The move shows it is “aggressively” gunning for top spot in upscale battery cars market currently dominated by Tesla.

It showcased an SUV with a 450-kilometre range, full-width rear light and clean-cut interiors that Mercedes hopes will find favour with luxury customers and tech-savvy millennials.

Mercedes aims to have more than ten electrified cars by 2022, a target reiterated on Tuesday by Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche, who hopes the EQC and its other electric cars will account for 15-25 percent of its sales by 2025.

Zetsche said that the planned ten electric variants would already allow Daimler to cater to 60 percent its relevant electric cars market.

“My understanding is, when we’re listening to the public and our competitors, that (our targets) are aggressive side rather than the defensive side”, he told anyone who would listen.

Until now the news has always been about Tesla, but it was only a matter of time before the established car makers started getting involved.

German carmakers have a century of manufacturing behind them, with sterling brands and an existing customer base in the millions and their new variants are about to hit the market as Tesla faces questions about its ability to generate cash and manage the scaling of its production.

Zetsche said Tesla would be a competitor to the Germans in the electric cars market as the company had been “very successful in the price bracket they were addressing”.