No, Europe's car market won't "collapse". The companies which have spent the last 10-15 years planning & investing, and the next 10 years building & rolling out will make the transition and those that haven't will go to the wall.

In fairness to Mercedes they are making some effort. They do offer electric versions for most of their range but they also suck compared to the competition by price & performance. Probably because they're compromised by sharing a platform with ICE vehicles. This isn't the fault of the technology, it's the fault of Mercedes for drawing conclusions from their own bad decisions.

It is also Mercedes fault that they're not knuckling down and solving this issue. Mercedes had better pull its finger out. Or it could whine, spread FUD, or waste money on tangents like "synthetic" fuels. If it chooses the latter, it WILL go bust and have to be bailed out by a competitor.

Reality is that we don't have much oil here in Europe it makes no sense to use a ressource we don't have

a car brand often driven by douchebags, has a douche as a ceo, makes sense the target audience.

I guess we'll just buy chinese cars, then.

I think translated from CEO-speak, that means, "Chinese EV manufacturers are currently eating our lunch and dinner with their superior hardware and software and bundling and pricing and we need more than 10 years to get our act together."

This has nothing to do with "Europe's car market." It's all about the market share of European manufacturers. I love them to be strong and healthy, but not at the expense of the planet. Get your act together, you've wasted enough time already.

If you dont want to change then die slowly. Others will take your place

The European car market won't collapse, people will just switch to Chinese EVs who are cheaper to buy and run and have better options. I think this CEO just overestimates the value and brand appeal of his company. Especially young people associate Mercedes with an old people car.

The current Mercedes leadership is notoriously incompetent. They'd rather dig their own grave than get with the times. Funny that they are trying to cling to the combustion engine now right after they lost the Chinese EV market.

The "reality" is the problems with combustion engines and burning fossil fuels has been known, definitively, for 50 years or so, and these people, instead of planning for the future, ensured its destruction instead.

The reality check is that we need to be banning cars more than transitioning to electric ones. Build better infrastructure.

Reality check: You're addicted to oil and it's going to kill you. Give in to the cravings there is no escape. It's not all bad, we'll take care of you. You could have a shiny new S-Class that can go 300km/h. Who could blame you for wanting that? If we don't keep manufacturing cars as quickly as possible the whole economy might collapse. Give us another twenty years to find the solution, it will be fine.

We need a reality check

When you are used to define what 'reality' is.... 😅

What's the matter, big boy, can't compete in the free market? Is your job too hard? Do you need more subsidies? Yeah? Tariffs on Chinese cars? Shall the politicians come over and fuck your wife as well?

In any sane economy, this CEO would be terminated immediately for endangering the company.

Delaying he switch to full EV production is actively hurting the required transformation process they should have started 10 years ago. Further delays will just make the impact so much worse, but that's of no concern to the current shareholders, apparently.

IMO he should "get on a bike". Literally. I keep walking...

I want cars with combustion engines to hit that wall.

I don't know what the law says, but prohibiting circulation of CO2 cars in 10 years is excessive, it would cause a crisis where people stop buying cars that are still being produced and no one would buy those used cars. Prohibiting the selling of new CO2 emitting cars in 10 years seems like a very good thing, and gives plenty of time for the industry to adapt.

As silly as horse cars demanding a reality check when confronted with the rise of electric streetcars

Mercedes CEO shouting from the ivory tower. They're cooked.

We should really start emphasising that there is no blanket ban on combustion engines planned but an emissions ban. If the car manufacturers wanted to and found it feasible, they're free to build emission free combustion engines. Every time they call it a combustion engine ban is an admission that they can't or at least won't build better engines.

It must be difficult for them to always hire a CEO with the name Mercedes.

slam.