According to German media, Mercedes-Benz plans to stop production of its first electric model EQC in May 2023. This would not only affect production in Bremen, but also in China at Beijing Benz Automotive (BBAC).
This was reported by Business Insider with reference to a letter from the manufacturer to its sales partners. In the letter, the model N 293, as the EQC is internally called, is said to contain the bolded note “Production until 3/05/2023”. This means that the EQC is to be built for the last time in May 2023.
When asked by Business Insider, a Mercedes spokesperson replied that they do not comment on “speculations about future model series and their planning”. Specifically, the portal had asked whether the planned end of production in May 2023 corresponded to the manufacturer’s original plans or whether the vehicle’s runtime had been shortened – the EQC was only launched in mid-2019 and would thus be discontinued after just four years.
One thing is clear: the electric SUV based on the combustion engine GLC failed to meet expectations. Even in its best sales year, the EQC came to less than 4,000 new registrations in Germany (specifically 3,825 EQC in 2021) and interest is already declining: in the first half of 2022, only 1,147 new EQC were registered. Incidentally, the planned launch on the US market never happened.
In addition to the lack of customer interest, the upcoming market launch of the SUV offshoots of the electric models EQS and EQE, which is to be presented later this year, is likely to be another reason. The EQE SUV, which is based on the purely electric EVA2 platform, is likely to steal some customers away from the aging EQC, which is based on a combustion engine. In terms of key data such as consumption, range and charging performance, the EQC has meanwhile fallen behind its competitors.
In Germany, the EQC 400 4MATIC is available at prices starting at 66,068 euros. In the USA, the planned market launch last year did not happen. There is also the EQC 400 4MATIC AMG Line, which is priced from 73,208 euros. The document, which Business Insider was able to view, also gives a concrete indication of the delivery times in Germany: if ordered today, both EQC variants should be delivered in the first quarter of 2023.
Keyword: Mercedes rumoured to drop the EQC in 2023