Ahead of its full Q4 report and 2023 sales breakdown, Mercedes-Benz USA has posted some of its sales numbers, which are encouraging overall, especially in the growing segment of BEVs, which saw nearly 250% growth year-over-year.
German automaker Mercedes-Benz remains one of the leaders amongst its legacy OEM competitors in electrification. The automaker has invested big bucks in eventually electrifying its entire global lineup while still delivering the luxury and performance the near century-old brand is known for.
We’ve seen the German automaker make enormous strides around the globe, including in the US, where its electric SUVs are currently being built. To support its growing arsenal of all-electric luxury vehicles, we’ve also seen Mercedes begin rolling out its own network of luxe charging stations – starting at its US headquarters near Atlanta before expanding to additional territories in Europe and China.
This week at CES, Mercedes-Benz’s booth in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center was all-EV, painting an exciting future of vehicles like the G-Class EV (despite its horrendous wrap job) and a concept CLA EV – amongst several adjacent technologies debuting like a new AI assistant in its MBUX.
With more and more offerings, Mercedes-Benz USA reports continued sales growth in 2023, while the rest of its vehicles merely hold steady.
Mercedes-Benz 2023 sales show encouraging EV growth
According to a post from Mercedes-Benz USA this morning, its overall sales for Q4 2023 were 90,014 vehicles – up 2% compared to Q2 2022. That total includes 17,701 units from Mercedes-Benz Vans; the rest were passenger cars.
For all of 2023, Mercedes-Benz USA is reporting 351,746 vehicles sold, up by only 0.2% compared to a year prior. Top-end and Can sales are up year-over-year, while Mercedes’ core vehicles are down 4%. While vehicle sales have held relatively steady overall, Mercedes brand EVs are touting the most growth.
For example, Mercedes USA sold 8,989 EQS SUVs in 2023, increasing 216% from last year and leading the automaker’s top-tier segment in growth. Mercedes states that EQE Sedan sales reached 1,195 units in the US in Q4 2023, increasing 211% compared to Q4 2022.
Overall, Mercedes-Benz USA sold 43,202 EVs in 2023, representing 248% sales growth year-over-year. EVs also represented 15% of all passenger vehicle sales in the US this year. Per Mercedes-Benz USA president and CEO Dimitris Psillakis:
Our 2023 sales results demonstrate another year of strong brand and volume growth for Mercedes-Benz USA. In partnership with the best dealer network in the country, we delivered on our future-forward strategy to significantly grow Top-End Vehicle (TEV) and Electric Vehicle (EV) sales—with EVs comprising 15% of total passenger car sales, and TEV and EVs accounting for nearly half of total sales for the year. We have and will continue to focus relentlessly on transforming both the digital and physical experience for our customers, whether revitalizing stores with our dealer partners or building world-class digital tools that underpin our award-winning product portfolio. And with the all-new E-Class, CLE, AMG GT, G-Class with Electric Technology, eSprinter and more arriving at dealerships in the months ahead, 2024 is poised for even greater success.
It will be interesting to see how Mercedes USA’s numbers compare to the rest of the German auto group’s sales and how this growth will look this time next year, especially as several other automakers dial back their electrification strategies.
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $1.2 billion in financing to replace Puerto Rico’s fossil fuel plants with solar and battery storage through 2032.
The DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced two conditional commitments and one loan closing to power producers in Puerto Rico. Each supports a project contracted with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. The announcements include:
The closing of a $584.5 million loan guarantee to subsidiaries of Convergent Energy to finance a 100 MW solar farm with a 55 MW (55 MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) in the municipality of Coamo and BESS installations in the municipalities of Caguas (25MW/100MWh), Peñuelas (100MW/400MWh), and Ponce (up to 100MW/400MWh)
A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $133.6 million to a subsidiary of Infinigen for a 32.1 MW solar farm with an integrated 14.45 MW (4.76 MWh) BESS, and a co-located standalone 50 MW (200 MWh) BESS expansion in the municipality of Yabucoa
A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $489.4 million to a subsidiary of Pattern Energy for three stand-alone BESS in the municipalities of Arecibo (50 MW/200 MWh), and Santa Isabel (50 MW /200 MWh and 80 MW/320 MW), and a 70 MW solar farm with an integrated BESS in the municipality of Arecibo.
If all are finalized, these projects would more than double LPO’s support for utility-scale solar generation and battery energy storage in Puerto Rico.
LPO provides low-cost financing and a rigorous due diligence process, making it a valuable resource for Puerto Rico as it works to rebuild an affordable, reliable, and clean energy system. As a result of reliance on imported fuel, the persistent threat of tropical storms, and underinvested infrastructure, Puerto Ricans today face average energy costs that are twice the US average – all while consuming only one-quarter of the energy of the US per capita.
LPO’s initial loan to a power producer in Puerto Rico, Project Marahu, closed in October 2024, and when complete will add more than 200 MW of solar and up to 285 MW of stand-alone energy storage to Puerto Rico’s grid.
Through its September 2023 partial loan guarantee to Project Hestia, LPO also supports virtual power plant (VPP)-ready rooftop solar and battery storage installations in Puerto Rico. As a nationwide project, Hestia’s sponsor is committed to at least 20% of installations under Project Hestia going to homeowners in Puerto Rico.
As part of its procurement plan, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority seeks to install 1,500 MW of battery storage and requires a minimum capacity of storage to be co-located with each utility-scale solar project. Energy storage systems currently online in Puerto Rico are being dispatched every day.
When including Marahu, LPO’s closed and conditionally committed financing supports over 100% of the capacity Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority aimed to procure under its initial request for energy storage project proposals, the first of six.
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Chevy just introduced new deals on the Equinox and Blazer EV models to make them even more affordable. With 0% interest and a new trade-in bonus, Chevy is offering over $5,000 in savings.
Chevy adds new Equinox and Blazer EV deals in January
Although the Chevy Equinox EV is already “the most affordable” EV in its class with over 315 miles range, it’s getting even cheaper.
Earlier this week, Chevy launched new deals on the 2024 Equinox and Blazer EV models. According to a note sent to dealers, viewed by CarsDirect, the electric SUVs are now available with 0% APR financing for 60 months. You can also choose from 0.9% AP for 72 months and 2.9% APR for 84 months.
This marks the best financing offer on Chevy’s newest EVs to date. The previous best rates were 0.9% APR for 60 months, 3.9% for 72 months, and 5.9% for the longer 84-month option.
On a 7-year $45,000 loan, online auto research firm CarsDirect estimates the new deals amount to around a $5,200 price cut. The lower APR rates are already offered on the Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup.
In addition, Chevy is offering a trade-in bonus of up to $3,000 on the Silverado EV and $1,000 on the electric Equinox and Blazer models. If you choose to lease, the bonus is cut in half: $1,500 for the Silverado and $500 for the electric SUVs.
Chevy’s new EV deals started on January 14 and run through March 3, 2025. The deals come as rivals like Hyundai and Ford recently launched new EV promotions.
On Thursday, Hyundai launched a new promo on the upgraded 2025 IONIQ 5, which includes monthly leases as low as $199 and a free ChargePoint home EV charger (or $400 charging credit). Meanwhile, Ford extended its “Power Promise” program earlier this month, which also includes a free home charger, among several other benefits.
The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV started at $41,900 with up to 315 miles range. Prices for the electric Chevy Blazer start at $43,690 with up to 279 miles range.
If you are ready to try out Chevy’s new electric SUVs for yourself, we’ve got you covered. You can use our links below to view offers on the Chevy Equinox, Silverado, and Blazer EV models near you.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss non-Tesla EVs getting Supercharger access, Cybertruck sales in the spotlight, Rivian getting some money from Biden, and more.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):
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