German Automakers Plan an EV-Measuring Contest, While Mercedes-Benz Goes Looking for a Name

Forget the American displacement wars of the 1960s (and to a lesser degree, the 1990s). On the other side of the Atlantic, it’s all about who has the biggest all-electric lineup.

Volkswagen, hoping to wash its hands of diesel residue, announced three modular vehicle platforms that could spawn 30 electric vehicles across the company’s brand portfolio. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz wants a whole new sub-brand for its looming crop of EVs.

Volkswagen fleshed out its long-term “Strategy 2025” plan during a seminar in Michigan on Wednesday. According to Automotive News, the company wants three versatile platforms to underpin all future EV models.

Matthias Erb, the automaker’s chief engineering officer for North America, said each modular platform will feature different wheelbases and track widths. This means Volkswagen Group will be able to slot an EV anywhere it wants in a brand’s lineup.

Is there demand for such vehicles? That’s hard to gauge. Price and battery range are the biggest factors, but current and future regulations play a role. Still, under the U.S. diesel scandal settlement, VW must spend $2 billion on zero emission vehicle development. So, this is happening, regardless of demand.

In January, the automaker unveiled its Budd-e electric van concept at the Consumer Electronics Show. That vehicle rode atop one of the new platforms, and boasts 233 miles of range on the EPA cycle.

Over at Mercedes-Benz, executives are busy mulling new brand names. Sources familiar with the automaker’s plans tell Bloomberg that four all-new EVs — two SUVs and two sedans — will be sold under a new electric sub-brand. You can bet there’ll be an “e” in the name once the company makes up its mind.

The first vehicle should appear at this fall’s Paris Motor Show. While rival VW no doubt has plans for a plebian electric, Mercedes-Benz plans to chase the high-end of the market. That means it wants to take Tesla down a peg. (The American electric car builder dominates luxury vehicle sales in western Europe, especially in the high-tax Nordic countries.)

Bloomberg’s sources claim that the new sub-brand will be in place, and its vehicles on sale, before the end of the decade.

[Image: Daimler AG]