Mercedes-Benz has begun developing a new platform for electric vehicles using the electric architecture of the Chinese company Geely. The work is being carried out at the automaker's Chinese research center.
The project is codenamed Phoenix. The new platform is designed for compact electric models and is expected to go into production around 2030. After launch, it will replace the current MMA architecture, which was planned for future compact cars of the brand.
A special feature of the project is that for the first time in its 130-year history, Mercedes-Benz has transferred the authority to independently develop an automotive platform to a research center outside of Germany. The company's Chinese R&D center will become the global headquarters for the development of compact cars, while the German center will focus on medium and large class models.
The Phoenix platform will use Geely's GEEA electric architecture. It will form the basis for future generations of A-Class, B-Class, GLA, GLB and CLA models intended for the global market.
Since the end of January, Mercedes-Benz management has been regularly visiting Geely's research center in the Hangzhou Bay area. The companies are discussing cooperation in the field of electronic systems and vehicle architecture.
Mercedes-Benz is testing the concept based on Geely's GEEA 4.0 architecture, designed for electric vehicles and cars with traditional engines. An earlier version, GEEA 3.0, which debuted in the Geely Galaxy E5 model in 2024, has already been used in cars with cumulative sales of more than one million units.
One of the main reasons for this collaboration was the German manufacturer's desire to reduce the cost of developing cars. In recent years, the company has been actively studying the production optimization methods used by Chinese automakers.
Mercedes engineers also analyzed the Zeekr 001 electric vehicle, produced by the Geely Group brand. According to sources, experts recognized the high technical level of the car, noting at the same time a lower cost compared to Mercedes models.
