Mercedes-Benz EQC prototype testing in Black Forest
He said that he did not consider any of Tesla's three current models as a direct competitor to the EQC, which was Mercedes' first launch as SUVs have found favour with customers in recent years, with their growth outpacing other auto types.
"There is no alternative to betting on electric cars, and we're going all in", Zetsche said.
When Mercedes do bring the EQC to Australia, they will be up against other electric SUVs, particularly the Jaguar I-Pace which will be available in Australia from November this year.
Mercedes has shown how it is aggressively aiming for the top spot in the upscale battery cars market, now dominated by Tesla, as it unveiled its first fully electric vehicle at an event in Stockholm.
Goldman analyst David Tamberrino sees Tesla's stock falling to $210 in six months.
The EQC is set for global release around the middle of 2019, and although local timing has yet to be finalised, Mercedes Benz South Africa is aiming to introduce it in the fourth quarter of that year.
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The market for upscale electric cars is Tesla's to lose, with sales of its entry-level Model 3 sedan expected to reach about 50,000 cars this year and nearly double that in 2019.
With the EQC reportedly due to hit Australian shores in late 2019, that would mean the German carmaker could possibly give Tesla a run for their money here also - considering that in Norway, Mercedes have apparently already received 2,000 reservation orders before having even released pricing. To underscore the shift, Mercedes will spend €1-billion on battery production to create a network of eight facilities globally. Mercedes unveiled the EQC on the sidelines of the me Convention in Sweden, an event it co-sponsors with South by Southwest that is billed as "a tour of the future through the lens of tech, art and design".
Competition will be particularly fierce in the SUV and crossover categories.
When the EQC 400 4Matic finally does roll off the production line, you can expect a top speed of 180km/h (around 110mph), a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time of 5.1 seconds and a range, Mercedes claims, of over 450km (280 miles).
Audi on Monday began production of its e-Tron SUV ahead of a September 17 sales launch jamboree in San Francisco, just 40 miles from Tesla's Fremont assembly plant. The Model X has a range of 237 miles. Some countries like the United Kingdom and France are even planning to ban combustion engines in coming decades. But Daimler has no plan to consider investing again in the company. "That's a very good starting point".
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