Tesla has had a relatively open playing field for the past few years as legacy car manufacturers haven’t been rolling out or even hyping up all-electric cars. However, as the company prepares to start producing the Model 3 which is its first mass-market electric car, suddenly the conventional car manufacturers seem very interested in all-electric cars. A new report suggests that Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler is interested in launching “at least” six electric cars.
Reuters reports that Daimler is working on at least six electric cars and it may end up introducing as many as nine. It’s not immediately clear how many of these models will be sedans and crossovers like the Tesla Model X.
If previous reports are believed, at least two sedans and two SUVs will be launched under the Mercedes-Benz brand. Some reports also claim that Daimler is going to focus on all-electric SUVs are crossovers.
The new report also claims that the group is going to launch a plug-in hybrid SUV as well which will run on a hydrogen fuel cell when its 30-mile all-electric range is consumed. On paper, this will give owners the advantage of a car that runs on fuel but without the impact of running a car on gas.
It may take a while for Daimler’s green vehicles to arrive. The report suggests that these models will start arriving between 2018 and 2024. Tesla is expected to start production on the Model 3 next year with some deliveries also scheduled for 2017.
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