Mercedes May Deepen Ties With China On Future EVs

- Mercedes and Geely are reportedly in early talks to deepen ties.
- The German brand could tap Geely to cut costs and development times.
- Mercedes is already partnered with Geely for Smart’s current range of EVs.
Mercedes-Benz has a pair of very interesting new EVs in its line-up, namely the latest-generation CLA and GLC, but that doesn’t mean it’s not thinking even further into the future. According to a new report, the brand may look to deepen ties with China’s second-largest car manufacturer for its next generation of EVs.
Unnamed sources claim that Mercedes has had early-stage discussions with Geely about its future EVs. It’s possible these vehicles will feature componentry from the Chinese brand, which would no doubt help cut engineering costs and shorten development times.
Read: 2026 Mercedes CLA To Get A 2.0L Turbo Engine Built By China’s Geely
While Geely declined to comment on the report, a Mercedes spokesperson acknowledged that the firm “is continually reviewing ways to make research and development faster, better and more efficient — both in China and globally.” Importantly, the same spokesperson told Bloomberg that there are no discussions about Mercedes and Geely sharing platforms.
Germany Joins With China
This contrasts with what fellow German brand VW has done. It has partnered with Chinese brand Xpeng and is sharing architectures with the relatively young EV startup for some of its future EVs, including a new ID-badged sedan. Companies like Xpeng, as well as BYD, Geely, Chery, and others, have streaked ahead of many Western legacy automakers, developing more advanced batteries and electric motors.
Mercedes already has very strong ties with Geely and operates the Smart brand with its Chinese partner. Once exclusively a purveyor of small city cars, the Smart brand has been revitalized as an EV manufacturer with designs penned by Mercedes, while engineering and manufacturing are handled by Geely.
While Mercedes says it’s not interested in platform sharing with Geely, a recent report from China claims that the German company could develop its next-gen EV platform using Geely’s GEEA electronic and electrical architecture as its base. This report from 36Kr claims that the new platform has been dubbed ‘Phoenix’ and will be used for entry-level EVs sold worldwide, potentially launching as soon as 2030 as a replacement for the current MMA architecture.


















