Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Developed to take on the Audi e-tron quattro, the EQC from Mercedes-Benz is more than meets the eye. It’s also more than the GLC-Class, which will receive a mid-cycle refresh this March at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show.
On the downside, the three-pointed start postponed the launch of the EQC in Europe by three months. Handelsblatt suggests “the manufacturer doesn’t have enough batteries” to support mass production from the get-go. The publication also understands that Mercedes-Benz will start VIP deliveries in June 2019.
Output will be extremely limited through November 2019 at the earliest, three months behind the original schedule. If we were to make a parallel to Mercedes-Benz’s trouble, don’t forget that Tesla also had problems with sourcing enough batteries for the Model 3 electric sedan.
Another magazine from Germany suggests that Audi has trouble getting the e-tron quattro into dealer showrooms. Development costs are said to have surpassed the two-billion-euro threshold. If the report turns out to be true, this nameplate will never reach the break-even point.
Looking at the bigger picture, no automaker has the resources to develop and manufacture electric vehicles on the same level as Tesla. The Volkswagen Group is edging closer to Palo Alto with the help of the Modular Electric Toolkit that underpins the ID. Neo, but we’re not keeping our hopes up for mass production in the hatchback’s first year of availability.
Coming as standard with two motors and an 80-kWh battery, the EQC 400 4Matic promises more than 450 kilometers (280 miles) on a full charge. Converting from the New European Driving Cycle to WLTP would bring the electric crossover closer to 320, maybe 350 kilometers.
Production of the EQC will be handled at two locations. In addition to Bremen in Germany, there’s also the automaker’s Beijing Benz Automotive plant in China. As far as pricing is concerned, Mercedes-Benz is expected to charge more than 70,000 euros for the entry-level trim.
For the sake of reference, the e-tron quattro is 79,900 euros in Germany. Mercedes-Benz has a habit of pricing its models higher than Audi, leading us to believe the starting price of the EQC is closer to €80,000 before the plug-in grant.
Output will be extremely limited through November 2019 at the earliest, three months behind the original schedule. If we were to make a parallel to Mercedes-Benz’s trouble, don’t forget that Tesla also had problems with sourcing enough batteries for the Model 3 electric sedan.
Another magazine from Germany suggests that Audi has trouble getting the e-tron quattro into dealer showrooms. Development costs are said to have surpassed the two-billion-euro threshold. If the report turns out to be true, this nameplate will never reach the break-even point.
Looking at the bigger picture, no automaker has the resources to develop and manufacture electric vehicles on the same level as Tesla. The Volkswagen Group is edging closer to Palo Alto with the help of the Modular Electric Toolkit that underpins the ID. Neo, but we’re not keeping our hopes up for mass production in the hatchback’s first year of availability.
Coming as standard with two motors and an 80-kWh battery, the EQC 400 4Matic promises more than 450 kilometers (280 miles) on a full charge. Converting from the New European Driving Cycle to WLTP would bring the electric crossover closer to 320, maybe 350 kilometers.
Production of the EQC will be handled at two locations. In addition to Bremen in Germany, there’s also the automaker’s Beijing Benz Automotive plant in China. As far as pricing is concerned, Mercedes-Benz is expected to charge more than 70,000 euros for the entry-level trim.
For the sake of reference, the e-tron quattro is 79,900 euros in Germany. Mercedes-Benz has a habit of pricing its models higher than Audi, leading us to believe the starting price of the EQC is closer to €80,000 before the plug-in grant.
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