And here is a car that, perhaps most cleverly of all, is being assembled alongside other C-class models, despite having such radically different architecture, enabling Mercedes to shift production from petrol and diesel to electric as demand increases.
Less impressively, here is a car that is distinctly on the slow and porky side. According to Mercedes figures, the EQC weighs in at 2425kg, a whopping 650kg of which is the batteries alone. We have no weight yet for the Audi e-tron but 2425kg is 300kg heavier than the Jaguar I-Pace.
As for top speed, electric cars always have governed v-max but at 180km/h – 112mph – the Mercedes EQC’s does seem low; Audi and Jag plump for 124mph. Mercedes makes scant mention of EQC aerodynamics – an area that the Audi e-tron will major on. The EQC is certainly not underpowered. The 80kWh battery pack feeds 402 brake horsepower’s worth of electric motors and acceleration is as sharp as you’d expect: 0-62mph in just 5.1 seconds.
What else can we tell from the figures so far released? At 4761mm, the EQC is just a couple of inches longer than a C-class estate but quite a lot taller. There’s a 500-litre boot. The car comes with a home AC charger, for overnight replenishing, while using a Mercedes Wallbox is three times faster; an optional DC charging system is faster still with a claimed 80 per cent charge in 40 minutes.