The need for individual mobility will remain.
People want and need cars to maintain their freedom
to move independently.
But they need to do it sustainably.
It’s our company’s job to help them do so – and we will.
Mercedes-Benz has become an iconic brand by leading change –
not by resisting it.
And we will be on the forefront again
when it comes to carbon-neutral mobility.
And make no mistake:
This is the biggest transformation of the industry
since Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler
invented the car 135 years ago.
Our founding fathers, they gave humanity a gift.
This gift is self-determined, individual freedom.
That gift has changed the world
and this is as relevant today
as it was back then when this revolution started.
Sustainability is not a goal that can be achieved quickly,
but an ongoing process.
Here we are on the right track
and have defined the action fields
that are most important for us at this time.
The whole society is changing,
so there are external factors like policies and regulations
that are impacting us.
One of our most important concerns
is the reduction of CO₂ emissions.
We are fully committed
to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement
and defined a roadmap to get there
at an early stage with our Ambition2039.
Luxury ties together our values and virtues.
It’s who we are.
And in the future this will mean:
building the most desirable,
sustainable cars in the world.
Innovation is in the DNA of this company.
Our founding fathers, they were pioneers.
They were not looking at how could we improve the status quo,
they were thinking: “How do we change the status quo?”
and actually changed the world with the invention of the car.
That pioneering spirit, that DNA
is very much in us today.
So, thousands and thousands of engineers
are looking at what’s next.
What’s the next frontier?
Can we make the impossible possible?
As a company, we are doing everything we can
to consistently and quickly reduce our carbon footprint.
We are working
on offering our customers a CO₂-neutral new car fleet
in less than 20 years from now.
By 2030, we want electrically powered cars –
including all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles –
to account for more than half of our sales.
At the end of 2020,
there were more than 20 different model variants
with alternative drive trains to choose from.
This is another reason
why we have achieved the CO₂ targets
in the European Union in 2020.
And we will achieve them in 2021 as well. No excuses.
Sustainability is not an option.
Sustainability is a “must”.
As essential as climate protection is,
sustainability is about more than just climate protection.
Sustainability is quite literally about “the ability to sustain”.
That’s why the Mercedes-Benz approach is holistic:
from decarbonising mobility
to preserving resources
to protecting human rights.
It is my commitment
to drive the transformation that we need for this holistic perspective.
We call this transformation “Spurwechsel”,
the German word for “changing lanes”.
On the technical side, we are making huge progress.
The charging infrastructure is growing rapidly.
We are not just decarbonising our products,
but also their production.
From 2022, our worldwide car and van production
will be carbon-neutral.
With our new Factory 56,
we’re showing what that production looks like.
When it comes to CO₂ neutrality,
we’re also looking at our entire value chain.
We are convinced
that if we want to make a difference for our planet,
we need to work hand in hand with our partners.
As of today, the suppliers accounting for more than ¾
of our annual purchasing value have already agreed
to supply us with CO₂-neutral products
by 2039 at the latest.
This message is important to me:
We stand by the existing CO₂ targets.
For future vehicle architectures that means: electric first!
We will electrify
the entire Mercedes-Benz Cars & Vans portfolio.
We are also involved in inter-company initiatives
which aim for CO₂ neutrality
earlier than the Paris Agreement demands.
We strongly believe that together
we can master this transformation.
Going CO₂ neutral is not just our responsibility,
it is our commitment.
In fact, it is at the heart of our business plan.
I can tell all of my colleagues take great pride in Mercedes-Benz –
and that holds true worldwide.
You like to think of yourself as working for the inventor
of the car and the truck, as a custodian of our great brand.
Each one of us is another torchbearer
in the long history of our company.
And this mindset helps us
to build the most desirable cars in the world.
Our goal is clear:
We want to enter a new era,
sustainable high-end mobility for a sustainable world.