By Malcolm FlynnMercedes-Benz could use stake in Tesla to create BMW i3 rival.
The 2015 B-Class Electric Drive will be the first Mercedes road car to use Tesla tech
Mercedes-Benz could be working on its own answer to the electric BMW i3, according to a new report. Speaking with Reuters, Daimler CFO Bodo Uebber said the German giant will increase its focus on small cars, in a bid to lower the average age of its buyers.
Uebber also said that Mercedes “could use more” involvement with Tesla -- the US electric car brand founded by Elon Musk – in which the German brand has held a stake since 2009.
Mercedes-Benz could be working on its own answer to the electric BMW i3, according to a new report. Speaking with Reuters, Daimler CFO Bodo Uebber said the German giant will increase its focus on small cars, in a bid to lower the average age of its buyers.
Uebber also said that Mercedes “could use more” involvement with Tesla -- the US electric car brand founded by Elon Musk – in which the German brand has held a stake since 2009.
The first fruit of this technological alliance will be the B-Class Electric Drive, which will use a Tesla-supplied motor and battery system when it goes on sale internationally next year.
While the B-Class is smaller than Mercedes’ conventional C, E and S class models, the Uebber’s words point to the possibility of electric variants of the smaller-again A-Class or CLA models, to sit above electric versions of the upcoming 2015 Smart Fortwo.
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