The First Mercedes-Benz EQC Rolls Off The Assembly Line – Arriving in the U.S. Next Year

This will go head-to-head with the Audi E-Tron

The EQC will make its way to Europe first.

While the Mercedes-Benz EQC isn’t scheduled to land in the U.S. until 2020, the brand’s first production example just rolled off the assembly line in Bremen, Germany. The first cars will head to Eruope, while the U.S. launch is scheduled sometime next year.

In the meantime, there are a few crucial numbers we can infer in terms of the EQC’s U.S. launch. Mercedes says the “net basic price” of the EQC in Germany starts at less €60,000. Beyond the barebones version, better-equipped base models will cost upwards of €70,000. That translates to roughly $79,000 here in the U.S., but it’s likely prices will differ. Audi is pricing their E-tron crossover at $74,800, and Mercedes will likely price it to compete. That means we can expect a similarly equipped EQC to cost somewhere around $75,000.

Mercedes-Benz also is well under the production limit for the full federal tax credit. Once the EQC goes on sale in 2020, buyers can take advantage of the full $7,500 tax credit.

Then there’s the question of range. There are no official U.S. figures yet, but there are European estimates. According to NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) testing, Mercedes says the EQC should manage between 276 and 292 miles on a charge. The EPA rating will almost certainly be less than that, so it’s likely Mercedes’ electric crossover will have similar range to a Jaguar I-Pace, around 240 miles. We won’t know for sure until it undergoes testing in the U.S. though.

Mercedes-Benz will announce official specs closer to its U.S. release date. The EQC will go on sale as a 2021 model.