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GM maybe. Mercedes definitely not. Unlike almost all automakers, Mercedes has consistently embraced change. Their entire premise is to build a car that is 10 ye

GM maybe. Mercedes definitely not. Unlike almost all automakers, Mercedes has consistently embraced change. Their entire premise is to build a car that is 10 years into the future, and generally speaking they do it. Sometimes they mispredict the future, but they have never been afraid to correct course. A different type of drivetrain doesn't mean starting from scratch. It's a major component, but it would be foolish to think they can't be taken seriously.

WorldMaker 9y ago
GM has had skin in the electric car game for decades (although a flop, the EV1 was still a try). They've sold a healthy number of Volts, Sparks, Cadillac ELRs, and now Bolts. Whether or not you are correct in supposing Mercedes can embrace the change, using GM as a counter-example is a bad analogy because from the GM perspective it is Mercedes that needs to catch up. That said, I'm not expecting GM to set an aggressive EV pace either such as VW's 2030 goal, but they do expect to be the first to high volume electric vehicle sales [1]. [1] http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110469_gm-goal-profitable-affordable-electric-cars-built-in-big-numbers http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110469_gm-goal-profitab...
- saosebastiao 9y ago
  Every electric car that GM has ever produced has been the result of playing national politics. The volt was announced right around the time that bailouts and cash 4 clunkers were political talking points...it was a way to show congress that they really needed to intervene to keep GM alive. The EV1 was the result of CARB regulations that required the big 7 to have zero-emission vehicles compose at least 2% of their fleet. Unlike Mercedes or VW, which are responding to market demands, GM only showboated electric vehicles as a way of staying in bounds or gaining favors politically. GM has made virtually no effort at bringing competitive hybrid or full-electric drivetrains to their mainstream models, and they probably wont even consider it until it's bailout time again.
  - WorldMaker 9y ago
    The Volt was in development quite prior to the bailout. The Volt was developed for selfish reasons by an executive to leave an electric legacy behind, not to curry favor with the American polity. Revenge of the Electric Car is a good documentary with first person glimpses into the Volt development/launch (as well as the launch of the Tesla Roadster and the development of the Nissan Leaf). GM branding seems to want to continue to imply that their electric vehicles are better than their "mainstream models"; showboating is marketing. GM has also said (per the link above) that they expect to have the first "mainstream" electric in the ways the car industry would define it (high volume, reasonable profits). GM isn't just now responding to "market demands" because they anticipated them years ago, and in some ways have been working to create those market demands that Mercedes and VW are just now feeling. VW, on the other hand, also is responding to the American polity. The US has graciously allowed VW to use the fines the EPA should have charged for "dieselgate" to instead go (and only go) to electric vehicle development.
lrei 9y ago
I have plenty of experience with Mercedes, Audi, volvo, jeep and BMW cars - driving, renting, test driving them or being the passanger. I would say Mercedes is at least 5 years behind the competition at approx same price point. Disclaimer: I'm obviously not qualified to talk about suspension technology, combustion engines etc. But tech (e.g pilot assist/autopilot), Driver interface features and multimedia, yeah Mercedes is very very very far behind.
- sjwright 9y ago
  Most car manufacturers are 5-10 years behind in terms of deep technology and software. In recent years a few manufacturers have done a passable job papering over their legacy interfaces with modern designs and faster GPUs, but they're still buggy junk behind the scenes. And if that weren't bad enough, most of it is – from the end user's perspective – abandonware.

WorldMaker 9y ago

GM has had skin in the electric car game for decades (although a flop, the EV1 was still a try). They've sold a healthy number of Volts, Sparks, Cadillac ELRs, and now Bolts. Whether or not you are correct in supposing Mercedes can embrace the change, using GM as a counter-example is a bad analogy because from the GM perspective it is Mercedes that needs to catch up. That said, I'm not expecting GM to set an aggressive EV pace either such as VW's 2030 goal, but they do expect to be the first to high volume electric vehicle sales [1]. [1] http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110469_gm-goal-profitable-affordable-electric-cars-built-in-big-numbers http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1110469_gm-goal-profitab...

saosebastiao 9y ago
Every electric car that GM has ever produced has been the result of playing national politics. The volt was announced right around the time that bailouts and cash 4 clunkers were political talking points...it was a way to show congress that they really needed to intervene to keep GM alive. The EV1 was the result of CARB regulations that required the big 7 to have zero-emission vehicles compose at least 2% of their fleet. Unlike Mercedes or VW, which are responding to market demands, GM only showboated electric vehicles as a way of staying in bounds or gaining favors politically. GM has made virtually no effort at bringing competitive hybrid or full-electric drivetrains to their mainstream models, and they probably wont even consider it until it's bailout time again.
- WorldMaker 9y ago
  The Volt was in development quite prior to the bailout. The Volt was developed for selfish reasons by an executive to leave an electric legacy behind, not to curry favor with the American polity. Revenge of the Electric Car is a good documentary with first person glimpses into the Volt development/launch (as well as the launch of the Tesla Roadster and the development of the Nissan Leaf). GM branding seems to want to continue to imply that their electric vehicles are better than their "mainstream models"; showboating is marketing. GM has also said (per the link above) that they expect to have the first "mainstream" electric in the ways the car industry would define it (high volume, reasonable profits). GM isn't just now responding to "market demands" because they anticipated them years ago, and in some ways have been working to create those market demands that Mercedes and VW are just now feeling. VW, on the other hand, also is responding to the American polity. The US has graciously allowed VW to use the fines the EPA should have charged for "dieselgate" to instead go (and only go) to electric vehicle development.

lrei 9y ago

I have plenty of experience with Mercedes, Audi, volvo, jeep and BMW cars - driving, renting, test driving them or being the passanger. I would say Mercedes is at least 5 years behind the competition at approx same price point. Disclaimer: I'm obviously not qualified to talk about suspension technology, combustion engines etc. But tech (e.g pilot assist/autopilot), Driver interface features and multimedia, yeah Mercedes is very very very far behind.

sjwright 9y ago
Most car manufacturers are 5-10 years behind in terms of deep technology and software. In recent years a few manufacturers have done a passable job papering over their legacy interfaces with modern designs and faster GPUs, but they're still buggy junk behind the scenes. And if that weren't bad enough, most of it is – from the end user's perspective – abandonware.