Mercedes-Benz Malaysia officially introduces EQ Power branding – C350e and E350e to get new badging

At its Q1 2018 sales performance briefing today, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia (MBM) also announced the introduction of the EQ Power brand for the local market. The move effectively redesignates the Mercedes-Benz C 350 e and E 350 e as EQ Power products.

The transition also introduces EQ Power badging on the two models, with a small logo located on the front fender of the car. Also, as of now, the C 350 e drops the blue coloured brake calipers in line with a global move. Existing stocks of the E 350 e will still ship with the blue calipers, but will switch over to silver units when new packs eventually arrive.

The sub-brand, which groups the automaker’s standard plug-in hybrids under its umbrella, paves the way for EQ, which will be utilised by the company’s pure electric vehicles. The first EQ examples, the EQC and EQS, are only due in 2019 and 2020 respectively, so EQ Power will carry the flag until that arrives.

In line with the switch to EQ Power, MBM announced the introduction of an EQ Agility Care package for the EQ Power C 350 e and EQ Power E 350 e. For an ownership tenure of over three to five years, customers of these cars are set to enjoy scheduled vehicle maintenance and servicing along with an EQ Power charging wallbox packaged with their hybrid over the same period. It will also provide a ChargEV charging card with one-year complimentary charging.

The company also announced that its public EV charging stations will be redesigned as EQ facilities. Last week, we reported that the move had already begun, with the charging station located in Pavilion KL already sporting the new look.

Currently, MBM has EV charging stations located in Bangsar Shopping Centre, Sunway Pyramid and Pavilion KL, and announced that a fourth facility, located at Desa Park City, will become operational sometime next month.

“By launching the EQ brand, led by our technology leaders and range-topping EQ Power C 350 e and E 350 e plug-in hybrid automobiles, we are able to create something highly emotional,” said MBM vice-president of sales and marketing Mark Raine.

“To us, electric mobility is more than an alternative drivetrain. The EQ brand is our technology calling card for customer-focused electric mobility. It extends beyond the vehicle itself to an eco-system designed to deliver the best value, convenience and luxury to our customers and fans,” he added.

The EQ Power C 350 e and E 350 e hybrids are expected to be joined by the S 560 e PHEV variant of the W222 S-Class facelift when that enters the market sometime in the middle of the year. There’s also every possibility the GLC 350 e will eventually make its way here, though not that soon – in its current available guise, the 7G hybrid/4Matic configuration isn’t available in RHD form as yet.

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