Mercedes doubles down on combustion engines amid EV shift

Mercedes is investing more money in internal combustion engines and plug-in hybrids. These are expected to be the driving force during the complicated period of electric vehicle popularisation.

The German company plans to spend up to 15 billion dollars more on combustion technology development than initially planned. This involves investments in factories and technological advancements. All of this is to ensure that hybrid drive systems can hold up even into the next decade. If such decisions were not made, Mercedes' combustion engine business would have problems within three years.

The current A-Class, B-Class, and CLA generations will remain on the market longer. Official information has yet to be announced, but plug-in versions will likely receive cells with a capacity of 13 kWh (approximately 47 MJ). This is supposed to allow a catalogue range of about 89 km. In reality, it might be more like 69 km, but it is sufficient for city driving.

The electric EQA and EQB are also awaiting changes, specifically installing more giant cells with a capacity of 70.5 kWh (approximately 254 MJ).

Interestingly, while the top Mercedes C-Class (AMG C63) uses a four-cylinder, 2-litre internal combustion engine, the coupé version, named CLE, is expected to return to a V8 engine. As you can see, Mercedes is trying to play on all fronts.