The thirst for electric vehicles appears to be tapering off and Mercedes dealers in the USA indicate that they’re not immune. In a recent report, a few have gone as far as to say that the EQS electric flagship isn’t aspirational enough. Data suggests that Mercedes takes nearly twice the time to sell an EV compared to Audi and BMW.
The big three German luxury brands have all approached electrification slightly differently. Despite differing tactics to gain EV market share, all three have seen sales slow down over the last year. Neither BMW nor Audi though are experiencing the kind of drop that Mercedes is.
According to new data from Edmunds, it took Mercedes dealers an average of 82 days to sell an EQ model in September. That’s much more than Audi’s average of 46 days and BMW’s average of 38 days. The segment average was 57 days due in part to Mercedes’ bad score.
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According to dealers, the diminishing desire for EVs is one part of the problem. “The EVs are coming whether or not you asked for them or earned them,” he said to Automotive News. “There is too much of a price premium — especially at the top end of the EQ lineup — and almost no [lease] support.”
Typically, luxury brands have their buyers lining up to get the latest and greatest but evidently, the EQS isn’t desirable enough. “Our cars need to be ‘want’ cars,” he said. “The S-Class has maintained good loyalty because it’s aspirational. An EQS is not something that most people aspire to own.”
According to Dimitris Psillakis, the boss of Mercedes Benz USA, the issue is navigating a new segment and getting the mix of products right. “We still face challenges around our product lines and have some restrictions coming from suppliers,” Psillakis said. “We don’t always get the volume we want when we want it.”
He’s hoping that an increase in the production of lower-cost EQ models and a diminishment of higher-end ones will increase sales. Will that be enough to return the electrified S-Class to rarified air? Only time will tell but if the change doesn’t happen fast enough, Mercedes might be forced to update the vehicle sooner rather than later.
