Mercedes-Benz aims to sell 45,000 electric vehicles across the United States by 2023 as it seeks EVs for half of its U.S. sales by 2030.
Speaking at the carmaker’s national dealer meeting earlier this month, company executives said they expect to sell about 350,000 cars in the United States next year. This would roughly be consistent with the 357,729 vehicles sold locally in 2019, the last year the coronavirus epidemic sent shockwaves through the industry and affected sales.
A businessman present at the event Auto News Mercedes US marketing boss Drew Slaven says the carmaker’s national advertising focus will focus on electric vehicles and technology “almost exclusively” for the next two years.
“The purpose of the campaign is to say, ‘Tesla, you made a great run, but now you have to earn it,'” the dealer added.
Read more: Mercedes cutting dealer number, wants to go on sale directly
Of the company’s 383 dealerships across the United States, more than 300 have invested in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and equipment, ensuring they can sell and service EVs.
An electric vehicle attack is being planned for the US market. This year, Mercedes will launch the EQB, EQE and EQS SUVs. In 2023, the EQE SUV will also hit the market. EQ models will serve as the basis for a new marketing push from the car manufacturer.
While some companies are launching and selling new EVs directly under the sales model, Dimitris Psilakis, chief executive of Mercedes-Benz USA, has confirmed that the carmaker will not adopt such a strategy in the United States. This comes despite following the direct sales model in Germany and Europe
“In the US market, we are not making excessive deals,” Psillakis said. “We are well-organized in terms of network size and location [of the stores]. So at the moment we don’t have any white spots. ”
Psillakis acknowledged that there may be mergers and acquisitions of some dealerships across its network, noting that some large dealership groups may purchase smaller independent stores.
“This year, we can see more, because dealers don’t want to jump to this high level, or they don’t want to invest in EV futures,” he said. “And it could lead to one or another move from the network, or we might even see the integration of voluntary activities in some cities.”
