Mercedes spent last week talking up and showing off its new AMG GT coupe in Monterey, but while the GT might add some glamor to the range, it’s going to be nowhere near as important to the automaker’s bottom line as the second-generation EQC SUV, snapped here in prototype form for the first time.
The current EQC has been around since 2018, and its strong points include a smart cabin and low levels of road noise. But it’s compromised by being based on the combustion GLC, has a relatively short driving range, and is neither as fun to drive nor useful to live with as some rivals. This includes the Tesla Model Y, which has dominated sales tables in multiple countries, not just for EVs, but for overall vehicle sales.
But maybe EQC: The Sequel could change all that. For its second outing, the electric SUV switches to a dedicated Mercedes EV platform that should should help engineers find additional cabin and luggage space, and it might even help cut the curb weight to improve performance and range. Benz is also using this same component set to develop a similarly-sized sedan that will battle BMW’s upcoming four-door Neue Klasse in the second half of this decade. And though the platform can also accommodate combustion power, this time the fossil-chomping hardware will have to work with what the EV program gives them, not the other way around.
Related: Mercedes CLA And GLC EVs Coming Next Year With Up To 400 Miles Of Range
The bulky disguise on the nose and tail, plus placeholder head- and taillights prevents us from seeing the new SUV’s finer front and rear details, but expect to see a black grille covered with multiple star motifs. What we can already make out despite the disguise are the flush-fit door handles, unusual mismatched swage lines on the front and rear doors (unless that’s clever disguise?), pronounced rear hips, and a high-set tail. Compared with the combustion GLC shadowing it in these pics, the EV prototype has a slightly sportier roofline, though it’s nowhere near as rakish as the one on the GLC Coupe.
As for the name, well, we’re calling this the second-generation EQC, but it seems like Mercedes might not follow suit. Reports earlier this year suggested Mercedes would begin phasing out its EQ badges in 2024, so it would make sense for this extremely important model, which must be at least 12 months away, to adopt the new naming strategy, whatever that is.
