Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius has found religion in synthetic engine noise.
He said his conversion came when he drove the new electric version of the AMG CLA 45, Mercedes’ performance sedan. It uses artificial sounds and sensations to mimic a combustion-powered car.
“I was like a born-again Christian,” he told UK car enthusiast publication Autocar. “It was the best V8 I’d ever driven: It had all the feeling of a V8 but with more power and torque.”
Electric vehicles have posed numerous design challenges for legacy automakers, forcing decades-old brands to rethink everything from exterior styling to digital cabin layouts.
Sound has been particularly thorny for performance brands: EVs accelerate without an engine’s grunting revs, gear changes, or exhaust note. Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N and Dodge’s electric Charger Daytona have tried to fill that sensory gap with simulated sounds and shifts, to varying degrees of success.
Mercedes already offers synthetic soundscapes in some mainstream EVs. Its sport-branded AMG models go further, with multiple forms of sensory feedback that mimic the sensations experienced by gas-powered racers.
Like the Dodge and Hyundai, Mercedes’ EV system pumps noise into the cabin. Unlike other performance-minded EVs, the AMG also introduces power interruptions during simulated shifts, like a gas car does when it changes gears, and seat shakers to mimic combustion-engine vibrations, too.
Källenius, who previously ran AMG and served as executive director of operations at supercar maker McLaren, said that the Mercedes-AMG-based system won him over.
It’s an important time for Mercedes to nail the sporty EV experiment. Its first generation of EQ-branded models struggled to find customers in America, eventually prompting US price cuts and a production pause. The company also softened its earlier ambition to go all-electric by 2030.
Now, the luxe automaker has a new approach. Mercedes is folding electric drivetrains into familiar nameplates rather than maintaining a parallel EQ family.
Still, Källenius said that “the consumer is not quite there yet” on a full shift to EVs.
Whether those theatrics can persuade traditional AMG buyers to choose an EV when the gas-powered equivalent sits on the same dealership lot remains an open question.
Mercedes-Benz didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
