News

Mercedes EQS will be built in India from later this year

Mercedes will become the very first global luxury automaker to build vehicles in India where the EQS will enter production in the fourth quarter of 2022. The company’s local brand boss Martin Schwenk made the disclosure in an interview with Automotive News Europe. He went on to say this move represents the first step to expand EV offerings in Asia. Sales of the flagship electric liftback assembled locally will commence towards the end of the year.

The three-pointed star is selling a zero-emission vehicle already in the world’s second-most populous country as the EQC has been imported to since 2020. However, the EQS will be the first dedicated EV to be sold in India as the crossover shares the same platform with the combustion-engined GLC. Also coming to the South Asian country are the EQB and EQE models, with both scheduled to arrive later this year.

Electric vehicles do not represent a hot commodity in India due to their high asking prices, which is especially true in the case of EVs sold by a luxury brand. For example, the aforementioned EQC kicks off at the equivalent of $144,567 at current exchange rates, mainly because the local authorities are taxing fully built import cars at an exorbitant 100%.

The local Mercedes-Benz division isn’t going into any details for the time being regarding how much money will have to be invested to build the EQS in India. However, Martin Schwenk did tell ANE around $54 million have been invested in the last two years to bring the grand total to approximately $351 million.

Mercedes has pledged to become a purely electric brand by 2030 where market conditions will allow it, but it’s safe to say India won’t be ready by then. Customer demand is unlikely to catch up in these next eight years, let alone for expensive models produced by luxury brands.

Source: Automotive News

Adrian Padeanu

Editor EVGLOBE

Recent Posts

BMW iX is The Best EV in 2024

In 2024, the BMW iX has been crowned the best electric vehicle (EV) by Consumer…

4 months ago

Will the BMW iX Get a Second Generation?

The BMW iX represents the pinnacle of the brand's current electric vehicle offerings, having made…

5 months ago

MINI John Cooper Works (J01) Teased

MINI is set to break new ground with the introduction of its inaugural electric John…

5 months ago

BMW i5 Flow NOSTOKANA Changes Its Colors

The essence of the 12th BMW Art Car thrives in the distinctive i5, mirroring the…

9 months ago

Tesla Model 3 vs. Nio ET5 – Drag Race

Carwow's latest unusual drag race, brought to you by the German branch of the popular…

1 year ago

2024 BMW i5 xDrive40 and 550e xDrive Coming To The US

The i5 xDrive40 has made its appearance on the 2024 model year pricing list, and…

1 year ago