Maybach EQS SUV

Segment
SUV

Mercedes has finally joined the EV wars with the long-awaited EQC. Due to enter production in 2019, the electric SUV joins the fight against Tesla alongside the Jaguar I-Pace and the upcoming Audi e-Tron. With an estimated 200-mile range and two electric motors producing a combined 402 hp and 564 lb-ft of torque, the EQC can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 4.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 112 mph. It is, however, just the start of Mercedes' EV onslaught. According to Autocar, Mercedes will launch nine new EVs between now and 2022 to directly compete against Volkswagen's I.D. range of electric cars.

In addition to the EQC SUV, Mercedes will launch an EQA hatchback, which was previewed as a concept at Frankfurt last year, a smaller EQB SUV, and an EQS flagship sedan. Not all of these may come to America, however. Given that the Mercedes A-Class is only being sold as a sedan over here, it seems unlikely that the EQA hatchback will be sold Stateside. Rumors also suggest the Volkswagen I.D. hatch won't be coming to America either.

Three Smart electric vehicles, the Fortwo, Fortwo Cabriolet and Forfour, will bring the count to seven, and an electric V-Class, a passenger version of the Vito van sold in Europe, will also arrive by 2022. The remaining two EVs are unknown, but Autocar speculates one will likely be an EQA-based sedan for the Chinese market. "The EQ family will have several saloons in its portfolio, but the EQC was the right place to start strategically," said Mercedes R&D boss Ola Kallenius. "It's right at the heart of premium SUV volume."

Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche added: "With those 10 vehicles, we cover 60% of our relevant segments." Future vehicles could address the remaining 40%, depending on demand, according to Zetsche. As electric car sales gain traction, the CEO said that Mercedes could drop the EQ brand and launch EQ versions of Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and standard Mercedes cars. An all-electric AMG performance car will launch in the next five years according to Zetsche, but we will see more hybrid AMGs before then.