New electric Mercedes EQC revealed

Date Posted 6th September 2018
Read Time 3 min read

With bans on combustion engines looming in the UK and the establishment of low-emission zones in cities across Europe, major car firms have been scrambling to enter the electric vehicles market.

So, it came as little surprise this week when German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz revealed their first purely electric model – the Mercedes EQC 400 4Matic SUV.

It joins the all-electric market in a bid to compete with the means of electric car manufacturing giants – Tesla and Jaguar. Dr Dieter Zetsche, Mercedes-Benz chairman, told CNBC “Tesla is a successful automotive company… [but] we want to be no.1 by latest 2025 in the electric premium segment.”

The EQC comes as the first of ten from Mercedes’ EQ range, all planned to be launched by 2022. BMW announced it will introduce an electric version of every model it sells and Audi plans for 25% of its sales to come from electric vehicles by 2025. A coming wave of electric cars from established luxury brands in the next couple of years will be a true game changer to the electric cars’ market.

Revealed ahead of a public debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show, the EQC is a 4.7m long five-seat SUV. The EQC will be available in 2020, with expected pricing of around £60,000. Battery cars of this type are currently eligible for a UK government grant of £4,500.

Ahead of the launch, it had been suggested that the electric motor’s range would be 310 miles, but using the new more realistic WLTP testing procedure, a reduced real-world range of 450 km or 280 miles has been confirmed. An 80 kWh lithium-ion battery gives a top speed of 112mph and the ability of 0-62mph in just 5.1 seconds.

Recharging times for the EQC using a high-current DC charger is 40 minutes for an 80 percent charge. Using the car’s 7.4 kW onboard charger at home will take around 10.8 hours.

Inside, the EQC houses the same widescreen digital displays as the latest A-Class, running Mercedes’ MBUX infotainment system. EQ-specific enhancements include graphics to show energy flow, remaining range and charging status.

By the time it goes on sale, competition will be fierce. In the luxury market alone, the EQC is against the highly successful Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-Pace, as well as upcoming electric SUVs from BMW and Audi. Porsche has an all-electric crossover car on the way too. Not to mention, all other automakers playing below the luxury market space who have electric SUV crossovers – Ford, Hyundai and Volkswagen.

If you want to get behind this exciting new innovation and enter the world of electric vehicles, speak to us today and we will help you fulfil your motoring needs. Call us on 01254 956 666 or enquire here.


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