*By Amanda Weston*
After Mercedes-Benz's unveiling this week of its [first all-electric car](https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/4/17818836/mercedes-benz-eqc-suv-ev-specs-photos), automotive journalist and future Cheddar contributor Tamara Warren said the market is about to get a lot more competitive.
"It's huge news for Mercedes-Benz, and a real signal in this space that we are about to have a lot of options when it comes to the electric category, luxury, and the sweet space with crossover vehicles," Warren said Wednesday in an interview on Cheddar.
The model, dubbed EQC, is an all-wheel drive SUV with a range of more than 200 miles. Dieter Zetsche, the head of Mercedes and chairman of parent company Daimler AG, called it the ["dawn of a new era"](https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/4/17818836/mercedes-benz-eqc-suv-ev-specs-photos).
The announcement Tuesday further weighed on shares of Tesla, whose stock marked a seventh straight day of losses Wednesday. Warren said the electric automaker may certainly have cause to worry about its new competitor, but "that's the nature of the business."
"If there's no competition, where's the market going to go?" she said. "What I think it forces Tesla to do is to continue to push their vehicles and not stall on thinking about new features and products and innovation."
Whether Tesla can find that focus is something Warren says investors should watch.
"Tesla is a really tricky company to follow right now, and you're talking about companies that have sort of infrastructure internally as far as safety and all of the quality that needs to be there coming into this space, not just Mercedes-Benz. But we're also seeing Audi as a player in this field, BMW, and Volvo," Warren said.
"So it's going to get really interesting by spring when we start seeing some of these vehicles."
The EQC is set to begin production in 2019 and go on sale in the U.S. in 2020. Mercedes-Benz has not yet announced what the vehicle will cost.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/mercedes-benz-unveils-electric-vehicle).
GameStop is getting into the NFT and crypto space. The video game retailer announced the launch of an entire division aimed at creating a marketplace for NFTs and other crypto partnerships. The move comes as part of a turnaround plan by GameStop which has struggled in recent years as gamers shift away from physical game releases. Patrick McConlogue, CEO, Overline & Former Citadel Investment Group Engineer joined Cheddar's Opening Bell.
Philip Levine, Former Mayor of Miami Beach & Cruise Industry Expert, breaks down the challenges cruise operators are facing as COVID-19 cases rise, and provides insight on what the future of the industry may look like.
Jill Klindt, CFO of Workiva, talks about the challenges corporations have implementing ESG initiatives and how CFO's can build a trusted sustainable future.
Matt Orton, Chief Market Strategist at Carillon Tower Advisers, talks about the near-term risks to the market as Fed monetary policy accelerates and highlights areas of the tech sector that may be under-valued.
John Petrides, Portfolio Manager at Tocqueville Asset Management, provides insight on the strength of the Financial sector and highlights opportunities companies have to boost the labor market.
Darren Schuringa, Founder and CEO of ASYMmetric ETFs, talks about the ripple effect inflation has on the market and highlights the areas of tech with growth potential.
U.S. markets opened higher despite red-hot inflation data which showed the highest surge in nearly 40 years. Jon Maier, CIO, GlobalX ETFs joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss this historic report.
Former wide receiver for the New York Giants, Victor Cruz has partnered with Krystal Restaurants, a popular burger chain in the South, to bring the franchise to his home state of New Jersey. Cruz and Alice Crowder, CMO of Krystal Restaurants, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the venture. The five new locations will be known as "Victor Cruz's Krystal," decked out with memorabilia from his football career, with the former player explaining how "hands-on" he plans on being. "You never know, OK? You might walk in and Victor Cruz will be flipping a burger back there, and you might be getting it directly from the source," he said.
Max Bichsel, vice president at Gambling.com Group joins Cheddar News to talk about the growing sports betting industry, New York legalizing mobile betting, and 2022 predictions for the sector.
Meta's request to have a Federal Trade Commission antitrust lawsuit dismissed was rejected by a federal judge. Prosecutors presented enough evidence in their latest filing to go forward with the case accusing the tech giant of operating a social networking monopoly through Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
