Image courtesy: Verve Times
Only a few months after introducing the EQA, Mercedes-first Benz’s genuine small electric SUV, the German carmaker now offers a somewhat bigger and more capable companion: the EQB. The firm will begin producing the EQA in Hungary and China this month, and will begin selling. The SUV in the United States in 2022, as revealed in full today at the 2021 IAA Mobility exhibition in Germany.
Mercedes-Benz displayed the EQB with a few other new electric vehicles it is introducing to its lineup. There’s the EQE sedan, which is a more affordable version of the EQS, the company’s flagship executive electric vehicle.
It’s not difficult to assume that interior room and range were among the reasons Mercedes-Benz decided against bringing the EQC to the United States. The EQB has a little more of both, but it may be difficult to sell in a market that is still sceptical of electric vehicles.
Nonetheless, the EQB is destined for many more markets in the United States, and it may find success in those other areas of the world. Mercedes-Benz said on Sunday that the SUV will be available in two versions: one with 225 horsepower and one with 288 horsepower, called the EQB 300 4MATIC and EQB 350 4MATIC, respectively. A front-wheel drive variant, as well as a “particularly long-range version,” will be available later, according to Mercedes-Benz.
Small- to mid-size electric SUVs can succeed in the United States; just look at the Tesla Model Y, which has already surpassed its sedan equivalent, the Model 3. Ford enjoyed early success with the Mustang Mach-E, and the new Chevy Bolts were performing well before to the company’s huge recall. However, higher-end imports that need some range compromise, such as Audi’s E-Tron, have not found as firm ground.
Mercedes-Benz will ultimately construct electric SUVs on the EQS platform (as it is doing with the EQE), and such ground-up EVs will naturally demand less sacrifice. The EQB will see if Mercedes-Benz can carve out a market share till that occurs.
