The crisis has sent gas and mineral prices skyrocketing, challenging the production of both fossil fuel and electric-powered vehicles.
However, speaking at the opening of Mercedes' first U.S. EV battery plant in Alabama, CEO Ola Kaellenius said it was working around the clock to minimize production disruptions and that its financial outlook was still strong.
"We always protect the investment into future technology and future products. That is the seed that we will later on harvest and not even in the COVID year of 2020 did we cut back on the R&D (research and development) side for the crucial future projects."
The Alabama plant will employ 600 workers, part of a $44 billion drive by Mercedes to go all electric by 2030, where markets allow.
Kaellenius says the war is not stopping Mercedes from making that EV shift, and previewed a large electric SUV to be built at a nearby facility in the city of Tuscaloosa later this year.
"Opening up this battery plant here in Alabama today is a big step in our electrification strategy, and in fact, you can see last year we announced that we think electrification is going to come faster. So, we intend to ramp up faster and be ready by the end of this decade to go all-electric in markets where the market conditions allow."
With the new EVs, Mercedes is joining a growing lineup of electric carmakers seeking to challenge Tesla in the U.S., China and Europe.
However, Mercedes and other established automakers still trail Tesla in EV sales and the development of new computer and software systems.
