Mercedes-Benz to bring back EQC in a new avatar, will challenge Tesla Model 3

3 months ago | 34 Views

Mercedes-Benz is working on a completely new electric car that will come wearing the EQC nomenclature. Interestingly, this comes almost a year after the original Mercedes-Benz EQC was discontinued worldwide in the second quarter of 2023 following a comprehensive review of market developments by the German luxury auto giant. However, the automaker didn't make an official announcement about the discontinuation of the original EQC.

Now, Motor1 has reported that the OEM is working on a new EQC, which will come as a fresh product and will challenge the Tesla Model 3. The new EQC will also go up against a Neue Klasse architecture-riding BMW 3 Series sedan-esque EV that has been confirmed for launch in 2026.

Watch: Mercedes-Benz EQC electric SUV | First Drive Review

The upcoming new EQC will reportedly come taking lessons from the Vision EQXX concept. The report further states that the new Mercedes-Benz EQC would be about the size of a CLA or C-Class sedan and will be underpinned by the Modular Mercedes Architecture (MMA), which is a platform sharable by both the internal combustion engine models and electric vehicles. In this case, the new EQC will follow suit as the old EQC, which shared its underpinnings with combustion engine-powered cars. The upcoming EQC will be one of the four initial EVs to be based on the MMA platform, alongside a pair of crossovers and an estate.

The report claims the new EQC will do away with the much-criticised bulbous shape of the EQ cars. Instead, it will feature a fresh design. Expect it to come drawing design influence from the Vision EQXX concept to achieve superior aerodynamic efficiency. Also, it could take design influence from the swoopy CLA concept.

On the powertrain front, expect the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQC to get variable battery pack technologies. The lower variants would get lithium-ion phosphate chemistry cells for the battery pack, while the higher variants would get silicon-oxide anodes for higher energy density promising a better range per charging cycle.