[Auto] 2024 Mercedes C-Class EV first to get Vision EQXX range tech

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The first next-generation Mercedes-Benz entry-point vehicles will arrive in 2024 as a four-door CLA-sized saloon with tech from the super-efficient Vision EQXX concept.

Confirmed to Autocar by the brand’s head of exterior design, Robert Lesnik, the currently unnamed car will be the first to be released as the first under the marque’s "entry luxury" branding and be around 4.7 metres long. 

Essentially an electric equivalent of the ICE-powered Mercedes-Benz C-Class saloon, it will provide Mercedes with a long-awaited executive EV to rival the likes of the Polestar 2, BMW i4 and indomitable Tesla Model 3.

An AMG variant will come a year later, Lesnik confirmed, fitted with some of the EQXX’s active aerodynamics, such as its moving diffuser. It will also get an active spoiler.

The sleek EQXX will also form the look of the new "entry luxury" range, Lesnik said, with visual inspiration coming from the concept. The AMG variant will most likely get its own, more aggressive styling.

It will be one of the first to use the brand’s upcoming Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA) platform, conceived for small and mid-sized EVs.

When it arrives, it will be the one of the first pieces of the brand's radical new electric plan, which includes ushering in electric options in crucial new segments and introducing a range of new platforms with unprecedented range and performance capabilities.

The marque’s line-up of electric models already comprises a wide variety of cars of different shapes and segments – ranging from the Mercedes-Benz EQA hatchback to the new Mercedes-Benz EQS flagship – and it will be extended further with the launch of electric version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class 4x4 by 2024.

The company’s commitment to offering a electric version of every model by 2025 is among the most ambitious electrification pledges of any mainstream manufacturer. This comes alongside a commitment to develop only bespoke EV architectures from 2024 – starting with the MMA.

One of four new EV architectures being developed by engineers in Stuttgart as part of the wide-reaching electric offensive, the MMA will be instrumental in future-proofing some of Mercedes’ best-selling and most crucial models. 

Last year, Schäfer told Autocar the MMA platform will be used for compact cars but “has the potential to reach into the mid-size segment as well” and confirmed the potential for a dedicated EV offering in the mid-sized executive sector.

The current C-Class is one of the few remaining legacy Mercedes models without a direct EV equivalent, but the plug-in hybrid Mercedes-Benz C300e has one of the longest electric ranges of any PHEV on sale, at an official 68 miles, and the recently launched EQE saloon helps to fill the gap between the C-Class and the EQS electric limousine.

Likewise, Mercedes’ existing bespoke EVs are among the longest-legged in their respective segments, but the new-generation EVs will take this further. They will combine power-dense battery packs with hyper-efficient motors, lightweight construction methods and super-slick bodywork to fully maximise efficiency, as demonstrated by the radical (and fully functioning) EQXX prototype, which gives the most concrete clues yet as to the electric future of the po[CENSORED]r C-Class.

Company bosses have already admitted the Mercedes-Benz EQXX will not directly evolve into a production car, but in its conception, design and capability, it serves to preview Mercedes’ future line-up, and in its positioning, it is more closely related to the C-Class than any other model. So while the eventual production descendant of this concept will be larger (the EQXX is just 1350mm tall and a full 162mm shorter than the EQE) and more conventionally styled, it will remain true to the core characteristics.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/2024-mercedes-c-class-ev-first-get-vision-eqxx-range-tech