The next-generation Mercedes-Benz EQC is shaping up to give the Tesla Model Y a run for its money, with a camouflaged prototype spotted while testing once again, this time tackling the snowy conditions in Northern Europe. The second-generation EQC is a big deal for the German company. Not only does it have the potential to be one of the firm’s best-selling models but it will represent a significant step from the outgoing version as it will be based on a dedicated EV platform, rather than a shared architecture with the combustion versions of the GLC.
The new platform will be called MB.EA and
will be scalable, offering support for EVs of different sizes. Technical
details about the new EQC are not yet known, but the shift to a dedicated EV
platform will no doubt allow Mercedes-Benz to improve cabin space and
efficiency. The shift to this new architecture should also enable quicker
charging and improved handling characteristics.
While the camouflage of this prototype
does a good job of hiding the new design, we can see that the second-generation
EQC looks quite similar in size to the outgoing model. The front end is as
curvaceous as the current model, eschewing the trend among many automakers to
adopt sharp and aggressive lines. The styling of the next EQC appears softer
and more approachable, with its design less likely to cause controversy than
whatever BMW comes up with for its first Neue Klasse-based SUV.
The spy photographers have not yet snapped
any photos of the new model’s interior but it should be more modern than the
outgoing model and could be one of the brand’s first models to use its new
MB.OS infotainment system.
