Remember the Mercedes-Benz EQC? It’s the German luxury automaker’s first-ever electric SUV and also the first model to bear the “EQ” moniker that’s now slapped on the back of cars like the EQE and EQS, both in sedan and SUV form.

Or rather, it was, because the EQC has been dead for a year and we only found out now thanks to a report from our sister site, Motor1. As per Jan Weber, International EQ-Product Communications at Mercedes-Benz, the EQC was discontinued in the second quarter of 2023 as planned.

Nobody bothered to tell the world when that happened, however.

The car’s short lifespan was briefly under the spotlight when a July 2022 report from the German edition of Business Insider mentioned the EQC’s scheduled discontinuation in May 2023, but that was pretty much the end of the story.

If you’re wondering why this is the first time you’re reading about this car, rest assured, you’re not the first one. The Mercedes-Benz EQC never made it to the United States and was instead limited primarily to Europe and China—where it was far from a best-seller. According to sales figures from GoodCarBadCar, the EQC sold just a little over 51,000 units in Europe from 2019 to 2022, while in China it did even worse with fewer than 14,000 units in the same period.

Based on the same platform as the combustion-powered GLC, the EQC was powered by a 402-horsepower dual-motor setup that drew juice from an 80-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Even though it was never sold in the U.S., Mercedes-Benz wanted to, at least initially, so the EQC got an EPA range rating of 220 miles, whereas the WLTP figure stood at 259 miles on a full charge.

The EV was delayed for over a year and in the end, the German automaker decided against bringing it stateside, “following a comprehensive review of market developments.” In other words, they thought it wouldn’t sell.

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With all being said, however, the Mercedes-Benz EQC is set to return as an all-electric sedan based on the newly developed MMA platform which can also support combustion powertrains. The name is not yet official, but spy shots of prototypes suggest the upcoming electric sedan will be roughly the same size as a BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.

Set to debut next year, the next-gen EQC will be the first of four initial EVs on the MMA architecture, with the others being a pair of crossovers and a wagon that could replace the current GLA, GLB and CLA Shooting Brake.

Meanwhile, reeling from the unpopularity of its EQ models, Mercedes is rethinking its EV plans overall, investing in more internal combustion engines and delaying other electric platform investments. 

The Mercedes-Benz EQC Has Actually Been Dead For a Year

The Mercedes-Benz EQC, an all-electric SUV that was once touted as the German automaker’s foray into the electric vehicle market, has been officially discontinued for over a year now. Despite its initial promise and high expectations, the EQC failed to make a significant impact in the popular electric vehicle sector, ultimately leading to its demise.

Launched in 2019, the Mercedes-Benz EQC was positioned as a direct rival to the likes of the Tesla Model X and the Audi e-tron. With a sleek design, impressive range, and luxury features typical of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, the EQC seemed poised to capture a significant market share of the growing electric vehicle market. However, early production delays and supply chain issues plagued the launch of the EQC, leading to a slow start for the SUV.

The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the struggles of the Mercedes-Benz EQC, as demand for luxury vehicles plummeted and production facilities were forced to shut down. As a result, Mercedes-Benz made the decision to discontinue the EQC in early 2020, just a year after its launch. The company cited poor sales performance and a shifting focus towards other electric vehicle models as the reasons for the discontinuation.

Despite its short-lived existence, the Mercedes-Benz EQC did pave the way for other electric vehicles in the Mercedes-Benz lineup, such as the EQA and EQB. These newer models have garnered more success in the electric vehicle market, thanks to improved technology, range, and design. As Mercedes-Benz aims to transition towards a more sustainable future, the demise of the EQC serves as a lesson in the ever-evolving landscape of electric vehicles.

In conclusion, the Mercedes-Benz EQC has indeed been dead for over a year now, marking a brief and unsuccessful chapter in the German automaker’s electric vehicle journey. While the EQC may have fallen short of expectations, its legacy lives on in the form of newer, more advanced electric vehicle models from Mercedes-Benz. As the automotive industry continues to shift towards electrification, it is clear that the EQC’s demise was just the beginning of a new era for Mercedes-Benz and electric vehicles as a whole.