Will Mercedes-Benz enter the defense industry? “We would be ready to do it,” says his boss Ola Källenius

These comments come in a context of Germany’s rearmament in the face of the growing Russian threat since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The German defense industry is taking full advantage of this trend, as illustrated by the rise in power in recent years of Rheinmetall. On the other hand, German car manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen, are going through a major crisis, stuck between customs duties and tough Chinese competition.

“A strategic development axis”

At the end of March, the boss of another German automobile giant, Volkswagen, Oliver Blume, said he was “in contact” with arms companies, active in particular in anti-missile defense, to reconvert one of his German factories into the production of military transport equipment. According to the “Financial Times”, discussions are taking place with the company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which designed the Israeli Iron Dome.

Asked about the interview with Ola Källenius, a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson stressed that the group “has for many years supplied chassis to specialist companies who equip and market them under their own responsibility and under their own brand for military applications.” “Our activities in the field of security and defense constitute a strategic development axis that we will continue to actively develop, in collaboration with our partners,” she added.