The Daimler Group is a classic powerhouse of automobile innovation, but was slow to embrace e-mobility in earnest, according to CleanEnergyWire.

Spooked by the success of its former junior partner Tesla, Daimler announced a dramatic shift towards a carbon-neutral mobility future and set itself ambitious new sustainability targets in 2019. The company’s new CEO, however, was not ready to reveal the strategy’s details.

The group launched its first purpose-built electric car in 2019, the EQC, a large SUV. Before the EQC’s arrival, Daimler offered electric cars only as a modification of models originally developed for conventional combustion engines, a serious limitation when it comes to their interior design. In the same vein as VW, Daimler has developed now a new dedicated vehicle architecture for pure e-cars, on which the EQC is based.