German production for Mercedes EQ

The first car from Mercedes-Benz’s all-electric EQ division will be built in the northern German city of Bremen, the company has confirmed.

Based around the Generation EQ concept car from the Paris motor show, the first production EQ battery-electric car will herald a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) onslaught from the German premium giant.

It won’t be the first all-electric Mercedes-Benz though, with the A- and B-Class badges already boasting electric power in Europe and an electric smart to be launched next month, but it will be the first in the EQ range.

“Emission-free automobiles are the future. I am pleased that for the series production of our first electric EQ model, we can count on one of our most important partners in the global production network: our colleagues from Bremen,” Daimler CEO Dr Dieter Zetsche said.

“The Bremen plant delivers a maximum of flexibility and high speed as well as Mercedes quality from the beginning, also for our electric models,” he said.

While Benz manufacturing its electric cars has been much rumoured, sources at Daimler suggested Mercedes-Benz timed its announcement to draw attention from resurgent Chinese-owned German brand Borgward, which also announced this week that it would build its electric cars in Bremen.

Mercedes-Benz has more than 12,000 employees and already builds 10 models at Bremen, including the C-Class and the GLC crossover. It also plans to build the GLC F-Cell fuel-cell production car there, too.

Benz’s first EQ will be on sale “before the end of the decade”, neatly coinciding with the 2020 introduction of tougher, tighter EU7 emissions regulations governing car company fleets.

The Generation EQ coupe-crossover made its debut in Paris with a claimed range of 500km without loss of practicality, acceleration, safety or functionality.

It will be the forerunner of 10 electric EQ models by 2025, Dr Zetsche insisted, all of which will be built in Benz’s existing manufacturing facilities, including its North American plants.

“In our production, we work intensely on the execution of our electric offensive,” Mercedes-Benz’s Divisional Board Member for production and supply chain management, Markus Schäfer, said.

“In this context, we assess the potential production of electric vehicles at all sites of Mercedes-Benz Cars. We have already started intensive preparations in Bremen.

“In general, our new production organization has become highly flexible, allowing us to quickly react in case of increasing customer demand," he said.

The EQ models will be assembled in Bremen, though the lithium-ion battery packs will be build by Daimler subsidiary Accumotive in Kamenz, Saxony.