Mercedes’ EQ models haven’t been flying off lots…and its putting the brakes on U.S. sales in the coming weeks.
Over the past few years, Mercedes-Benz spent a considerable amount of time, production capacity and marketing spend bringing its EQ-branded vehicles to the U.S. It started with the EQS sedan over here, followed quickly by the SUV version, then the smaller EQE (again, both as a sedan and SUV) and the EQB. Now, the automaker is putting the kibosh on all EQ production bound for U.S. dealers — at least temporarily.
The company confirmed as much to several media outlets, as a spokesperson also noted U.S.-spec EQ models will halt production on September 1, 2025, with no time frame for when it may restart. All the while, it’s been slashing prices by several thousand dollars on the EQS and the EQE. The EQS SUV, for example, saw a $15,300 price drop to a $91,100 MSRP between the 2025 and 2026 model years (per a Motor1 report).
So, what exactly is going on? There are quite a few factors at play, from the looming end of the federal EV tax credit on September 30 to a glut of EQ cars sitting in dealer inventory. Throughout the current-generation lineup, opinions also haven’t been kind toward Mercedes’ styling direction, particularly with the “egg-shaped” EQS. By extension, that sentiment translated downmarket to the similarly designed EQE. Aerodynamically efficient they might be, but many folks wouldn’t exactly call their looks exciting or evocative.
Depreciation also hits Mercedes EQ models hard…in part because of the controversial styling I just mentioned. $101,140 for an EQS sedan is a tough pill to swallow, but shop for an early one and you can easily find 2022 model year examples under $50,000. And dealers are rapidly dropping prices on used examples to try and move them on.
The world around EVs is uncertain and consumer sentiment (at least among American buyers) isn’t there, so Mercedes is stopping production. On this development, it said, “as a company with global activities and more than 30 plants worldwide, including in Alabama (where it builds SUVs) and South Carolina (where it builds vans), Mercedes-Benz continuously optimizes its production network and uses its high flexibility to react quickly to market conditions.”
Right now, the Vance, Alabama plant that also builds the GLS (including the Maybach) and GLE will continue building those gas models unabated. On the EV front, it will also continue building EQ models for export overseas — just not to ship to U.S. dealers. Naturally, the automaker isn’t pointing a finger at any one specific reason why it’s stopping production, and why it’s doing so as of September 1, instead of the end of 2025, for example.
It is important to note that the new electric vehicles on the Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) aren’t affected. The new CLA will still come to the U.S. on schedule later this year, then, as well the upcoming electric GLC. That SUV is set to make its official debut at the IAA motor show in Frankfurt on September 7, just after the company stops U.S.-bound production of its EQ models.
