- The Mercedes-Benz EQB electric crossover has been discontinued.
- The electric seven-seater crossover will not be offered in the United States and Canada after model year 2025.
- A replacement model, likely named GLB with EQ Technology, is expected to debut early next year.
The Mercedes-Benz EQB has been retired. The German company’s first and only seven-seat electric crossover will no longer be offered in the United States and Canada after the 2025 model year, a company spokesperson confirmed for InsideEVs in an email after Jesmb.de reported that the German online configurator had been taken offline.
"The EQB has reached the end of its planned lifecycle and therefore will not be offered in the U.S. or Canada after model year 2025," the spokesperson said. "Mercedes-Benz remains fully committed to electrification and the largest product offensive in the history of the brand is just around the corner. As announced at IAA Mobility 2023, Mercedes-Benz will also introduce two SUVs based on this new architecture."
Based on the aging MFA architecture that was introduced in 2011, the EQB debuted in 2021 as an electric alternative to the gas- and diesel-powered GLB crossover. In other words, the battery-powered seven-seater was an afterthought, and it came with several downsides. For starters, it's not particularly engaging to drive, and its 70.5-kilowatt-hour battery pack can only accept up to 100 kilowatts from a DC fast charger, which isn’t particularly fast by today’s standards.
According to Mercedes-Benz, the EQB can go from 10% to 80% state of charge in about 35 minutes, while the EPA says the driving range is between 205 and 251 miles on a full charge. Not great, not terrible, as the famous Chernobyl-inspired meme proclaims.
Gallery: 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQB
All this being said, the EQB will get a replacement soon. Its successor, likely named the GLB with EQ Technology, is expected to debut next year, alongside a new electric GLA. Based on the same MMA architecture as the latest generation CLA sedan, the new battery-powered GLB will get a significant technology boost. The battery will likely go from a 400-volt system to an 800-volt one, which will help the electric crossover achieve much higher charging speeds.
In the battery-powered CLA, the maximum input is a very healthy 320 kW, which leads to a 22-minute 10-80% top-up when hooked up to a powerful enough DC fast charger. This, along with a completely redesigned interior and more efficient electric motors, is expected to make its way to the new GLB with EQ Technology.
Just like the new CLA, the GLB will also be available with gas engines, as the German automaker’s MMA platform has been designed from the get-go to cater to EVs first and hybrid powertrains second.
