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German luxury carmaker Daimler has said it will stop the development of a new generation of internal combustion engines and shift its focus to electric drive systems, according to recent media reports. The report caused heated discussion in the media and spread the view that if it gives up the research and development of the internal combustion engine, which occupies a dominant position in the powertrain, it may eventually perish.

Daimler officials responded quickly: no decision was made to withdraw from the development of internal combustion engines. The new generation of "FAME" modular fuel engines is made up of innovative diesel and oil engines. This generation of engines is in the initial stage of application, and this generation of engine models will continue to expand through technological innovation.

Daimler also said in its announcement that it is willing to build a completely carbon-neutral new product camp for passenger cars by 2039, but it will continue to adjust the product camp over the next 20 years. The goal is to sell more than half of all hybrid cars and pure electric cars by 2030, when nearly 50% of models will be equipped with partially electrified fuel-fired electric vehicles.

In addition, Daimler insists on promoting three-tube engine strategies, including fuel engines with 48-volt smart motor technology, tailor-made plug-in hybrids and pure electric models equipped with batteries or fuel cell batteries.

Although "stopping the research and development of internal combustion engines" is a pure rumor, at present, France, Norway, the Netherlands and other European countries have announced a "ban schedule" for fuel vehicles, and even the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of our country has made a timetable for banning fuel vehicles earlier. Therefore, although Daimler will not stop the research and development of internal combustion engines, the development of policies, markets and new energy technologies have also prompted Daimler to enter the new energy vehicle market on a large scale.

At this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, Kang Songlin, chairman of Daimler's board and president of Mercedes-Benz, said that sustainable development and electric car travel are the future development direction of luxury car brands.

Daimler also announced plans to offer electric versions of Mercedes-Benz and Smart models by 2022. It is understood that in September 2018, Mercedes-Benz launched the first pure electric SUV model EQC, which carries a comprehensive maximum power of 300kW, with a range of 415km. At the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz also showed EQV, EQS and EQB models.

In addition, as a competitor in the luxury car field, Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler, the R & D director of Audi Automotive Co., Ltd. also expressed his view in an interview: Audi's electrification process does not conflict with current fuel vehicle research and development, and in terms of future trends, Audi will gradually increase its research and development in electric vehicles, but it does not mean the end of fuel engines, because fuel vehicles will continue to be sold for at least the next decade.

Although the development of new energy vehicles may be the development direction of cars in the future, for Mercedes-Benz, which comes from the internal combustion engine, it is obviously not a good idea to abandon the internal combustion engine directly when the electric vehicle is not yet mature.

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