Mercedes will bring EQC crossover to the U.S. after all

Mercedes-Benz plans to bring the next generation of its EQC electric compact crossover to the U.S. around 2025, as well as a battery-powered C-Class sedan, the automaker told dealers this month.

Mercedes had planned to introduce the EQC crossover with the debut of its EQ subbrand in the U.S. in early 2020. But after delaying the launch by a year, the company scrapped plans to bring the model here.

The EQC is part of a fleet of electric vehicles Mercedes is launching in the U.S. as it shifts toward being an EV-only brand.

The two new models will be built on the Mercedes Modular Architecture electric platform, which the automaker said should offer longer range, faster charging and a more efficient drivetrain. The platform's skateboard design also opens up the interior for more passenger and cargo space.

The current EQC crossover is based on the combustion engine GLC crossover. Powered by an 80-kilowatt-hour battery, the EQC has a range of up to 257 miles on a full charge, based on the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure.

Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dimitris Psillakis had said the current EQC was not the right model to launch the EQ subbrand with in the U.S.

"When you launch a new brand, you have to have the right products. We cannot come to the market with half-cooked plans," Psillakis told Automotive News in May.

"Clearly, we were not ready to launch the EQ brand [during COVID]. We made the decision to delay the launch of the brand to prepare ourselves and the network with the right product."

But dealers have been clamoring for a battery-powered version of the GLC for the light truck-oriented U.S.

The gasoline-powered crossover was the second bestselling Mercedes model in the first nine months of the year. And premium compact crossover sales climbed 21 percent in the U.S. through September, accounting for 21.7 percent of the U.S. luxury market, according to Automotive News Research & Data Center.

"With 75 percent of what we sell being some type of light truck, clearly we need more electric crossovers," said Jeff Aiosa, owner of Mercedes-Benz of New London in Connecticut. "Having a void in the segment for four years, five years is a protracted period of time."