Photo: Mercedes-Benz
“Too late, too expensive, and too boring.” It sounds like the kind of thing you would expect a diehard Tesla fanboy to say about the Mercedes-Benz EQC, but sadly for the German electric crossover, it came from an important figure from the Daimler shareholders' group.
When launched less than a year ago - in September 2019 - the EQC was presented as the first vehicle of a new chapter for Mercedes-Benz's history. The EV was supposed to embody the advancements made by the company over the course of several years and underline its commitment to the electric cause.
What it did, though, was sell 397 units in the remaining months of 2019 and 276 more units during the first five months of 2020 (until May 28), according to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority. There is no PR talk that can sugarcoat those numbers, and definitely none was used during a recent Daimler Shareholder meeting.
According to Bloomberg, Ingo Speich, Deka's Head of Sustainability and Corporate Governance was the one who called the EQC what it is, which is "boring." Deka holds approximately 5.4 million Daimler shares, which accounts for a stake of almost 0.5 percent.
His comments came after a "lost year for Daimler" (also Speich) during which the company's shares suffered a 24% decline. That brought the market value of the German manufacturer to roughly $40 billion, which is less than a fifth of Tesla Motors' current estimated worth.
The company is currently taking some cost-cutting measures that should bring some much-needed savings of over $1.5 billion by 2022, but it's not all doom and gloom for Daimler. With the EQC, it looks as though Mercedes-Benz focused so much on making it different that it forgot to make it good as well, a mistake it looks it won't repeat with the upcoming EQ models.
The EQA, in particular, is shaping up to be the kind of car that could have a decent commercial success - especially in Europe - by offering a premium option in the compact hatchback segment, yet a lot will depend on its specs. The EQS, on the other hand, will be enticing customers at the other end of the market and it may very well become the new transportation solution of choice for those seeking luxury and a quiet, non-polluting powertrain as well.
What it did, though, was sell 397 units in the remaining months of 2019 and 276 more units during the first five months of 2020 (until May 28), according to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority. There is no PR talk that can sugarcoat those numbers, and definitely none was used during a recent Daimler Shareholder meeting.
According to Bloomberg, Ingo Speich, Deka's Head of Sustainability and Corporate Governance was the one who called the EQC what it is, which is "boring." Deka holds approximately 5.4 million Daimler shares, which accounts for a stake of almost 0.5 percent.
His comments came after a "lost year for Daimler" (also Speich) during which the company's shares suffered a 24% decline. That brought the market value of the German manufacturer to roughly $40 billion, which is less than a fifth of Tesla Motors' current estimated worth.
The company is currently taking some cost-cutting measures that should bring some much-needed savings of over $1.5 billion by 2022, but it's not all doom and gloom for Daimler. With the EQC, it looks as though Mercedes-Benz focused so much on making it different that it forgot to make it good as well, a mistake it looks it won't repeat with the upcoming EQ models.
The EQA, in particular, is shaping up to be the kind of car that could have a decent commercial success - especially in Europe - by offering a premium option in the compact hatchback segment, yet a lot will depend on its specs. The EQS, on the other hand, will be enticing customers at the other end of the market and it may very well become the new transportation solution of choice for those seeking luxury and a quiet, non-polluting powertrain as well.
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