mercedes strengths such as safety, comfort, functionality and connectivity, the show car is forerunner of a new era. The product brand EQ is an elementary part of the corporate strategy for future mobility bundled under the term CASE. The four letters stand for the four strategic pillars Connected, Autonomous, Shared & Services and Electric Drive, which are connected intelligently.

Mercedes-Benz Cars aims to have over ten all-electric vehicles in its portfolio by 2025. The new electric vehicles can be built within the existing global production network with sites on four continents. "In our production, we work intensely on the execution of our electric offensive. In this context, we assess the potential production of electric vehicles at all sites of Mercedes-Benz Cars. We have already started intensive preparations in Bremen. In general, our new production organization has become highly flexible, allowing us to quickly react in case of increasing customer demand," states Markus Schäfer, Member of the Divisional Board of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Production and Supply Chain Management.



"It is an enormous sign of trust and a genuine reward for our site that the first EQ vehicle will be built in Bremen," says Peter Theurer, Site Manager of the Mercedes-Benz Bremen plant. "As lead plant for the C-Class and the GLC, we have repeatedly proved our ramp-up competence, our flexibility and our technical know-how. Now, we take a further crucial step towards future mobility and expand our variety also when it comes to drive technologies."

*Audi Motorsport exits Le Mans in favor of Formula E*

The battery for the new electric vehicle will be developed by the Daimler subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE and produced in Kamenz (Saxony). The production is currently being expanded in the context of the corporate strategy CASE with an investment of 500 million euros. With this, one of the largest and most modern battery factories in Europe will be built. In future, ACCUMOTIVE will produce lithium-ion batteries for all electrified vehicles of Mercedes-Benz and smart - including plug-in hybrids as well as fully electric vehicles. On top of that, the site will produce batteries for stationary Mercedes-Benz energy storage units as well as 48-volt-systems. Daimler plans an overall investment of more than one billion euros in a global battery production compound.


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