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More Talk on Mercedes-Benz's Tesla Model S Rival Surfaces

We told you a few days ago that Mercedes-Benz is quietly not denying the fact it's working on a car that would rival the current EV benchmark that is the Tesla Model S.
Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA 1 photo
Photo: Mercedes-Benz
In fact, a company official is said to have openly admitted to it during an informal conversation, so he's either right, or he's fired. Or maybe both.

During events like the Frankfurt Motor Show, a lot of employees can be found roaming around their company's stands, getting bored and looking for someone to talk to. This means they're more likely to let their guard down, so it's the perfect moment to attack.

Speaking to Automotive News, Dr. Thomas Weber, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development - so the right person to ask - confirmed once again the company is indeed working on an all-electric car capable of travelling 500 km (310 miles) on a single charge.

If that's not the definition for "Tesla rival", then we don't know what is.

Dr. Weber wasn't any more selfless with the future vehicle's details, but he did let a few adjectives slip. He used the words "unique," "emotional" and "different" to describe the company's planned EV, which is to say Mercedes-Benz is thinking of going the same route as BMW. This means they would have to come up with a separate EV division with a distinct personality from the regular cars.

Hoping that the Concept IAA is a preview for such a new branch could be considered wishful thinking, but it does fit Dr. Weber's description. Plus, it's somewhat similar to the F 015 Luxury in Motion concept, which was an EV itself.

We're just kicking in the dark here, and by the looks of it nobody will be switching the light on any time soon. The year 2018 is often spoken in relation to this project, but it's not clear exactly what will happen then: will we have the final product, will we get to see the concept, will get three more adjectives from Dr. Thomas Weber? Nobody knows.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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