At least not right now: Car and Driver (via Autoblog) reports that the car intended to be the first of Mercedes’s new line of EVs isn’t coming to the U.S. Everyone expected the EQC to debut early last year, but delays pushed the arrival to early ’21. The EQC was to start at $68,895.
The reason for the cancelation? The official word from the Mercedes spokesperson:
Following a comprehensive review of market developments, the EQC will not be offered in the United States for now.
The EQC, which has been on sale in Europe since mid-2019, is a compact crossover that seats five and has an electric powertrain that puts out 408 horsepower. Range left a lot to be desired, though. At only 239 miles, it’s behind competitors like the Tesla Model Y.
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I think we can all read between the lines here and see what’s really going on. Mercedes, eager to jump into the EV crossover market, saw how bad sales have been for the Audi E-Tron and Jaguar I-Pace. Both have been nonstarters in a segment automakers expected customers to run to in droves.
The I-Pace has been sitting on Jaguar lots, with some dealers offering huge discounts. And the E-Tron price was cut late last year by almost $9,000. It’s safe to assume that Mercedes saw this happening and is playing it safe. Mercedes isn’t the only one wising up to the EV crossover bust. Autoblog points out that BMW choose not to bring the iX3 to the U.S. as well.
What of the other EQ EVs? In a frustrating move that makes sense from a business standpoint, the first of the EQ vehicles to come to the U.S. will be the EQS. The EQS is the EV version of the S-Class, yet another entry in the high-end electric sedan segment. The range is rumored to be 435 miles or so, according to Motor Trend. And with a starting price of just under $100,000, it’ll go head-to-head with the Lucid Air and the Tesla Model S. The EQS is expected to debut soon, with a release date coming this fall.
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