Mercedes-Benz CTO: "The Chinese electric vehicle market is very special with a high level of innovation!"
On April 29th, South Korean media "The Herald Economics" published an article stating that Markuss Schfer, CTO of Mercedes-Benz, recently mentioned in an interview at the Shanghai Auto Show. The Chinese electric vehicle market is considered a rapidly growing and very unique market.
He said: "The competition in the Chinese market is very fierce, and a large number of innovations have emerged over the past few years. Due to such intense competition, technological innovation naturally flourishes, and price competitiveness has greatly improved. I believe this is the advantage of the Chinese market."
Mercedes-Benz plans to launch more than 20 new models within the next 20 months. To cope with the ever-changing electric vehicle market, the company invests 8 billion euros annually in R&D.
Schfer said: "CLA is the first of about 20 new models to be launched within the next 20 months, which will set new standards for the era of electric vehicles. We plan to successively introduce various types of new models, including pure electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, as well as software-defined vehicles (SDVs) utilizing new platforms and technologies."
The electric vehicle "CLA Long Wheelbase Version" unveiled by Mercedes-Benz at this year's Shanghai Auto Show was built on the MMA platform. In particular, the technical strength of the EQXX project, which began research two years ago to take the lead in the electric vehicle market, was demonstrated. EQXX is a research project by Mercedes-Benz aimed at developing electric vehicles with improved performance and efficiency.
The CLA Long Wheelbase version has a range of 866 kilometers and consumes 10.9 kWh per 100 kilometers. Equipped with a large-capacity battery, it can travel up to 1000 kilometers on a single charge.
The Mercedes-Benz CLA is equipped with a 58 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery. Although an LFP battery is used, the range has been extended based on EQXX technology.
Schfer emphasized that "due to the intense technological competition and strong price competitiveness in the Chinese market, localization of R&D and supply chain is crucial," and currently, Mercedes-Benz is also collaborating with local Chinese enterprises.
Mercedes-Benz also plans to accelerate its leadership position in the field of autonomous driving. At present, Mercedes-Benz has achieved commercialization of Level 3 autonomous driving in Europe and the United States, with a maximum speed of 95 kilometers per hour.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1830740509064266/
Disclaimer: This article only represents the views of the author.