Mercedes prepares to unleash electric sub-brand

Mercedes is all about sub-branding right now, and its latest sub-brand will be dedicated to electric vehicles.

The automaker has already created a three-bucket system for its current slew of cars -- Mercedes-Benz handles the normal stuff, Mercedes-AMG covers the sporty ones and Mercedes-Maybach deals with extended-wheelbase executive haulers. Electric vehicles will make up the fourth of these sub-brands, Bloomberg reports.

Sources familiar with the matter say that its first four vehicles will comprise two SUVs and two sedans. The sub-brand doesn't yet have a name, but there's a good chance that the first vehicle from this fledgling fleet will debut at the Paris auto show in September.

But light-duty vehicles aren't the only electric offerings in the cards. Mercedes recently unveiled its concept Urban eTruck, which will be used for intra-city deliveries. There should also be electric variants coming from its Smart brand, as well.

Despite this push for battery-electric vehicles, Mercedes is keeping its propulsion assets diversified. The brand will still produce a hydrogen fuel-cell variant of its GLC-Class crossover, which is to be introduced in September, likely at the Paris show.

Weirdly enough, this decision to create an electric sub-brand similar to BMW's i is happening right as BMW is shifting its own strategy. The automaker said recently that it plans to revamp its electric sub-brand, placing a greater focus on autonomy than electrification.