Germany’s luxury car major Mercedes Benz will be launching both its first hybrid and electric vehicles in Europe in 2010. This will be followed by the launch of fuel cell-powered cars in 2012.
These facts were disclosed by Rainer Schmueckle, COO, Mercedes Benz, at the SIAM annual convention 2008.
On whether these alternative fuel cars will be launched in India, a top executive of the company said these green vehicles will also be launched in India once the necessary infrastructure was in place.
The official also said that the testing of Jatropha-derived bio-diesel in India has been satisfactorily concluded and all Mercedes cars were biodiesel compatible.
Availability of biodiesel on a commercial scale was one of the major obstacles towards this fuel’s widespread use, he said.
On the prohibitive cost of green vehicles, Schmueckle said, “In the next decade, the price of these hybrid cars would cost as much as a conventional one as a result of increased volumes and production ramp up.”
The car major sold about 2,500 cars in India last year and hopes to sell about 3,000 this year. “India is an attractive market for us. The rising power of the middle class, infrastructure development and educated masses make this country an attractive place for us,” said Schmueckle.
