Ola Källenius, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz, believes high-performance electric cars can appeal to traditional car enthusiasts, even when they use simulated V8 engine sounds and virtual gear shifts. In an interview with Autocar, during a test drive of the C-Class Electric in Finland, Källenius said that driving the Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 equipped with this system made him feel as though he had “become a Christian who had rediscovered his faith,” describing the experience as the best V8 engine he had driven, with the feel of a V8 and greater power and torque.
This praise carries additional weight given Källenius’s background. He ran the AMG division before becoming CEO in 2019 and oversaw the company’s Formula 1 engine operations in Brixworth. He also served as chief operating officer at McLaren during the SLR McLaren program. His comments therefore represent more than the impression of a passing driver; they are a clear attempt by Mercedes-Benz to convince the performance audience that switching to electric power does not mean abandoning the emotional elements associated with combustion engines.
What Is Changing in Practice?
The electric CLA 45’s system recreates some of the signals drivers have come to expect in sports cars: explosive sounds, artificial noise, and the sensation of shifting gears. Mercedes-AMG uses the same approach in other electric performance cars; the electric AMG GT, unveiled in May, combines more than 1,000 horsepower with a similar artificial engine note. The idea is not limited to Mercedes-Benz: the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Dodge Charger Daytona also use simulated sounds and gear shifts.
Källenius says that what interested car enthusiasts has not disappeared with electrification but has moved into a combination of hardware and software. Accordingly, Mercedes-Benz is targeting above-average growth in its performance business while AMG develops cars on dedicated platforms designed to maximize performance, with some components shared with other Mercedes-Benz models.
Software as Part of the Car’s Identity
The interview also makes clear that the transformation is not solely about the powertrain. The C-Class Electric runs on the MB.OS operating system, the same system that supports the new S-Class and C-Class models with combustion engines. During the drive, the AI-powered assistant interrupted Källenius’s conversation to comment that driving at high speed on the German autobahn could be exciting.
The company says it is halfway through a plan to launch 40 models over three years, by the end of 2027, based on the MMA and MB.EA architectures. This strategy has introduced the CLA with a range of approximately 500 miles, along with the new C-Class and GLC. Källenius links the speed of this rollout to a shared-architecture strategy, explaining that developing every nut and bolt from scratch for every car would have made the plan impossible to execute.
Technical Enthusiasm with Commercial Caution
Despite defending the future of electric cars, Källenius acknowledged that consumers have not yet reached the stage the industry expects. He said the sector had “turned a corner” in the transition to electric power, but that demand had not yet fully matured. He also confirmed that Mercedes-Benz has not backed away from its long-term goal of transitioning entirely to electric cars, while continuing to commit to high-tech electrified combustion engines at the same time.
The editorial reading here is that artificial sound and gear shifts may be a practical bridge for a hesitant audience, rather than a definitive replacement for the identity of electric cars. The technology adds a familiar sensation to a fundamentally different experience, but it raises questions the article does not resolve, most notably whether this sensation will remain optional and how buyers will assess its value compared with the quietness and simplicity that distinguish electric propulsion.