Rapid Response: Risking an iconic brand — and $40b — in a race to go all-electric, w/Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius
Masters of Scale
WaitWhat
4.6 • 4.4K Ratings
🗓️ 2 December 2022
⏱️ 34 minutes
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Summary
How do you reinvent a world-renowned automaker for an all-electric future? At Mercedes-Benz, CEO Ola Källenius has set the jaw-dropping goal to put fossil-fuels in the rear-view mirror by 2030 — ahead of other competitors and well ahead of Paris Climate Accords recommendations. Pushing the company’s tech, customers, and workforce to operate in a new gear, Källenius says, is repositioning Mercedes for whatever challenges and opportunities are ahead. From strategizing for the luxury market — balancing volume with desirability — to grappling with the complications of economic disruption, Källenius takes us inside the epic transformation of an iconic brand.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi listeners, it's Reed. If you've ever felt stuck, if you can't get out of a rut or |
| 0:05.1 | over a hurdle, well, you're in good company. Every entrepreneur I've spoken to on Master's |
| 0:10.1 | scale has faced that moment at some point in their career. And so have most of the world's |
| 0:15.9 | greatest artists and creators. In fact, anyone who has ever tried to bring a bold, new |
| 0:21.3 | vision of life can probably relate. That's why I want to recommend another podcast that |
| 0:27.1 | will help you break out of the mold and cultivate a creative mindset. It's called Spark and Fire, |
| 0:34.0 | and it's produced by the same award-winning team that's behind Master's scale. Spark and Fire |
| 0:39.1 | is designed to fuel your creativity and innovation with epic stories and memorable takeaways from |
| 0:45.2 | creators at the top of their game. So take a quick moment right now to search for Spark and Fire |
| 0:51.6 | in your podcast player and follow the show. I've gotten a sneak peek in the some of their |
| 0:56.7 | upcoming episodes and trust me, you won't want to miss what's in store. |
| 1:03.0 | Climate change is perhaps the defining issue for our generation. You have to ask yourself, |
| 1:10.8 | as a business leader, what are we going to do about it? Every new vehicle architecture from |
| 1:17.4 | Mercedes Benz from 2025 forward will fundamentally be developed as an electric only architecture. |
| 1:28.8 | Let's say for some reason it happens a little bit slower. That's not so bad, but think about the |
| 1:35.0 | other scenario. What if it does happen and you were hesitant and you didn't go for it? That could |
| 1:40.5 | be an existential threat. Yes, it is an incredibly ambitious plan to take a 100 plus Euro-Hole company |
| 1:47.3 | and switch over industrially inside a decade or so, but at the same time we have no time to waste here. |
| 2:01.8 | That's Ola Shalania, CEO of Mercedes Benz. With a global move toward EV transportation full swing, |
| 2:09.1 | Mercedes is ditching its historic combustion engine, seeking to go all electric by 2030, |
| 2:15.4 | and investing 40 billion euros in the effort. I'm Bob Safian, former editor of Fast Company |
| 2:21.9 | founder of the Flux Group and host of Masters of Scale Rapid Response. I wanted to talk to Ola |
... |
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