Prior notification of a concentration

(Case M.12510 – MERCEDES-BENZ / BMW / SERES / IONCHI)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

(C/2026/4140)

On 10 July 2026, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).

This notification concerns the following undertakings:

—	Mercedes-Benz Group China Ltd. (‘Mercedes China’, China), controlled by Mercedes-Benz Group AG (‘Mercedes Group’, Germany),

—	BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. (‘BMW China’, China), controlled by BMW AG (‘BMW Group’, Germany),

—	Seres Group Co. Ltd. (‘Seres’, China),

—	Beijing IONCHI New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (‘Ionchi’, China), controlled by Mercedes China and BMW China.

Mercedes China, BMW China and Seres will acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) and 3(4) of the Merger Regulation joint control of Ionchi.

The concentration is accomplished by way of purchase of shares.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are the following:

—

Mercedes China is active in the manufacturing and sale of passenger cars and vans, as well as in financial services, mobility services, spare parts business, and operates research and development centres in China. Mercedes Group is a global automotive group that develops, produces, and markets vehicles,

—	BMW China is active in research and development, procurement, production, sales, and after-sales services of BMW automobiles in China. BMW Group is a globally active manufacturer of passenger cars, motorcycles and equipment,

—	Seres’ business encompasses the research and development, manufacturing, sales, and services of electric vehicles and core electric vehicle components.

The business activities of the target Ionchi are the following: operating a public high-power charging (HPC) infrastructure and charging service network for electric vehicles (EV) in China.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.

Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified treatment for certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 on the control of concentrations between undertakings (2), it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed concentration to the Commission.

Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. The following reference should always be specified:

M.12510 – MERCEDES-BENZ / BMW / SERES / IONCHI

Observations can be sent to the Commission by email or by post. Please use the contact details below:

Email: COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu

Postal address:

European Commission

Directorate-General for Competition

Merger Registry

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

(1) OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2) OJ C 160, 5.5.2023, p. 1.