Mercedes-Benz plans to have eight EQ-badged electric vehicles in its lineup by the end of 2022.
The first is already on sale overseas in the form of the EQC small SUV, and others in the pipeline that we know of include the EQA and EQB compact SUVs, the EQE small sedan and a related EQE SUV.
We now have fresh spy shots and video of an EQS, a mid-size electric sedan to sit alongside the latest S-Class. Mercedes will unveil it shortly and sales should follow later in 2021, meaning we’ll likely see it arrive as a 2022 model. A related EQS SUV will follow in 2022 likely as a 2023 model.
The latest prototypes for the EQS have lost a lot of the camouflage gear of earlier testers, revealing the vehicle is a liftback sedan akin to the Tesla Model S, high-end versions of which will be its main target. Other targets will include the new Lucid Air, an electric Jaguar XJ, and to a lesser extent the Porsche Taycan and related Audi E-Tron GT. A Taycan can be seen driving alongside the EQS in some of the shots.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
We also have some shots of the interior which features a large, portrait-style infotainment screen similar to the one in the new S-Class revealed earlier in September. This is expected to be the standard display as Mercedes has revealed that a dash-wide curved display dubbed the Hyperscreen will be available in the EQS. Expect voice activation, a head-up display with augmented reality graphics, and a digital instrument cluster with 3D graphics as well.
The car’s platform is a dedicated battery-electric design known as EVA, and the EQS is just the first application. The platform underpinning the EQC is based on a modified version of Mercedes’ MHA platform for SUVs with internal-combustion engines.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS prototype and Vision EQS concept
We can see that the EQS is a lot lower and sleeker than your typical Mercedes, including the CLS and AMG GT 4-Door Coupe. We can also see in some of the shots that the doors will be frameless and feature extendable handles. Mercedes previewed the design with the Vision EQS concept unveiled during the 2019 Frankfurt International Motor Show.
The EVA platform has enabled the designers to add a long wheelbase and short overhangs front and rear, and although the EQS looks to be similar in size to the mid-size CLS, the interior space should be on par or better than the full-size S-Class.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Given the rapid advancement in battery technology, Mercedes is keeping quiet on specs for its future electric cars. However, we know the EQS will use batteries from CATL and come in several grades including one with a range of 435 miles when measured on the WLTP test cycle used overseas. This could still result in a range close to 400 miles when measured on the stricter EPA test cycle. There’s also talk of a Mercedes-Benz AMG version of the EQS packing similar performance to the current S63, and we’re likely to also see an extra-luxurious Maybach version.
In the United States, Mercedes was meant to kick off its EV transformation last year with the arrival of the EQC. The automaker has instead decided to use the technologically superior EQS to spearhead its EV plans in this market. The move is part of a new top-down approach announced by Ola Kaellenius, CEO of Mercedes parent company Daimler, last October.