Boss of the German brand Ola Kallenius gave a detailed interview to the Bild newspaper and answered the journalist’s question about what will happen to the Mercedes-Benz business in China in the event of a “threat of a military dictatorship to a democratic neighboring country” [Тайваню]. The top manager admitted that leaving the Middle Kingdom “would be unthinkable for almost the entire German industry.”
The Bild journalist reminded Ole Kallenius that Mercedes-Benz left Russia, but the top manager of the German brand made it clear that a similar scenario with regard to China is not considered even in the event of aggravation of political differences and tensions. According to Kallenius, the main players in the world economy – Europe, the United States and China – should not compete with each other, but cooperate for mutual benefit.
Ole Kallenius was also asked a question about the possible lag of the German car industry in the segment of electric vehicles. Although there is not a single model under the German brand in the top ten best-selling “battery” cars in the Chinese market, a top manager of Mercedes-Benz does not consider this a problem.
“In China, the electric vehicle segment is growing due to low-cost cars and city cars. More than 90 percent of sales come from electric cars worth less than 40,000 euros. We do not even compete in this segment,” Kallenius stressed.
However, Ola Kallenius acknowledged that “the industry is undergoing a century of transformation” and German automakers should roll up their sleeves if they do not want to lose their leading position in the world. The Mercedes-Benz boss called industry the basis of Germany’s prosperity: “We need reindustrialization, not deindustrialization,” Bild’s interlocutor emphasized.
2023-05-07 19:23:00
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