Mercedes-Benz Preps Home Bidirectional Charging Rollout as Analysts Trim Targets Before Q3 Report

Mercedes-Benz rolls out home bidirectional charging for the electric GLC and C-Class as Q3 group deliveries fall 6% and China car sales drop 31%.

Mercedes-Benz is giving German drivers a new reason to plug in at home, rolling out a bidirectional charging package just as the broader sales picture in China continues to weigh on the stock.

The Stuttgart automaker, working alongside partner The Mobility House Energy, launched an integrated home setup for owners of the electric GLC and the C-Class. The bundle pairs a compatible wallbox with a control app and a matching electricity tariff. To spark early demand, the first 500 buyers get the charging unit for EUR 1,990 plus a EUR 250 charging credit. The technology lets the car feed battery power back into the home or the grid, positioning the fleet to take part in energy markets and offering owners a financial incentive to charge at home.

EV deliveries surge while the overall book shrinks

That push lands in the middle of a clear split in Mercedes-Benz's sales mix. In the third quarter of 2026, the group delivered 491,700 passenger cars and vans worldwide, a 6 percent decline from the same period a year earlier. Battery-electric vehicles went the other way, climbing 52 percent across the group to 78,100 units. Within Mercedes-Benz Cars, the all-electric lineup posted a 61 percent gain — a fresh quarterly record.

The broader car business stayed under pressure. The passenger car division moved 407,200 vehicles in the quarter, down 8 percent, with the pain concentrated in China, its single most important market, where deliveries for the car unit collapsed 31 percent to 86,800 vehicles.

Brokerages cut price targets ahead of October 28

Analysts have been recalibrating their expectations before the company opens its books. Jefferies' Philippe Houchois trimmed his price target to EUR 46 from EUR 52 on Tuesday while keeping a "Buy" rating, pointing to likely weak results from European automakers, fragile full-year guidance and the possibility of additional provisions at the Stuttgart manufacturer. UBS had already moved on Friday, taking its target to EUR 45 from EUR 50 and sticking with a "Neutral" stance, citing mounting pressure from Chinese rivals and lower earnings estimates. Other houses have adjusted their marks in recent days too, leaving the range of revised targets spanning EUR 38.60 to EUR 61. Mercedes-Benz briefed investors on the quarter's developments in a pre-close call on October 8.

Ludwigsfelde takes on full Marco Polo assembly

Alongside the market moves, the group is reworking its manufacturing footprint. Production of the new Marco Polo camper van began at the Ludwigsfelde plant on Tuesday. While the V-Class base vehicles continue to come from Vitoria, the Brandenburg site is handling the complete conversion in-house for the first time. The company gave no details on future production volumes or investment at the location, according to media reports.

On the trading floor, the shares changed hands at EUR 39.73 on Tuesday, up 1.3 percent on the day, hovering just above their 52-week low of EUR 38.90. The stock has lost 35 percent since the start of the year.

Investors will get the full picture on October 28, 2026, when Mercedes-Benz publishes its complete interim report for the third quarter and walks through the numbers at an analyst conference.