Daimler delays launch of electric cars – report

Daimler’s ambitious e-mobility plans are in trouble, according to the business daily Handelsblatt. The maker of Mercedes cars has postponed the launch of its electric sub-brand “EQ” citing technical problems and battery-related bottlenecks, write Markus Fasse, Franz Hubik, and Martin Murphy in an unsourced three-page report. Sales of the “EQC” SUV model will not start before June 2019, a few months later than planned. The electrification of Mercedes’ top-of-the-range “S Class” will also take longer than expected, according to the report. However, the carmaker told Reuters newswire that the planned launches were on schedule.
Spiegel magazine reported on 1 June that German transport minister Andreas Scheuer has threatened to fine Daimler 3.75 billion euros over the diesel emissions scandal after a regulator found illegal software in one of its models. 

Find the article in German here, and the Reuters articles in English here and here.

For background, read the factsheet Reluctant Daimler plans “radical” push into new mobility world and the dossier BMW, Daimler, and VW vow to fight in green transport revolution.