Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that it will kill off the B-Class Electric Drive after the 2017 model year.
Speaking to Autonews, Mercedes-Benz USA spokesman Rob Moran said that production would be phased out in the third quarter of this year so the automaker can turn its attention towards it impending range of EQ vehicles.
Moran said that the assembly plant in Rastatt, Germany, responsible for building the B-Class Electric Drive will soon be converted to build the firm’s updated compact vehicles from 2018.
The cancellation of the electric B-Class comes as no real shock as it has never been particularly popular. In fact, since hitting the U.S. market in December 2013, only 3,651 examples have been sold across the country.
In a statement, Moran said “Due to our strategic focus on [connectivity, autonomous driving, sharing and electric drive systems] for the mobility of the future, we are planning the step-by-step electrification of our portfolio. Moreover, we are evaluating the production of our new generation of electric vehicles at all of our locations of Mercedes Benz Cars.”
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