Mercedes-Benz to pause U.S. production of EV models

Splitpair

Mercedes-Benz is pausing U.S. production of its EV models and won’t give a timeline for when it will start again, according to multiple media reports.

The manufacturer started a “fire sale” of its electric models in the U.S. as it prepares for EV tax credits to end, according to Car and Driver. This includes 2025 and 2026 model years of the OEM’s EQ lineup.

“The EQE sedan and EQE SUV dropped from $76,050 and $79,050, respectively, to $66,100 apiece,” Car and Driver reports. “The EQS sedan price drop was the least drastic of the bunch, moving from $105,550 in 2025 to $101,140 in 2026. On the other end of the spectrum, the EQS SUV plummeted from $106,400 to $91,100.”

Mercedes isn’t alone in attempting to persuade buyers ahead of the EV tax credit ending Sept. 30, according to a Reuters article.

The full article can be found here.

https://www.repairerdrivennews.com/2025/07/31/mercedes-benz-to-pause-u-s-production-of-ev-models/

codezer0

I have to imagine part of it is fatigue with electric vehicles from those who could afford to have and use them effectively.

Another part is that there’s even more where an electric vehicle is simply not a good fit. My own case, for instance; I have nowhere between apartment complex or work to be able to charge. So at best, the thing would be good for all of one week before it’s a brick in a parking lot.

There’s also the used market as a factor. Nothing about an electric vehicle gives any kind of confidence about buying one secondhand. By the time one would be cheap enough for me to buy (at or under 10k USD), it’s a guarantee that the battery is clapped to hell; nobody yet has been able to quote any less than $30k USD to replace the batteries in such a car. Meaning I’d have to be able to write the thing off at least three times over to even get my money’s worth, let alone save anything for the process.

Lastly, as said elsewhere, I need a fun, engaging car. I’ve yet to even ride in one, but everything I know about such vehicles leads me to infer that driving one would be anesthesia levels of boring.

Splitpair

codezer0 Lastly, as said elsewhere, I need a fun, engaging car. I’ve yet to even ride in one, but everything I know about such vehicles leads me to infer that driving one would be anesthesia levels of boring.

Everything you posted is 100% true other than fun, last year I rented a Tesla and it was a fun car to drive, driving it reminded of when I owned a few Road Runner’s, really amazing acceleration without the fuzz attracting exhaust noise.

I would not buy one new, they are way too expensive, but hopefully, someday, I will find one that has maybe 75 to 100 miles of battery life just to have a fun car to drive around locally.

codezer0

Splitpair In what way? Tesla and the like all seem to want to design their products to be as uninteresting to drive as (in)humanly possible. There’s no tactile response to the drive, to the motion, to the controls, or anything of the sort.

It’s already not a secret that Tesla and the like default to automatics to manage the torque, if not some kind of direct drive system.

Like I said, I hope when the opportunity arises I can have this disproven. But against my existing behind the wheel experience of even contemporary automatics, I feel I’d be bored as shit unless the controls are set up to be able to emulate a Manual in some way.

real_aurgathor

codezer0

codezer0 Nothing about an electric vehicle gives any kind of confidence about buying one secondhand. By the time one would be cheap enough for me to buy (at or under 10k USD), it’s a guarantee that the battery is clapped to hell; nobody yet has been able to quote any less than $30k USD to replace the batteries in such a car.

Rubbish.
1) Batteries, especially LFPs last for a fairly long time.
2) Many battery packs are not over $30k USD.

The cost of a new Tesla battery ranges from $5,000 to $20,000, and you’ll need to replace the battery every 10–20
years.

https://insurify.com/car-insurance/knowledge/tesla-battery-replacement-cost/

Whether it’s worth or not to spend money on an EV largely depends on the amount of your daily driving.

codezer0 Lastly, as said elsewhere, I need a fun, engaging car. I’ve yet to even ride in one, but everything I know about such vehicles leads me to infer that driving one would be anesthesia levels of boring.

I’m not 100% sure what you mean about “a fun engaging car”, but manual transmissions are going the way of the do-do in the US. As for possible fun cars, one of my co-worker is very fond of his Tesla S Plaid.

codezer0

That doesn’t line up with the reports from actual EV owners who’ve already got bricked or ruined batteries in their cars. Either it’s under warranty (only applicable new) or it’s $30k+ after labor is factored in. And the manufacturers won’t let you source or attempt it yourself or at any third party, which is also part of the problem.

real_aurgathor I’m not 100% sure what you mean about “a fun engaging car”, but manual transmissions are going the way of the do-do in the US. As for possible fun cars, one of my co-worker is very fond of his Tesla S Plaid.

How do you not understand what it means to actually be engaged in the process of driving? Think gearhead cars. Think of cars that would be in a gearhead’s bucket list to drive. Mini Cooper? Golf GTI? A Mustang GT with a manual? Nissan Z, GT-R?

I already despise SUV’s and anything resembling them because they’re exclusively assembled by morons, driven by morons, and abuse the road as such. Also already have had more than my fair share of negative experiences with automatics because as a kid, the number one thing that would kill a car that wasn’t totaled in a collision, was the automatic transmission failing; and of course it would ALWAYS be more expensive than the purchase price the car was, even for a junked replacement. it also doesn’t help that even in the early 00’s, I was already seeing automatics that were harder and harder to even attempt to maintain or service, which just lends to making it a car with an expiry date. My one rental experience with a car with a CVT told me everything I needed to know to avoid such a thing like the plague, too. The drone of it wanting to stay at a specific range yielded the kind of audio that somehow wanted to drone me to sleep and give me a headache simultaneously.

If I had new car money, the conversation would be a lot different. But safe to say, I’d be quite picky for it. But as long as a dealer can help me find something that ticks all the boxes, well, I’ve been 2 for 2 so far in paying off the car loan early. So, make of that what you will 🤷

Splitpair

codezer0 In what way? Tesla and the like all seem to want to design their products to be as uninteresting to drive as (in)humanly possible. There’s no tactile response to the drive, to the motion, to the controls, or anything of the sort.

It’s already not a secret that Tesla and the like default to automatics to manage the torque, if not some kind of direct drive system.

Sheer acceleration which I am into.

To the best of my knowledge Tesla’s use a single gear reduction system not a automatic transmission, unlike ICE engines electric motors can produce a lot of torque from the startup.

I couldn’t handle a manual transmission anymore way too much work.

Splitpair

codezer0 That doesn’t line up with the reports from actual EV owners who’ve already got bricked or ruined batteries in their cars. Either it’s under warranty (only applicable new) or it’s $30k+ after labor is factored in.

Very true, if one digs into the background of low cost Tesla batteries it can be discovered they are rebuilt from old Tesla batteries, which is not going to perform as well as a new battery and can be a fire hazard.

Splitpair

codezer0 I already despise SUV’s and anything resembling them because they’re exclusively assembled by morons, driven by morons, and abuse the road as such.

SUV’s are ok if and only if they are rear wheel drive, not FWD or a hybrid drive, (FWD at times) due to wheel slip.

Splitpair

codezer0 I was already seeing automatics that were harder and harder to even attempt to maintain or service, which just lends to making it a car with an expiry date.

Actually that is not true automatics are very easy to rebuild if one has the skill and the tools required to do the job. I have been rebuilding and modifying Chrysler B727 since I was 14 years old and if a 14 year old can figure out how to rebuild one and more complicated figure out how to modify a valve body to do operations like a manual automatic with a reverse shift pattern, most anyone can rebuild a automatic.

Oddly enough I once tried to help a friend rebuild a manual and gave up because it was so different using yoke’s to move gears around versus clutch’s and bands.

Splitpair

codezer0 My one rental experience with a car with a CVT told me everything I needed to know to avoid such a thing like the plague, too.

CVT’s are high maintenance crap box’s and any automotive engineer who would specify using one should be taken behind the woodshed and have some common sense beaten into his head.

And it is not just one particular brand of CVT’s they all are crap due to the nature of the changing gear ratio design.

They might hold up if one has a feather light foot on the accelerator, but under normal driving conditions or if operated by a lead foot (holding up my hand) they go to all to He** up pretty quickly.

Somewhat-Reticent

Any chance pause due to tariffs? ( As well as tax-credit cessation, of course. )

Splitpair

Somewhat-Reticent Any chance pause due to tariffs? ( As well as tax-credit cessation, of course. )

Probably not tariff’s, but the ending of the tax payer bailout for EV’s did have a negative effect on EV sales. also keep in mind EV manufacturers, excepting Tesla where receiving tax payer bailouts as well.