autoblog | Antti Kautonen | 08/27/2018
The Mercedes-Benz electric sub-brand, EQ, is one step closer to showrooms. The carmaker announced that EQ’s first model has an official launch date, and it’s only a week away; the news came together with a first look at the EQ model that will help launch the brand.
EQ’s first vehicle will be an electric crossover, and the name EQ C has been floated around for it. To build up excitement, Mercedes released teaser material during the weekend, and this short clip posted on Instagram shows the vehicle’s front end with its LED DRL strips. The full vehicle will be shown in Stockholm on Sept. 4.
As Leftlane News notes, the GLC-size electric SUV (hence the EQ C designation) will be built on an electric-only, modular platform developed for the occasion. No further information has been made available yet, and we don’t yet know the range or the battery pack’s specifications.
The Mercedes-Benz EQ C is likely a 2020 model. While powertrain details haven’t formally been revealed, the concept that spawned this crossover had dual motors, one at each end, providing 402 horsepower to all four wheels. It also had a range of between 250 and 300 miles. If these specifications translate to the production model, it will be aimed squarely at the Tesla Model X, Jaguar I-Pace and Audi E-Tron. That also means that a base price in the $70,000 range, or even a little more, is likely.
Since the Instagram post calls the LED light and grille part “the very first design detail,” it’s likely that more teaser shots will be posted online this week. But we’ve actually already seen quite a bit more of this crossover than these teasers would indicate — back in June, Mercedes provided “official spy shots” of it in light camouflage.
Of course, the EQ C is just the start of the EQ brand, with a whole line of cars planned. And meanwhile, on the weekend, Mercedes-Benz presented the EQ Silver Arrow halo concept at Pebble Beach. The long-hooded supercar draws inspiration from 1930s speed record cars
