All-electric Mercedes-Benz GLC expected next year

Development of the first battery-electric version of the Mercedes-Benz GLC is entering the final stretch and new intel obtained by carsales indicates it will make its global debut earlier than expected in 2025.

Originally thought to be a late-decade proposition, the all-electric mid-size luxury SUV now looks set to break cover next year in a bid to reinvigorate EV sales for the German premium brand.

First launched in Europe in mid-2022 and released Down Under in mid-2023 (and since joined by the Coupe body style and both 43 and 63 AMG versions), the second-generation GLC is Mercedes-Benz’s best-selling model both globally and in Australia so far this year, having overtaken the C-Class mid-size sedan and GLE large SUV – but not rivals like the Tesla Model Y and Lexus NX.

But as production of the similarly-sized EQC dedicated electric SUV comes to a close, Mercedes-Benz is gearing up for what’s set to be one of its biggest new model launches in decades.

Details of the new pure-electric sister model to the GLC 300 are thin on the ground, but spy photos of the crucial new EV have been snapped in Europe – including what are believed to be high-performance AMG versions.

At this stage it’s unclear whether the first GLC EV will be based on the same MRA2 platform as the existing mid-size SUV or the German car-maker’s new MB.EA Medium platform – or even the petrol/electric Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) that will underpin the next-generation CLA, GLA and GLB.

But either of the latter two platforms would bring several advanced EV-specific features that were lacking in the EQC, such as bi-directional charging with V2L (vehicle to load) V2H (vehicle-to-home) functionality, not to mention faster recharging capability via an 800V electrical architecture.

Based on the same original MRA platform as the first-generation GLC, the EQC was never sold in the US, but the Mercedes-Benz GLC EV is understood to be heading Stateside, significantly increasing its global sales potential.

It’s not entirely clear what the electric Mercedes-Benz GLC will be called, but if the new battery-powered G 580e with EQ Technology off-road SUV (previously referred to as the EQG) is any indication, it could be labelled as the GLC 300e ‘with EQ Technology’.

The renamed electric G-Class signals the move away from EQ branding for future Mercedes-Benz EVs and the likely end for nameplates like EQA, EQB, EQE and EQS, and a recent report from UK website Autoexpress suggests the EQ sub-brand will be axed altogether.

“EQ is the technical lead, future electric Mercedes-Benz won’t be EQ,” Mercedes product manager Tobi Mantele told the website.

So it’s now looking likely Mercedes-Benz will simply revert to common designs and nameplates for EV versions of models like the C-Class, GLC-Class, E-Class and S-Class, with unique variant monikers to delineate their EV underpinnings.

The German car-maker’s EQ electric brand has struggled to capture the imagination of customers in significant numbers and its polarising EV designs are currently being reworked, as evidenced by the conservative new 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS.

As EV sales level out globally, including in Australia, car-makers are increasingly back-pedalling on promises to switch to all-electric product portfolios, with Ford and Fiat being the latest to capitulate.

Mercedes-Benz has also hit the brakes on its electrification targets, which originally included a 50:50 sales split between petrol and electrified vehicles by 2025. Right now, only 11 per cent of all Mercedes-Benz sales globally are EVs, increasing to almost 20 per cent when hybrids are included.

A report from leading German business newspaper Handelsblatt recently also claimed that Mercedes-Benz has completely killed off the next-gen large vehicle platform that would have underpinned next-gen EQE and EQS models, suggesting that dedicated EVs and their EQ nameplates are both being quietly retired.

Digital images: Kolesa.ru

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