Mercedes-Benz confirms its EQC electric vehicle model will go on sale in China early next month, as the German company joins the queue of players taking aim at Tesla in the world’s largest EV market.
Why it matters: The arrival of the EQC comes at a time when China’s auto sales are in a 15-month prolonged slump.
- The German luxury carmaker will face fierce competition from Tesla in the high-end market. The US market leader began selling its China-built Model 3 sedans with advanced assisted driving function last week.
- Launched in Stockholm, Sweden late last year, the EQC is Mercedes’ first EV model.
Details: Mercedes on Thursday confirmed that the EQC 400, a fully electric sports utility vehicle with a range of 415 kilometers (258 miles), will officially go on sale in China on Nov. 8.
- The company will deliver the cars from a joint factory with partner BAIC Motor.
- Reports of the model’s release date and features circulated on Chinese media last week, with a rumored starting price of around RMB 580,000 (roughly $82,400).
- The exact price is not known but a dealership told TechNode that it will be around that price, adding deliveries will start as early as December.
- The launch follows Tuesday’s recall of some new EQC vehicles made at its Bremen plant, due to potentially defective transmissions. A total of 1,700 vehicles are affected, local media reported.
- Sales in China will be unaffected by the recall, a spokeswoman told TechNode on Thursday.
Context: Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler AG accelerated its electrification push in late 2017 when its China head Hubertus Troska revealed a $755 million investment to make battery-electric cars with Chinese manufacturing partner BAIC.
- There are plans to roll out at least 10 different all-electric vehicles globally over the coming years, and most of which them will also go on sale in China, said the company.