Markus Schäfer, Chief Technology Officer at Mercedes-Benz: "Early customers wanted to be different and show they were driving an electric car, but now they prefer not to."

On the road to electric cars, we've encountered everything. But above all , changes, many changes . Even in the perception of buyers : they've come to be described as rarities, luxury, whimsy, and even an unnecessary eccentricity . Markus Schäfer, Chief Technology Officer of Mercedes-Benz , knows a lot about this. In an interview with Australian media outlet Wich Car, he had this to say about the first electric cars sold by the star brand: "The first users wanted to be different . They wanted to show they were driving an electric car. But now we're entering widespread and massive adoption, and customers don't want to show they're driving an electric vehicle . They want the same shape, regardless of the propulsion system," said Schäfer.

This explains why all current Mercedes models end up looking similar, whether they're electric, hybrid, or combustion engines. Nowadays, the differentiation is determined by small details, but the design is ultimately similar. We're referring only to the external appearance , since the general consensus among the major brands is that, on the one hand, there's the platform for electric vehicles, and on the other, for hybrids and combustion engines. They must be different due to the different location of the batteries and fuel tank.

This is also the view at Mercedes-Benz , whose Chief Technology Officer stated: “In the future, the look will be the same. But the platform will be different . Why would we do this? Ultimately, we're making compromises by trying to squeeze different types of transmission onto the same platform . This ends up reducing the space for the batteries. They end up being smaller and not sufficient for good range. Incorporating both propulsion systems on the same platform would put us in a bind,” he summarized.

An approach that other brands such as Ford , Citroën, BMW, and Fiat have adopted, while others such as Volkswagen , Renault, and KIA have opted for differentiation. Who will be right in the end? The battle for electrification is still ongoing, and we won't know which approach is the right one until the end. But in the meantime, Mercedes will continue to produce combustion engines until they can no longer. Schäfer confirmed to the British outlet Autocar that they are ready for the Euro 7 standard and that Mercedes "will continue to offer V12 engines. I won't say more, but it will come ," he revealed.

The truth is that Markus Schäfer will not be at Mercedes to see it fulfilled, as he will retire on December 1st after 30 years with the brand with the star and will be replaced by Jörg Burzer: “With Markus Schäfer, we are saying goodbye to a highly esteemed colleague. As the architect of our technology strategy , he has been instrumental in driving the transformation of Mercedes-Benz. The current product offensive clearly bears his stamp,” said Martin Brudermüller, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Mercedes-Benz, in a press release .