Mercedes’ first all-electric SUV will join the ranks of Jaguar I-Pace, Audi E-Tron and Tesla Model X, once it arrives in the market in 2020.
The German manufacturer will reveal the production version of the EQ C in 2019, which is expected to be powered by a pair of electric motors with a combined output of over 400hp as previewed by the 2016 EQ concept.
The test car you see in the spy shots is still heavily camouflaged, using body extensions on the bonnet and bumpers to hide its design features but the overall shape remains pretty familiar.
Size-wise, the electric EQ C will fall somewhere between the GLC and GLE models but it will use Daimler’s new EVA architecture that’s designed specifically for battery-electric vehicles. Mercedes plans to launch no less than four different bodystyles on the electric-only platform for its EQ model range.
As with every other premium electric vehicle, the Mercedes EQ C will have its battery pack mounted on the floor in order to keep the weight center as low as possible. Mercedes wants the EQ C to offer up to 310 miles (500km) of driving between full charges.
Mercedes is keen to give the EQ C a more fun-to-drive character, with the model’s chief engineer Michael Kelz saying “The pre-production EQ C offers a very safe driving feel and is also so much fun that it leaves a permanent smile on its driver’s face.”
Production of the Mercedes EQ C is expected to start in Bremen in 2019, with the company probably picking that year’s Frankfurt Motor Show for the official reveal.
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