Why Mercedes-Benz's Petrol-Loving CEO Sees EVs as the Future
As a known lover of Formula 1, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius is no stranger to petrol-powered vehicles.
Alongside his love for motorsports, he has overseen the release of petrol-fulled vehicles including a new model of the GLC, E-Class (W124) and C-Class (W206/SC06).
However, since Ola became Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO in 2019, the company has aggressively expanded its EV portfolio under the Mercedes-EQ brand, shifting from a strategy of launching electric-first vehicles to an ambition of up to 50% electrified sales by 2030.
Speaking in an interview with ABC News, released on 20 January, the CEO said: “I used to work at AMG, I am a petrol head, I love the V8, I was in Formula 1. Nobody needs to convince me about the passion for motorsports and what it’s all about.
“But the last few years, I have been driving electric vehicles and the power performance, but also the quietness of those vehicles, is unbelievable.”
He acknowledges the idea that EVs seem like EVs by adding: “For the hardcore performance fans, we’re going to launch next year a whole new high-performance, electric AMG car. That will blow your mind.
“And if you want it to sound like a V8, you can do that too.”
A challenging EV environment
The EV market in the US has been widely reported throughout 2025 to be a challenging environment for automakers due to slowing customer demand, high production costs and the elimination of federal incentives.
These headwinds are expected to continue into 2026 as manufacturers continue to navigate the shift beyond early adopters to the mass market.
Federal tax credits for EVs, US$7,500 for new EVs and US$4,000 credit for used EVs, were stripped at the end of September 2025, removing a major purchasing incentive.
When asked about this and how the company’s EV strategy has changed since the launch of the EQS, Mercedes-Benz’ flagship luxury electric car, Ola said: “Ultimately, all markets will have to find a new equilibrium. The transformation toward zero emissions is not something that happens in a few years.
“We sell cars in more than 150 countries around the world. To expect that transformation to be a straight line where everything happens at the same pace, that is unrealistic.”
Ola acknowledges that all EV makers are inevitably in competition with one another, but the overall goal of net zero is shared. “In my prediction, for the next 10 plus, maybe 15 [years] or even longer,” he said, “we’re going to have different swim lanes.
“We are car companies, we will serve those swim lanes. But the destination we’re ultimately going toward is zero emissions. That I am convinced about.”
All-electric strategy at Mercedes-Benz
Alongside its ambition of 50% electrified sales in 2030, a core element of Mercedes’ sustainable business strategy is Ambition 2039.
The company says that the strategy that started in 2019 is a “holistic approach to climate protection and air pollution control”.
This ambition means the firm wants to make its entire fleet of new vehicles net carbon-neutral along the entire value chain and over the vehicles’ entire lifecycle by 2039, achieved through electrification of the fleet.
Other key factors include the use of renewable energy sources for charging the vehicles, the decarbonisation of the supply chain and the use of renewable energies in production.
While manufacturers can take the lead on driving this transition, Ola also concluded that customers will have a significant influence in the future direction of electrification.
“You have a choice, you are the customer,” he said. “So we’re not going to mandate what you like. You decide what you like and we deliver.”
