Mercedes-Benz will reportedly drop the electric EQE sedan and related EQE SUV in 2026, abandoning previous plans for a mid-life facelift for both as it revises its electric vehicle (EV) strategy.
Autocar reports the two electric models will be indirectly, temporarily replaced by the upcoming electric Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedan – caught testing last month – and GLC EV.
Mercedes-Benz is yet to officially confirm the end of production for the EQE pair, which in Australia have seen discounts of almost $70,000 alongside the related EQS and EQS SUV.
A new electric E-Class is set to be introduced in 2027, with no replacement for the EQE SUV expected.
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The new EQ Technology models will use the automaker’s new, 800V MB.EA-M electric architecture and a repositioned flat battery pack for improved packaging, with rapid charging at speeds of up to 320kW offering 400km range in 15 minutes.
The German brand has confirmed it will drop its previous EQ naming convention for its EVs, meaning the two new models will be badged as the ‘C-Class with EQ Technology’ and ‘GLC with EQ Technology’.
Neither have been officially confirmed yet for Mercedes-Benz Australia showrooms.
Mercedes-Benz is also moving to a “coherent design language” across its portfolio, which will see its EVs more closely resemble its combustion-powered vehicles.
That’s in stark contrast with the EQE and EQE SUV, which have a much more rounded, amorphous design language than the likes of the C-Class, E-Class and GLE.
Showing a teaser in early August, Mercedes-Benz has already announced the GLC EQ’s planned reveal for this month’s Munich motor show, starting on September 7.
It will face off arch-rival BMW as it pulls the covers of the first of its ‘Neue Klasse’ generation of vehicles, the 2026 iX3 SUV – a direct competitor to the GLC EQ SUV.
The GLC EQ is expected in Australian showrooms sometime in 2026 or early 2027, with the C-Class EQ sedan also anticipated to go on sale in 2027.
Details released so far – including on a prototype drive attended by CarExpert – revealed the GLC EQ will offer both lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries.
Claimed range is more than 800km (WLTP), outdoing the already impressive 626km range offered by the EQE300 currently in Australian showrooms.
The new platform will also introduce a new MB.OS (Mercedes-Benz operating system) ‘super brain’ for on-board infotainment, with artificial intelligence (AI) support, as well as the vehicle’s advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).
The move comes after Mercedes-Benz revised its EV strategy, having been outsold by around two-to-one in the global EV sales battle by BMW in 2024.
Last year, Mercedes-Benz softened its target for EVs to account for 50 per cent of its global sales, moving the goalposts from 2025 to 2030. That 2030 target also now includes plug-in hybrids, too.
It also admitted key mistakes in its electrification efforts, saying it lost customers in moving the Mercedes-AMG C63 from a V8 to a four-cylinder plug-in hybrid, while an anonymous company executive reportedly described its electric G-Class as “a complete flop”.
Last month, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius told a German newspaper the European car industry is facing “collapse” if the European Union’s planned 2035 ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine-powered vehicles goes ahead.
The EQE and EQE SUV entered production in 2022, sharing Mercedes-Benz’s Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA) with the larger EQS and EQS SUV.
None have been huge sellers for the three-pointed star brand. It paused sales of all of these in the US earlier this year due to slow sales, while in Australia it has rolled out significant discounts on existing stock.
MORE: Everything Mercedes-Benz EQE • EQE SUV