Mercedes-Benz to launch all-electric SUV in S. Korea

SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Yonhap) -- Mercedes-Benz Korea said Monday it will add an all-electric sport utility vehicle model to its lineup to cement its leading status in Korea's imported vehicle market.

The EQC 400 4MATIC SUV is the first pure electric model the German carmaker will introduce in Asia's fourth-biggest economy, with its sales to begin on Tuesday, the company said in a statement.

The EQC 400 equipped with a 80-kilowatt per hour lithium ion battery can travel over 309 kilometers on a single charge and go from zero to 100 km per hour in 5.1 seconds, it said.

It is priced at 105 million won (US$89,000).

Mercedes-Benz has achieved stellar performance in Korea since last year, while its competitors such as BMW and Audi-Volkswagen have struggled with weak sales due to the impact of a series of engine fires mainly in the 520d sedan last year and the diesel emissions cheating scandal in 2016.

In the January-September period, imported carmakers sold a total of 167,093 units in the Korean passenger vehicle market, down 15 percent from 197,055 in the year-ago period, according to the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (KAIDA).

Mercedes-Benz stood out with sales of 54,908 vehicles, up 8.2 percent from 50,746 units a year earlier. In contrast, Audi-Volkswagen suffered a 64 percent on-year drop in vehicle sales to 7,843 units in the first nine months compared to 21,904 a year earlier. BMW Group, which sells BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands in Korea, saw its combined sales fall 24 percent to 37,825 from 49,857 during the same period, KAIDA said.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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