EV/Lithium, page-833

....let that sink in: Mercedes is investing more in combustion engine and hybrids as its EV sales has gone backwards.

....and their commitment for 100% of sales to be all-electric by 2030 is only applicable "where market conditions allowed",
Obviously market conditions have not allowed.

....I think the EV transition will take longer than many have assumed.

....arguably it is not that Western auto makers are not playing their part to promote EVs, it is just that the market does not seem ready and we can only expect them to make decisions based on their commercial self interest.
Mercedes-Benz Electric Car Sales Decreased 25% In Q2 2024
Story by Mark Kane
• 11h •
The company says that the EV adoption rate slowed down.

Mercedes-Benz Cars reports 496,700 global passenger car sales during the second quarter of 2024, 4% less than a year ago and it was the fourth consecutive negative quarter.

Unfortunately for the German brand, its all-electric car sales decreased even faster. In Q2, all-electric car sales of Mercedes-Benz and Smart, an electric-only brand, amounted to roughly 45,800 and were lower by 25% than a year earlier. It decreased the EV share to 9.2% from almost 12% in Q2 2023.


The company explained, "The pace of EV adoption eased in important markets as the company focused on healthy growth in a market environment characterized by heavy discounting." In other words, the demand is insufficient to maintain the previous sales volume without rebates.

The preliminary data indicate that Mercedes-Benz Cars sold a total of 90,000 plug-in passenger cars in Q2, down 6% year-over-year. Interestingly, its plug-in hybrid car sales improved by about 27% to 44,200.

Mercedes-Benz Cars global plug-in car sales in Q2'2024 (YOY change):

• BEVs: 45,800 (down 25%) and 9.2% market share
• PHEVs: 44,200 (up 27%) and 8.9% market share
• Total: 90,000 (down 6%) and 18.1% market share

Mercedes-Benz Cars BEV Sales – Q2 2024



Mercedes-Benz Cars BEV Sales – Q2 2024© Provided by InsideEVs Global

In the first half of the year, the total all-electric car sales decreased by 17% year-over-year to roughly 93,400 units. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrid car sales increased by 16% reaching nearly 87,000.

Mercedes-Benz Cars global plug-in car sales in Q1-Q2'2024 (YOY change):

• BEVs: 93,400 (down 17%) and 9.7% market share
• PHEVs: 86,900 (up 16%) and 9.1% market share
• Total: 180,100 (down 4%) and 18.8% market share

For reference, in 2023, Mercedes-Benz Cars sold more than 240,000 all-electric cars, including over 222,000 Mercedes-Benz (43,202 in the U.S.) and over 18,000 Smarts.


Mercedes-Benz Cars BEV Sales – Q2 2024© Provided by InsideEVs Global

Mercedes-Benz spending more than previously planned on combustion engines - Wiwo

By Reuters
June 27, 20247:44 PM GMT+10Updated 16 days ago

BERLIN, June 27 (Reuters) - Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE), is investing more than previously planned in combustion engine technology, including 14 billion euros ($15 billion) this year on its passenger cars, its chief executive told German publication Wirtschaftswoche.

The premium carmaker was investing in factories and in research and development, reworking the drive train of its hybrid cars so that it "lasts well into the next decade", Ola Kaellenius said in comments published on Thursday.


It had also spent "much more" than it usually would on a facelift of the combustion engine version of its flagship S-Class, due to hit the market in mid-2026.

"Our engines will always be at the very highest technological level. Otherwise, we would suddenly stall our combustion engine business in 2027/28," he added.

Kaellenius' comments come after the executive told investors in February that the company would keep sprucing up combustion engine models amid slower demand for electric cars.


The carmaker had long said it was preparing for 100% of sales to be all-electric by 2030 "where market conditions allowed", but Kaellenius said earlier this year the company now expected just 50% of sales to be electrified vehicles, including hybrids, by the end of the decade.