Mercedes-Benz is set to keep building petrol cars as they claim the market is not ready for a 100 percent electric switchover.
Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius claimed there would still be the “choice of both” for consumers.
The German marque has pledged to continue backing “high-tech electrified” combustion models alongside their electric car production.
Speaking to Autocar, he said: “If you don’t believe that the market is 100 percent electric at that point, you have to have the choice for both.
“You need to offer the electric and the high-tech electrified ICE version without compromise.”
Mr Källenius has even promised Mercedes will build their petrol and diesel models separately from their EV machines.
It could be possible to convert electric carts into ICE machines later down the line, cutting back on the production needs of combustion models.
However, Mercedes warned they would not be doing this, suggesting the move to a 100 percent electric car model is still a long time away.
Ola added: “The packaging advantages on the electric one are so obvious. If you put a combustion engine car into an electric car, you sacrifice space that you wouldn’t want to.
“Then, we’ve worked for 100 years plus in perfecting the combustion car.”
It’s not the first major carmaker to question the future of EVs after concern sales are slowing.
Earlier this year, Aston Martin boss Lawrence Stroll said they would “pull back” and keep producing combustion cars due to a “lack of consumer demand” for EVs.
He said: “Obviously, [legislation] was premature. We don’t have the charging abilities put in place to deliver the initial time expectations, nor the demand.
“So you know, politically, you cannot drive consumer demand. Let me put it like that.”
It comes just years before a petrol and diesel car ban with Labour pledging to re-introduce the 2030 cut-off.
A Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate is also in place in the UK which legally forces manufacturers to sell a certain number of EVs every year.
As of 2024, the total is just 22 percent, although this will rise to 80 percent by the end of the decade.
