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Reuters article: German automakers shift focus to high-end electric cars

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ecarfan

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/04/autoshow-geneva-audi-idUSL5N0W61Y120150304

This caught my eye, quote:
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In Geneva, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said one of the reasons electric cars had failed to gain traction was because they tended to be in the cheaper vehicle segments.
"As proven by Tesla, there can be a market at the other side of the range as well. If that is a possibility, we are investigating," Zetsche said, hinting the company's luxury Mercedes brand may be working on an electric limousine.
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Now that Mercedes S-class sales have been negatively impacted by the success of the Tesla Model S, Mercedes may be waking up.
 
Hm - someone coming to play on the Model S's own turf? (Assuming the Model S with executive rear seats qualifies as a luxury black-car i.e. limo)

Going upmarket certainly targets a segment that can afford multiple cars, so you don't have to be all things to all people right out of the gate.
 
At the other hand, who isn't eagerly awaiting Tesla to penetrate the mass-market EV segment? Ann don't forget that automakers like Renault (Zoe), Nissan and Mitsubishi (MiEV) are already catering to the sub-Tesla EV market. Daimler's mass-market attempt to bring an EV was formed by the Smart ForTwo. But that car loses money, regardless the type of propulsion.