The Mercedes-Benz EQC
Mercedes-Benz’s first battery electric vehicle (EV) will make its debut in South Africa next year, with sales to start in 2020, says Mercedes-Benz Cars South Africa marketing director Selvin Govender.
The special edition EQC models to hit the road in 2019 will serve to create awareness for Mercedes-Benz’s new EQ EV brand, with the campaign to move on to sales from the showroom floor the next year, he adds.
“We need to slowly build up demand. We need to make the EQ brand attractive,” notes Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) co-CEO and Mercedes-Benz Cars executive director Johannes Fritz.
“We are preparing the ground for what is to come, but we still have a way to go in South Africa – us and other manufacturers.”
The EQC is built on the mid-size GLC sports-utility vehicle platform.
The Mercedes-Benz EQC is the first series-produced model to be launched under the EQ brand. It has an electric range of more than 450 km.
The car likely to follow in the production footsteps of the EQC is the EQA, an EV based on the compact A-Class platform.
The current concept EQA achieves a range of around 400 km, depending on the battery capacity installed.
By 2022, Mercedes-Benz Cars will have more than ten all-electric vehicles on the market, says Govender.
He notes that MBSA is working with other vehicle manufacturers in South Africa to investigate the roll-out of charging infrastructure in the country.
Current charging infrastructure is growing, but stations are few and far between, and mostly situated in large cities.
There are currently two EVs on sale in South Africa – the BMW i3 and the Nissan Leaf. Audi and Jaguar have indicated that they both plan to introduce EVs in the next two years.
Govender does not provide any hints on the price point of the EQC, noting only that MBSA can offset the costs of imported vehicles, owing to the fact that it produces vehicles at its East London plant, in the Eastern Cape.
He adds that it has always been accepted that South Africa will follow the rest of the world when it comes to the introduction of EVs and hybrid vehicles. However, he believes that the South African government could ease the transition through, for example, coordinating all EV-related activities.
Fritz notes that MBSA is “not waiting for anyone” to introduce its EVs onto the local market.
“We are going full throttle.”
“Charging stations are popping up everywhere,” adds Govender. “EVs are rolling out, regardless of whether government supports it. Society is supporting it. EVs and hybrids are coming and the push is now from below.”
Mercedes-Benz forecasts that battery-electric models are set to account for 15% to 25% of total unit sales by 2025, depending on customer preferences and the development of public infrastructure.