Mercedes-Benz Denies EQC Production Issues, Says It Plans To Build 50,000 Examples In 2020

The U.S. will still have to wait until 2021 for its official launch

Mercedes-Benz Denies EQC Production Issues, Says It Plans To Build 50,000 Examples In 2020
[Photos: Mercedes-Benz, unless otherwise noted]

Daimler denies earlier reports of a battery shortage causing delays.

German publication Manager Magazin recently reported that the manufacturer struggled to meet demand due to a battery shortage. This shortage came about after Tesla purchased Grohmann Engineering, whom Benz had hired to improve their battery production capabilities.

However, according to a new statement given to Reuters, Mercedes-Benz spokesperson Joerg Howe claims that production for 2020 will be unaffected. Instead, he said the company plans to build 50,000 units this year. That update comes in the wake of other recent problems facing the company’s first mass-production EV, as the EQC already faced problems in its first year of production due to recall for potential issues with its differential. Here in the U.S., Mercedes pushed back the EQC’s launch date into 2021.

Mercedes-Benz Denies EQC Production Issues, Says It Plans To Build 50,000 Examples In 2020

The EQC is a critically important model for Mercedes to manufacture this year in order to reduce its average fleet emissions. Daimler may be subject to major fines in the U.S. if it cannot successfully improve on its carbon footprint.

Analytics firm PA Consulting said Daimler had average fleet emissions of 130.4 grams of CO2 per kilometer in 2018. By next year, the company needs to reduce that figure by nearly 30 percent to 103.1 grams/km.

While some in the industry expected the legacy manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz to seriously counter Tesla in the electric market, it hasn’t happened at this point. Issues of relatively poor range and high prices continue to affect sales for those automakers that have made their way into the market at all.

[Photo: Tesla]

Tesla recently hit a record market value of $100 billion, which is a first for any American automotive manufacturer. Now worth more than Ford and GM combined, the electric car company is moving forward as it ramps up production in China, as well as the U.S.

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