Mercedes-Benz enters electromobility with EQC Model X
05 Sep 2018
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German luxury car maker Diamler AG has entered the era of electromobility with a new fully-electric Mercedes-Benz EQC, which is roughly the size of the brand’s popular GLC SUV and features a range of more than 450 kilometers (280 miles) and acceleration of 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in as little as 5.1 seconds.
Launched during a function at the Artipelag art museum in Stockholm, Sweden, the fully-electric EQC Model X poses a fresh challenge to Tesla.
German luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz has entered the era of electromobility with the
Daimler AG chief executive officer Dieter Zetsche presented the first Mercedes-Benz model under the product and technology brand EQ to over 600 invited guests.
The Mercedez EQC consumes 22.2 kWh for a 100 km ride with 0 combined CO2 emissions as per provisional figures figures released by the German Technical Service Corporation.
The range figures are also provisional. EC type approval and conformity certification with official figures are not yet available. There may be differences between the stated figures and the official figures.
The Mercedes EQC crossover, which will start production in the first half of next year, is part of Diamler’s plan to develop an EQ electric line, Zetsche told reporters in Stockholm at the model’s world premiere.
The company intended to invest 10 billion euros ($12 billion) in its electric-vehicle push but has ended up spending “more than that,” he said, without specifying figures.
“There is no alternative to betting on electric cars, and we’re going all in,” Zetsche said. “It is starting right now.”
Mercedes-Benz’s first battery-powered models add to a growing array of high-end brands targeting Tesla Inc.
The car joins the Porsche Taycan, Audi E-tron and Jaguar I-Pace in putting pressure on Tesla as the California-based carmaker struggles to hit Model 3 production targets and earn profits. Mercedes plans to assemble the EQC at its factory in Bremen, where the automaker also makes its best-selling C-Class sedan. Daimler will build the car in China for the local market.
The EQC is set be profitable and will “offer the best package” compared to rivals, he said, declining to comment on pricing.
As electric cars take over from combustion engines, in coming years, Daimler plans to offer 10 fully electric cars by 2022. Mercedes will also spend 1 billion euros on battery production to create a network of eight facilities globally.
Audi’s E-tron will be launched later this month in San Francisco, Tesla’s backyard and the heart of the tech community.
Competition will be particularly fierce in the SUV and crossover categories. In addition to the Model X, which starts at about $85,000 before tax rebates, the rivals include the coming E-tron and Jaguar Land Rover’s well-received $70,000 I-Pace.
Daimler doesn’t plan to establish a dedicated electric assembly plant and will instead build the vehicles at the same sites as conventional automobiles to be able to better adjust output, Zetsche said, adding that he expects demand to mainly eat into sales of combustion cars rather than lure new customers.
