New 2021 Mercedes-Benz EQB unveiled Car News

Mercedes-Benz’s electric car lineup continues to grow with the unveiling of the EQB at the 2021 Shanghai Motor Show ahead of the expected start of UK sales in the second half of the year.

Designed to compete with the Audi Q4 E-tron, the EQB is based on the GLB, alongside which it is produced at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Kecskemet, Hungary, for the UK market.

Full details have yet to be revealed, but Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that the top-of-the-range four-wheel drive EQB 350 4Matic will be the first variant to hit the UK. It uses two electric motors – an asynchronous unit mounted in the front under the hood and a synchronous unit housed in the rear axle – with a combined output of 288 hp.

Other models to be added to the lineup include the front-wheel drive EQB 250, which runs a 188bhp front engine, and the four-wheel-drive EQB 300 4Matic, which uses the same set of dual engines. like the EQB 350 but with “approx. 241 hp”. However, they are not expected to reach UK showrooms until 2022.

Power for the EQB 350’s electric motors is supplied by a 66 kWh lithium-ion battery, produced by Mercedes-Benz sister company Deutsche Accumotive, housed under the rear seat.

It can be loaded up to 11 kW on an AC system and up to 100 kW on a DC configuration

Final performance is not yet confirmed, but officials told Autocar that the initial four-wheel-drive EQB model will have a 0-62mph time of around 6.0 seconds, along with a combined fuel consumption of 3.2 mppkWh and a range of 260 miles.

As with the smaller EQA, with which it shares key elements of its drivetrain, the EQB receives its own exterior styling cues, including a sealed grille, to differentiate it from the combustion-engined car. There are also EQC-aping light strips and new front and rear bumpers. The wheels range from 18 inches to 20 inches.

Customers will be able to order the EQB with an optional AMG Line styling package that includes uniquely styled bumpers and 20-inch wheels, among other bespoke details.