Mercedes-Benz's New EQC Might Be Its Fitting Reply To Tesla

Taking the fight to its rivals in the EV segment, Mercedes-Benz on Tuesday made its intention clear by launching the new EQC in Stockholm. The CUV is expected to hit the showrooms by 2020 and will lock horns with Tesla 3X and Audi e-tron.

The EV gets its power from an 80-kilowatt-hour battery that delivers a maximum range of upto 321 kmThe combined powertrain of two asynchronous powertrains on the car delivers 402bhp letting the EV reach triple-digit speed in about 4.9 seconds. Mercedes-Benz has well thought about the power consumption of the vehicle, hence, the front motor on the vehicle is optimised for efficiency in the low to medium load range while the rear accounts for a sporty performance.

"With the EQC ... we are flipping the switch," Mercedes-Benz Cars boss Dieter Zetsche said in a statement. "Electric drive is a major component in the mobility of the future. We are therefore investing more than 10 billion euros in the expansion of our EQ model portfolio and more than 1 billion euros in global battery production."

The German triad of automobiles has been equally putting efforts to tag along with the torrential shift interest towards electrified vehicles. This is, however, majorly accounted for the demanding new emission norms around the world. Major automakers around the world have opted the idea of switching into EVs as their only option in such a market.

German giant Audi, a week back produced its first model of e-tron while BMW is all set to launch the i-next in the coming week. The German's combined market share of the EV market is expected to surpass Tesla's to get to 11.8 percent by 2020. Mercedes-Benz was reportedly looking for a fresher lineup after its sales dipped almost 20 percent in the US.