Editor/Zhang Nan
Head of Design/Department
People have landed, Mercedes immediately.
Hello, Beijing. I'm back!
Ok, it's good to be back in China!
April 10 2 1:46, Mercedes-Benz Group (Ola K? Llenius) sent a circle of friends and took a selfie with a big photo. It was hard to hide his excitement in his tone.
This is Kang Song Lin's second visit to China in half a month. From March 25th to 27th, in order to attend the 2023 annual meeting of China Development Forum, he visited China again after three years.
As if to prove that he kept his promise, Kang Song Lin came back soon with most members of the board of directors of Mercedes-Benz Group. This time, he will stay in China for three weeks, during which one of the most important trips is the Shanghai Auto Show.
During the world's first A-class auto show in 2023, major brands have come up with the most advanced products and cutting-edge technologies, and Mercedes-Benz is no exception. On April 17, the night of Mercedes-Benz brand shone on Huangpu River, and four core brand electric vehicles appeared together, which opened a new chapter in the luxury electric lineup of Mercedes-Benz brand.
The new Mercedes-Maibakh EQS pure electric SUV was launched in the world, the new EQE pure electric SUV ushered in the first show in China, and the new Mercedes -AMG pure electric EQE 53 4MATIC+ appeared. The appearance of the all-brand electrification lineup not only enabled Mercedes-Benz to fully electrify its brand, but also further built the most abundant lineup of luxury new energy products in China market.
Then, in April of 18, Mercedes-Benz took part in the exhibition with 27 models, including Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz -EQ, Mercedes-Benz -AMG and G-class off-road vehicles, and wrote "Automobile Inventor" with 1 world premiere, 5 China premiere and 7 heavy new car lineups.
"I miss China very much. In the past three years, I have learned about the latest development of China market and industry through frequent video conferences. China is not only one of our largest and most important markets, but also crucial for us to formulate our future development strategy. " When interviewed after the auto show, Kang Song Lin said.
In order to continue studying and get more inspiration, Kang spent more time here. "The China market is full of competition. In the past, it was competition that made us strive to become stronger and better." In the largest market of Mercedes-Benz and one of the most important markets of Mercedes-Maibakh brand, Mercedes-Benz led by Kang is embracing competition.
"Draw inspiration from China and innovate for the world"
The automobile industry is undergoing profound changes.
Kang Song Lin believes that the current wave of change mainly focuses on three aspects: the first is technology, which should be decarbonized to minimize future dependence on fossil fuels. The rapid development of electric vehicles is an example; The second is digitalization. The whole industry is developing in the direction of digitalization and intelligent interconnection, and autonomous driving is one of the important technology research and development directions. Finally, the business model, the new trend of market development has brought new opportunities, so that all enterprises can provide better services to customers with a more efficient business model.
"The depth and breadth of changes in China's automobile industry are impressive, and the competition is becoming increasingly fierce. At the same time, global competition is also intensifying, but there are also opportunities for us. " Kang said to me.
In recent years, Mercedes-Benz is increasing investment and expanding the local scale of R&D to accelerate the development of electric drive and automotive software in China. Mercedes-Benz has the most comprehensive R&D network in China, and is committed to "drawing inspiration from global innovation in China", and constantly strengthening its global competitiveness through R&D and innovation in China.
After 202 1 Mercedes-Benz China R&D Technology Center was put into use in Beijing, the new Shanghai R&D Center officially opened last year, focusing on automotive software and digital transformation, and fully cooperating with Shanghai International Design Center to continuously optimize the user interface and digital experience. In the field of autonomous driving, Mercedes-Benz and Tencent cooperated in the field of cloud computing to support Mercedes-Benz to develop autonomous driving system in China.
Today, China has become the frontier base of global technological innovation of Mercedes-Benz.
"Before, our local R&D in China only adjusted and reformed the products made in the global market for the China market to meet the different needs of customers in China. Now, based on the demand of China market and customers, R&D Center has been inspired by China to innovate in China and even the world. It can be said that China R&D Center has been fully integrated into the global R&D network and has become a very important part. "
Kang Song Lin said that China R&D Center has been fully integrated into Mercedes-Benz global R&D network. Mercedes-Benz has given the R&D team more autonomy in China, and its development, design and innovation in China will also feed back the global market.
By the end of this year, the number of R&D teams in China is expected to reach 2,000, nearly double that in 2020. Numbers are not the most important. In the past few years, Mercedes-Benz has spared no effort to recruit high-quality R&D talents in China, involving software, technology, engineering and other fields.
On the basis of expanding the R&D team in China, Mercedes-Benz is also making friends. At this year's Shanghai Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz announced that it will cooperate with Apple Music in the China market and with Burmester? Surround stereo system combined with Dolby panoramic sound? (Dolby Atmos? ) provides an immersive listening experience for China users.
"China's innovation and technology are very important to us, and we are also communicating with many technology companies, hoping to apply the latest and best technology from China to our products. In addition to partners, I also exchanged and studied with friends in different fields. They gave me a deep understanding of the development speed of China. " When talking about the harvest of this trip to China, Kang said.
"Beyond Mercedes-Benz in Mercedes-Benz"
Public data display. In the first quarter of 2023, Mercedes-Benz delivered nearly 65,438+0.8/kloc-0.3 million new cars in China, achieving high-quality development of many business segments, and the matrix of high-end luxury products continued to grow, with a year-on-year increase of more than 20%; Among them, Mercedes-Maibakh brand increased by 265,438+0%, G-class off-road vehicle increased by 67%, and Mercedes -AMG brand increased by 65,438+05%, further consolidating Mercedes-Benz's position in the high-end luxury market segment. The delivery of new energy vehicles has steadily increased, achieving double-digit growth.
If there are no accidents, this year is expected to witness the production of the 5 millionth domestic Mercedes-Benz car, which will become another milestone in the localization development of Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz at its peak is accelerating the pace of transformation, which may also be the origin of brand night Mercedes-Benz's brand new slogan-"Beyond Mercedes-Benz in Mercedes-Benz".
At this year's auto show, the eighth member of the Mercedes -EQ family, a brand-new domestic EQE pure electric SUV, just rolled off the assembly line from Beijing Benz factory this month, was unveiled.
As the first luxury pure electric SUV based on EVA pure electric platform in China, the new EQE pure electric SUV not only sets a new benchmark in luxury, safety and high technology, but also builds a pure electric all-around vehicle that meets the needs of customers in China with many domestic exclusive configurations.
"The new EQE pure electric SUV is produced locally by Beijing Benz. It is a brand-new pure electric work with full strength, which is a new benchmark for comfort and intelligent experience. " Zhang Yan, senior executive vice president of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales & Service Co., Ltd. said.
In the plan, Mercedes-Benz will launch six pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in China, including the new EQS pure electric SUV and the new EQE pure electric SUV. By the end of 2023, Mercedes-Benz's new energy product matrix in China will reach 65,438+07 models, covering a rich luxury market segment, providing China customers with the richest choice of luxury new energy products.
In the more distant future, Mercedes-Benz's goal is to fully prepare for the realization of all-round pure electric vehicles by 2030 if market conditions permit. As the largest and most dynamic new energy vehicle market in the world, China plays a key role in the electrification transformation strategy of Mercedes-Benz.
"So far, we have made steady progress in the new energy vehicle market in China. Facing the future, we are full of confidence and our strategy and pace will keep pace with the times. According to the development demand of China market, we launched the first generation of electric vehicle products. Looking forward to 2025, 2028 and even the next decade, we will launch the second or even third generation products in China to meet the needs of customers. "
Kang firmly believes that the future automobile market will continue to develop in the direction of electrification and develop in parallel in depth and breadth. "Our electric vehicle products cover different market segments such as new generation luxury, core luxury and high-end luxury, which is also our future electrification development strategy."
At this auto show with the theme of "embracing the new era of automobile industry", Mercedes-Benz expressed the firm determination of the whole brand to deal with the electrification transformation. After leading the automobile industry for a hundred years, Mercedes-Benz is facing the new trend of the new era of the automobile industry, actively embracing the changes in the automobile industry and constantly leading the development of the luxury automobile market.
Accelerate "all-electric" and lead "technology-driven". It can be expected that the "customer first" Mercedes-Benz will present more products and services that China customers yearn for. In the next century, continue to lead.
This article was originally published by auto business review.
Reprint or content cooperation, please contact the instructions.
Illegal reprinting will be investigated.
This article is from auto business review, written by Yi Chehao, and the copyright belongs to the author. Please contact the author for any form of reprint. The content only represents the author's point of view and has nothing to do with the car reform.