Mercedes says electric car market is 'brutal' for manufacturers

Mercedes-Benz has said the electric car market is "brutal" for carmakers as heavy competition forces them to cut prices. Sales of electric cars are soaring in Europe and China, with the US further behind, but the rush of new launches is putting pressure on European manufacturers in particular, who are struggling to compete with cheap models coming from China. Harald Wilhelm, the chief financial officer of Mercedes-Benz, said the electric car industry was "a pretty brutal space", on an analyst call on Thursday, Reuters reported, after the German carmaker reported a fall in profits. Wilhelm said some manufacturers were pricing…