Like many other car companies, Mercedes-Benz wants to switch to making only electric cars in the next few decades. That starts with only a few EVs on dealer lots right now. However, those same dealers need help removing their stock and getting people to buy its high-end EQ-branded cars. Also, they are starting to complain anonymously to the press that Mercedes is stopping the rollout of electric cars by making cars that aren’t “aspirational” enough. That’s not okay! Several store employees whose names Automotive News did not publish for “fear of retaliation” said they understood the challenging situation. One shop worker said that “almost no [lease] support” was offered, even though the brand’s most expensive EVs were expensive. Another person said that Mercedes put more effort into keeping the more popular but more expensive EQB and EQE sedans and SUVs in stock than the more costly but more popular EQS car and SUV. An auto salesman said, “Our cars need to be ‘want’ cars.”The S-Class has kept many loyal customers because it is seen as an ideal. A considerable number of people want to avoid buying an EQS. The firm’s American president, Dimitris Psillakis, said supply-side problems have kept them from “getting the volume we want when we want it,” especially for the cheaper types. Mercedes said last week that out of 90,011 cars sold in the third quarter, 10,423 were electric vehicles (EVs). Of those, 7,727 were the EQB and EQE. No matter the reason, how things are now doesn’t look good for future sales of Mercedes’ more expensive all-electric cars. One person who spoke to Auto News said they had enough gasoline-powered cars to last 50 days but needed more battery-electric cars for six months. Another person said that the supply of gasoline-powered cars was about 20 days, while the supply of electric vehicles was 60 to 90 days. One store said that despite this, about 65% of the vehicles given to their dealership now have EQ badges. Some owners have tried to solve the problem by offering discounts and special deals on Silver Arrows’ EVs, but this has only worked for some. Because of these problems, Mercedes’ electric cars turn over more than twice as slowly as one of its biggest competitors. Invoice Pricing says that EQ cars stay on the lot for 82 days on average, while BMW EVs only remain on the lot for 38 days. From what I can tell, the EQS, a car that our own Peter Holderith compared to a wireless computer mouse, isn’t selling well and needs some help PR-ing itself. If it helps, Mercedes-Benz looks like there are others left.
