Taking careful approach towards EVs in India: Mercedes-Benz

"For our company at the global-level, we have quite a few cars lined up and by 2022 we will have 10 pure electric vehicles on the global scale", said Schwenk.

German luxury car-maker Mercedes-Benz India was taking a careful approach on the launch of electric vehicles in the country as the EV industry was still in its nascent stage, a top official of the company said on Thursday. 

"I think with electric vehicles, we will see some development. We are seeing some market announcements. Already, we have seen slow entries (in launch of electric vehicles)," Mercedes-Benz India Managing Director and CEO Martin Schwenk said here. 

Elaborating on the automobile-maker's plan to foray into the electric vehicle business, he said, "From infrastructure perspective, some works need to be done. From customer demand perspective, it is not really hot." Schwenk said, "For our company at the global-level, we have quite a few cars lined up and by 2022 we will have 10 pure electric vehicles on the global scale."

The company would also look at plug-in hybrids specifically for countries like India, he said. "Electric vehicle (in India) is in nascent status and I think a lot of learning will have to happen across the entire country. I mean from government, customers, OEMs (perspective). So, we are taking a careful approach into that but we will make some move in the future", he said. 

He said electric vehicle would have its space and Mercedes-Benz has not announced nor introduced anything for the Indian market. "Based on global portfolio and seeing how the market develops, we will make a call on how to implement. We do not feel we should rush in because we need to have right momentum to really get it on the road," he said. 

Schwenk and top company officials were here for the launch of luxury multi-purpose vehicle V-Class Elite priced at Rs 1.10 crore (ex-showroom India).