(dpa) Mercedes-Benz is under intense competitive pressure in China. The Swabians want to rekindle interest in the German brand with new models.
Mercedes wants to regain a stronger foothold in China with more infotainment and new products. "We will present the most efficient and intelligent cars we have ever built," said the Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz, Ola Källenius, in Shanghai. He spoke of "supercomputers on wheels". China is the most important market for the Swabian company and important for technical innovations, said Källenius.
At his meeting with state and party leader Xi Jinping, he emphasized that China and Mercedes share a "deep friendship". Mercedes is also working with ByteDance, the company behind the social media app Tiktok, to integrate its artificial intelligence model into Mercedes cars in China, Källenius explained. On the eve of the motor show in Shanghai, Mercedes presented a long-wheelbase version of the CLA electric car model designed for the Chinese market with a range of more than 860 kilometers. With the Vision V, Mercedes also presented a version of a van that is not intended for sale.
