Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

U.S. customers will have to wait another year for Mercedes’ electric EQC

By

In the United States, the wait for Mercedes-Benz’s first mass-market electric car just got longer.

Mercedes pushed back the U.S. launch of its EQC crossover until 2021, multiple media outlets have reported. That’s about a year after the first-quarter 2020 target Mercedes was originally aiming for. The delay is due to high demand for the EQC in Europe, where the model launched earlier in 2019.

Recommended Videos

A Mercedes spokesperson told Automotive News that the delay was “a strategic decision to first support the growing customer demand for the EQC in Europe.” Digital Trends reached out to Mercedes and received the following statement from a spokesperson.

Related

“The EQC launch in Europe and other markets earlier in 2019 generated high interest worldwide for the EQC. In a recent direction from Daimler AG, it is a strategic decision to first support the growing customer demand for the EQC in Europe. As a result of this decision, the U.S. market launch date of the Mercedes-Benz EQC will be rescheduled to 2021 (originally Q1 2020).”

Autoblog received the same statement from Mercedes, but also noted that concentrating EQC sales in Europe could help the automaker avoid significant fines. While Mercedes did not comment directly on this, Autoblog noted that automakers in Europe will be subject to stricter emissions regulations starting in 2020. Only 5% of an automaker’s fleet will be allowed to emit more than 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, with the percentage dropping to zero in 2021. Automakers will be charged 95 euros ($106) for every gram over the limit. That may not sound like a lot, but it is expected to add up to millions of dollars in fines for the worst offenders.

This isn’t the first time an automaker has delayed the launch of a new electric model due to demand overseas. The next-generation Kia Soul EV has also been pushed back to 2021 — roughly two years later than expected. The Soul EV is already available in Europe, but Kia previously told Digital Trends that limited production capacity forced a delay of the U.S. launch. Production bottlenecks also led Mitsubishi to delay the U.S. launch of its Outlander plug-in hybrid for several years.

The delay means Mercedes will remain on the sidelines while rivals rack up sales. Jaguar and Audi recently launched their first mass-market electric cars, and Audi has already confirmed plans for more. BMW sells the pint-sized i3 but is planning larger models that will likely appeal to a broader audience. An electric version of the X3 crossover is due in 2020. The i4 sedan will follow the electric X3, although it may not arrive in U.S. showrooms before the EQC.

When it eventually goes on sale in the U.S., the EQC will have a base price of $68,895, which undercuts the rival Jaguar I-Pace and Audi E-Tron. Mercedes hasn’t released a range estimate for the U.S.-spec EQC, but it will need to offer significantly more than 200 miles per charge to be competitive.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV preview: The EV lineup grows again
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV.

As Mercedes-Benz has steadily expanded its EQ range of electric cars, the lineup has become a bit like the late stages of a Tetris game. It’s mostly complete, but with a few gaps still left. And the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is the piece that perfectly fits one of them.
Mercedes recently launched two other electric SUVs at opposite ends of the price spectrum. The EQS SUV is positioned as the lineup’s flagship, while the EQB is the entry-level model. The EQE SUV slots between those two in size and, presumably, price. The latter hasn’t been confirmed yet, and likely won’t be until the EQE SUV’s planned March 2023 on-sale date.

Design
As the name says, the EQE SUV is a utility-vehicle version of the EQE sedan, which will likely beat it to showrooms by a few months. Mercedes did the same thing with the EQS, which is available in both SUV and sedan body styles.
With its tall, upright profile, the EQE SUV definitely looks like a proper SUV compared to the low-slung EQE sedan. Park it next to an EQS SUV, though, and you’ll have to get out a measuring tape to spot the differences.
The EQE SUV is 0.6 inch narrower and 1.2 inches lower than the EQS SUV, but the most significant difference is in length. The EQE SUV is 10.3 inches shorter than the EQS SUV, with a 2.1-inch shorter wheelbase. And while the EQS SUV has three-row seating, the EQE SUV has two rows. Based on our experience with the EQS SUV’s third row, that’s not a big loss.
The interior design theme carries over from other Mercedes EQ models, with an expansive sloping dashboard designed to accommodate many screens, and multicolor ambient lighting that should look pretty dramatic at night. However, leatherette upholstery is standard, rather than real leather, which Mercedes is now spinning as a vegan option.

Read more
We need more 7-passenger EVs, but the 2023 Mercedes EQS SUV has room to improve
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

Mercedes-Benz is continuing to expand its EV lineup, this time with a model aimed at (wealthy) families.
As the name states, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV is an SUV derivative of the EQS sedan. With the EQS sedan positioned as the electric analog to the Mercedes S-Class, the EQS SUV is the electric version of the GLS-Class. And like that vehicle, the EQS SUV is available with up to seven seats across three rows.
That makes the EQS SUV an important vehicle not just for Mercedes, but for the cause of EV adoption in general. While the Tesla Model X and Rivian R1S also offer three rows for family-hauling duty, there’s a lot more room in the market for another entry. Given the popularity of equivalent gasoline luxury SUVs like the GLS, Land Rover Range Rover, and Cadillac Escalade, the EQS SUV arrives not a moment too soon.
The EQS SUV is scheduled to reach U.S. dealerships this fall in three guises. The base rear-wheel-drive EQS 450+ starts at $105,550 with destination, while the all-wheel drive EQS 450 4Matic and EQS 580 4Matic start at $108,550 and $127,100, respectively. Although it will be built in Alabama, the EQS SUV won’t qualify for the revised federal EV tax credit because it exceeds the $80,000 price cap for SUVs.

Design and interior
A defining feature of Mercedes’ EQ lineup is aerodynamic bodywork aimed at maximizing range. The typical SUV is not aerodynamically ideal, but Mercedes managed to achieve an impressively low drag coefficient for an SUV — at 0.26, it’s close to the Toyota Prius. But function clearly took precedence over form. Mercedes deserves credit for not going in the polarizing direction BMW did with its two-row iX SUV, but the EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.
More disappointing is the third row, which should be the EQS SUV’s defining feature, but seems more like a useless afterthought. Adults will find it difficult to insert themselves into the third-row seats, let alone tolerate riding in them. As in most three-row vehicles, the rear seats also pretty much eliminate cargo space. And if you want to fold them down to create more cargo room, you’ll have to do it manually as Mercedes didn’t include a power-folding system — a bit disappointing for a six-figure car. The EQS SUV also lacks a frunk; like the EQS sedan, the hood is sealed.
The EQS SUV looks like a melting scoop of ice cream.

Read more
Lux and refreshingly livable, Mercedes’ EQE moves EVs mainstream
Front three quarter view of the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan.

Mercedes-Benz wants its EQ sub-brand to be an all-electric counterpart to its current lineup of gasoline luxury cars, and it’s working toward that goal by starting at opposite ends of the price spectrum and working toward the middle.
Where the EQS sedan and SUV are the flagships of the lineup, and the EQB serves as an entry-level offering, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQE sedan aims for the middle of the market. It’s pitched as an electric equivalent of the Mercedes E-Class, one of the automaker’s bread-and-butter models. And like the E-Class, the EQE will compete against sedans from Mercedes’ German rivals, such as the Audi e-tron GT, BMW i4, and Porsche Taycan. It will likely be cross-shopped against the Genesis Electrified G80, Lucid Air, and Tesla Model S as well.
The EQE sedan arrives at U.S. dealerships in late 2022 in four guises: base rear-wheel drive EQE 350+, all-wheel drive EQE 350 4Matic and EQE 500 4Matic, and an AMG EQE performance version. Mercedes hasn’t disclosed pricing for any of these models, but the EQE 350 4Matic we tested for this first drive will likely be a mid-tier trim level. Like its EQS sibling, the EQE will also get an SUV variant, which will launch sometime after the sedan version.

Design and interior
The EQE has the same lozenge-like shape as the EQS sedan, which is dictated by aerodynamics. The appeal of the design is up for debate, but the smooth shape reduces aerodynamic drag, which helps improve efficiency and range. Under the skin, the EQE is also based on the same EVA2 architecture as the EQS sedan.
But while the two EQ sedans look similar at first glance, the EQE is a bit smaller than its sibling. It’s 10.6 inches shorter than the EQS sedan, with a 3.5-inch shorter wheelbase. Rear-seat passengers might notice the difference, but like its gasoline E-Class counterpart, the EQE is aimed more at drivers than passengers. Its tidier proportions were also a bit more pleasing to our eyes, making the EQE look sleeker than its sibling.
The interior design is minimalist while still maintaining functionality.

Read more