Mercedes-Benz is getting ready to go all electric by the end of the decade, where market conditions allow, in a defensive move attempts to preserve its luxury reputation. This is a sharp reversal from its previous stated “electric-first” to electric-only. AutoInformed thinks it was prompted by runaway global warming and the increasing desire of consumers – and above all regulators and nations of affluent people – to eliminate fossil fuels. Daimler investments into combustion engines and plug-in hybrid technologies will drop by 80% between 2019 and 2026.