The EQE SUV is priced at about half the price of the EQS SUV that Mercedes-Benz launched in China on February 21.
(Image credit: Mercedes-Benz)
Mercedes-Benz has launched a new electric SUV in China that is about half the price of the more expensive EQS SUV it launched earlier this year, trying to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the rapid growth of the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) market.
Mercedes-Benz's joint venture in China, Beijing Benz, let the EQE SUV go on sale on May 27, based on the EVA all-electric platform, the 12th model produced by the German luxury carmaker in China.
The vehicle is available in four versions in China, with starting prices of RMB 486,000 ($68,660), RMB 510,000, RMB 564,600 and RMB 630,600 respectively.
That price is roughly half that of the EQS SUV that Mercedes-Benz launched in China on February 21, which was offered in two versions starting at RMB 910,500 and RMB 1,100,500 at launch.
The EQE SUV measures 4,880 mm in length, 2,032 mm in width and 1,679 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,030 mm.
In terms of powertrain, the model is available in two versions, 350 4MATIC and 500 4MATIC, with electric motors of 215 kW and 300 kW respectively, and they accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds and 5.1 seconds respectively.
The EQE SUV comes standard with a battery pack with a capacity of 96.1 kWh and a maximum CLTC range of 613 km.
The vehicle supports a maximum charging power of 128 kW, and the minimum time required to increase the range from 10 percent to 80 percent is 48 minutes.
The vehicle supports the Adaptive Damping System Plus (ADS+) and AIRMATIC options.
For comparison, the EQS SUV measures 5,137 mm in length, 1,965 mm in width and 1,721 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 3,210 mm. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds.
The launch of the EQE SUV comes at a time when Mercedes-Benz's performance in the Chinese EV market has been lukewarm.
In the China Passenger Car Association's (CPCA) ranking of car companies' new energy vehicle (NEV) sales in China, Mercedes-Benz never made it.
On November 15, 2022, Mercedes-Benz announced a reduction in the suggested retail prices of some EQ series models by up to RMB 237,600 to boost sales.
($1 = RMB 7.0782)
Mercedes-Benz slashes EQ series prices in China by up to $33,740
