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Daimler CEO says nobody is making money on EVs right now

What do you charge for a vehicle you're going to lose money on? If you're Mercedes-Benz and the vehicle in question is the B-Class Electric Drive, you offer it for lease for just 399 euros ($498) a month with a down payment of 8,473 euros ($10,582). If Daimler was going to price it honestly, it seems, the number would have to be a lot higher. "Nobody today is making a battery-powered vehicle that's economically viable." – Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche That's according to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who spoke to reporters in Spain recently and said that, "You can reasonably say that nobody today is making a battery-powered vehicle that's economically viable in its own right. Manufacturers will not see a return within a reasonable time on the billions they're investing now." There are ways to make money in EVs, of course. Just ask Daimler, which recently sold its stake in Tesla for a cool $780 million. Zetsche has some EV-critical company in executives like Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, who has said his company loses over $10,000 on each Fiat 500E it sells. Other automakers – e.g., Tesla, Nissan – are much more positive about their financial bet on EVs, but no one is opening all their books to the public to prove this. Tesla, which worked with Mercedes on the B-Class ED, will have an earnings call with investors later today, so perhaps we'll learn something new in a few hours. The B-Class ED lease deal is for 36 months, based on an MSRP of 39,151 euros ($48,895) in Europe, including the 19 percent VAT. You can read more in the press release below. Commercial release of Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive: Local emission-free driving from ˆ399/month Stuttgart, Nov 03, 2014 With its high-torque electric motor, the B-Class Electric Drive delivers lively and superior driving pleasure – with zero local emissions. The B-Class Electric Drive is now available to order, with deliveries set to start before the end of 2014. Prices start at ˆ39,151[1]. The B-Class Electric Drive can be leased through the Mercedes-Benz Bank from ˆ399 a month[2]. Further information on the full range of tailor-made leasing and financing offers as well as specific pricing examples are available at http://www.mercedes-benz-bank.de. Quiet and local emission-free driving is ensured by a 132 kW electric motor, which, as is typical of an electric drive, delivers its maximum torque of 340 Nm right from the start. The result is noticeably powerful acceleration from rest.

Mercedes leads in US luxury car thefts

Mercedes-Benz makes some fine automobiles. The Silver Arrow'd cars are so good, apparently, that thieves can't help but try to steal them. The German brand is at the top of the charts for luxury car thefts in the US, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, with New York City leading the way. (And those New Yorkers complain about Detroit being bad!)
The C-Class was the most stolen model, with 485 ganked between 2009 and 2012 in NYC alone, while the E-Class and S-Class (which also boasted the worst recovery rate, at 59 percent) both finished in the top ten. Following the C-Class was the BMW 3 Series and Infiniti G. Not surprisingly, each of these were the most common models in their respective lineups. Los Angeles and Miami are also prime hotspots for luxury car thefts, according to the Detroit News report.
While getting your car stolen is pretty awful, there was one inspiring statistic compiled by the NICB - the average recovery rate across the board was 84 percent, with the Cadillac CTS getting recovered 91 percent of the time.

Car2go introduces four-seat Mercedes B-Class vehicles

Easily identified by its huge fleet of blue-and-white Smart Fortwos in cities around the world, Daimler's Car2go car sharing service is growing in Canada – both in the number of vehicles and the doors that they have. For the first time in North America, the company is renting a model with a usable backseat thanks to a new pilot program bringing 75 examples of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class to Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. The point of adding these hatchbacks to the ranks is to offer an option for those seeking more than the paltry room that the ForTwo offers. Car2Go imagines people using the B-Class to haul extra people in the back or just for the added cargo space. The vehicles wear the same blue-and-white look as the rest of the fleet, but they're specially identified for users in the smartphone app. Best of all, for this pilot program, their rental cost is the same 41 cents per minute as the tinier Smarts. The car sharing service has already started testing the waters of offering the B-Class in Germany. Its Car2Go Black pilot program was announced last year and placed 100 of the hatchbacks in both Berlin and Hamburg. car2go Just Got A Lot More Spacious Carsharing Leader Introduces Four-Door Vehicles For The First Time In North America AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 28, 2015 /CNW/ -- car2go N.A., LLC, the market leader for one-way carsharing in Canada, announced today that car2go will be introducing 75 four-door vehicles to its fleet in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. The pilot program, which officially launches today, provides over 300,000 car2go members in Canada exclusive access to the Mercedes B-Class vehicle, a roomy, versatile alternative to car2go's signature smart fortwo vehicle. The new four-door vehicles are also equipped with the latest car2go technology, allowing members the ability to control their entire car2go experience seamlessly through the official car2go smartphone app. car2go will be introducing 75 four-door vehicles to its fleet in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. CLICK TO TWEET: car2go introduces Mercedes vehicles in Canadian markets for the first time http://c2g.cc/Gdscbf "As our members embark on new life chapters – whether moving to a new residence or growing their family – we want to continue providing an affordable and convenient transportation option that allows them to go wherever life takes them," said Paul DeLong, President and CEO of car2go N.A.