Daimler Could Choose a New Brand Name for Its Electric Car Range

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All these names and the connections between them can get a little confusing sometimes, but we guess everybody knows what Daimler stands for and what its relation to Mercedes-Benz is.

In recent weeks, talks of the first-ever Mercedes-Benz electric car that would be developed as such from the ground up have gained pace, all pointing toward a preview of this vehicle at the Paris Motor Show in October. Needless to say, this new car - which will have the appearance of an SUV - will be the first of many, so we can expect a whole family of EVs wearing the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star logo.

Or can we? An unnamed source told German publication Handelsblatt that parent company Daimler might choose to create a completely new brand under which to market its new fleet of all-electric vehicles. The media outlet attempted to obtain a reaction from Daimler, but - predictably - the company refused to comment. Which is almost as good as confirming the rumors.

Handelsblatt also claims that a decision might be reached on July 20 when Daimler's non-executive supervisory board is to hold a meeting. Whether the announcement will be made then or closer to the Paris reveal, though, remains to be seen.

But the real question here is whether this would be a beneficial move for Daimler. The German company is probably not yet entirely sold on the fact that electricity holds the key to the future, so it would rather keep its core brand - Mercedes-Benz - out of it for the moment. In case it all goes south, the heavy resonance name will not be directly associated with the failure, allowing it to emerge unscathed from the possible fiasco.

At the same time, should everything go well, merging the two brands - the new, still unnamed one and Mercedes-Benz - would be a simple affair. It could be argued that the new electric cars would benefit from having the Mercedes-Benz logo strapped on their nose, but you can rest assured that even though they might sell under a diff erent name, Daimler will make sure everybody knows they have Mercedes-Benz backing. Besides, it's rumored that the EVs will also reflect the sister brand's design, so even on a visual level, they'll clearly show their common roots.

Whatever the case, Mercedes-Benz Daimler seems determined to take the fight to Tesla, something that other traditional manufacturers have also announced lately, one way or another, with Volkswagen being the most prestigious (or should we say "infamous") of them.

Source: Daimler Could Choose a New Brand Name for Its Electric Car Range