Mercedes-Benz Australia is introducing two new electric SUVs this year, but one has quietly left the local line-up.
“Orders are closed for the EQC but there is still some pre-built stock available in Australia,” said a spokesperson for Mercedes-Benz Australia.
The model page has disappeared from the local site, but a total of 35 EQCs nationwide are still listed for sale in Mercedes-Benz’s stock locator tool.
Otherwise, buyers will need to look at the smaller, more affordable EQA and EQB, or the new EQE SUV and EQS SUV due here in September, which are likely to be more expensive than the defunct EQC.
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EQE SUV -
GLC
Mercedes-Benz hasn’t confirmed a direct replacement for the EQC, however a report from Automotive News earlier this year said the three-pointed star would replace it with an electric version of the new GLC next year.
In a departure from the company’s EQ branding strategy, this model could simply be called GLC EV.
The new SUV was reportedly shown to North American dealers alongside a new-generation CLA, also set to offer electric power.
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EQC
While the current EQC is related to the previous-generation GLC, albeit with unique sheetmetal, the new model could instead follow the strategy employed with models like the GLA-based EQA, whereby much of the sheetmetal is carried over albeit with new front and rear end styling.
The GLC EV will reportedly offer 483km of range, though it’s unclear on which cycle. This could be on the US EPA cycle which tends to result in lower range figures for EVs, which suggests a potentially significant improvement over the EQC’s 417km WLTP claim.
The EQC, available with a single dual-motor powertrain, has been a fairly slow seller since entering production in 2019, with only 3825 sold in its home market of Germany in 2021.
It has also been withheld from the crucial US market, something Mercedes-Benz appears to be rectifying with its successor.
Sales of the EQC have increased each year in Australia, but it’s still a low-volume model. The brand sold 318 examples last year, its best year yet, but it was still outsold by the BMW iX3 (593 sales) and iX (477 sales).
From its launch to the end of July 2023, Mercedes-Benz has sold 1004 examples of the EQC in Australia.
