Industrie: Mercedes-Vorstand: „Gewinne der Verbrenner finanzieren Investitionen in Nachhaltigkeit“

Düsseldorf – Mercedes-Benz aims to align its sustainability strategy more closely with vehicle development, according to Olaf Schick, a member of the Mercedes-Benz Executive Board responsible for integrity, governance, and sustainability. Speaking with the Handelsblatt, Schick stated that the company's vehicles represent the greatest leverage to accelerate decarbonization.

In his first year in office, Schick has sharpened and simplified the group's sustainability strategy. He intends to focus more on the car, forge more partnerships, invest more strategically, and streamline sustainability committees. Mercedes-Benz has been grappling with declining profits and sales figures, exacerbated by a challenging situation in China's key automotive market.

Currently, the company is intensifying its cost-cutting program, particularly in Germany. Schick emphasized, "We can and will afford sustainability even in these times," but added that "we must strike the right balance between sustainability and economic success."

Innovations and decarbonization rely on the company's financial strength. Schick noted, "The profits from internal combustion engines are financing our investments in sustainability." Mercedes is significantly expanding its lineup of electric vehicles, although this is putting additional pressure on margins as the company still earns less from EVs due to high battery costs. Full parity in margins between electric and internal combustion engine vehicles is expected at the end of the decade.