China's Chery files complaint against Mercedes over green car brand

PanARMENIAN.Net - Chinese automaker Chery Automobile Co Ltd has filed a complaint with the country's trademark regulator over Mercedes-Benz's use of the "EQ" name for a line of green-energy vehicles, throwing up a potential road block for the Daimler AG unit in the world's largest electric car market, Reuters says.

A Chery spokeswoman told Reuters on Thursday, March 23 that the automaker had filed a complaint with the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which it hopes will bar Mercedes from using the name in China.

She said Chery has used the name "eQ" for its two-door battery electric car for two years.

Mercedes showed off a concept car for its forthcoming line of electric vehicles last year, saying it would build its first EQ car in a German factory by the end of the decade. The automaker said last year it could make EQ in China but did not give a launch date.

A Mercedes spokeswoman declined to immediately comment on Thursday.

China's central government aggressively promotes green cars to fight intense urban smog and is urging its domestic industry to leap forward in automotive technology.