MUNICH -- Mercedes-Benz has named the production sites in Germany, the U.S. and China that will build the automaker's new wave of full-electric cars that will challenge Tesla for leadership in sales of premium EVs.
Mercedes' full-electric vehicles will be built in the same factories as electrified and gasoline and diesel models. Plug-in hybrids and full-electric vehicles, should account for more than half of Mercedes' sales by 2030, the automaker said in a statement on Monday.
- The EQS, a rival to the Tesla Model S, will go into production in Sindelfingen, Germany, in first half of next year.
- The EQA compact SUV will be built in Beijing starting next year. Production of the SUV has already started in Rastatt, Germany.
- The EQB compact SUV will start production in Kecskemet, Hungary, and Beijing next year.
- The EQE will be produced in Bremen, Germany, and Beijing from next year. The EQC is already built in Bremen and Beijing.
- The EQS und EQE SUVs will be built in Vance, Alabama starting in 2022.
Mercedes will also produce battery systems for its EVs in Germany, Poland, Beijing and Vance.
