Exclusive: Mercedes boss explains why car fans will love his future electric vehicles

With his experiences at McLaren and AMG, Källenius maintains a particular interest in ensuring Mercedes continues to deliver when people want to power their cars. He fondly remembers taking part in track days with friends during his six-and-a-half-year stay in the UK (“my favorite circuit was Goodwood, which is fantastic to ride”) and is clear that he wants the Affalterbach division to continue growing.

“Our intention is to excessively increase the performance aspect of the business,” he says, something he’s sure will appeal to, well, you. “As I’ve been more or less a lifelong Autocar reader, I know that Autocar readers know what they know about sports cars,” he laughs.

AMG is now beginning to develop cars on platforms tailored to maximize their performance, albeit using the company’s broader synergies (“the way a climate control system works, do you need an AMG version? No, you don’t”), but Källenius insists there will continue to be “cross-fertilization” between those models and the broader Mercedes range.

Exclusive: wave Källenius promises the next AMG GT will be “crazy”

A case in point is the new AMG CLA 45, which features an electric powertrain that can simulate a V8 engine, right down to pops and explosions and feedback on virtual gear changes.

“The first time I drove the CLA 45 with this system, I was like a reborn Christian,” says Källenius. “It was the best V8 I had ever driven – it had all the feel of a V8 but with more power and torque.”

Not that a virtual electric V8 is about to replace the real one: while Källenius thinks the industry has “turned a corner” on the path to electrification, he admits that “the consumer is not there yet.”

He says Mercedes “didn’t waver” on its ultimate goal of going all-electric, but it also didn’t abandon its commitment to “high-tech electrified combustion engines.”

Another area where Mercedes has maintained a singular focus is in its commitment to maintaining its in-house knowledge. Aside from Smart, now a 50:50 joint venture with Geely, the company has avoided the general industry trend of forming partnerships with other manufacturers.