Last month, Mercedes-Benz showed off its outlandish, Avatar-inspired, AVTR Vision concept car. That vehicle showcases the company's wildest dreams of what the electrified, autonomous, future of motoring might look like. But this week, the German luxury carmaker has given us a look at its far more down-to-earth, pragmatic, and realistic take on battery-powered mobility by teasing three prototypes of EVs that will hit roads in the next two years.
In a short clip posted to YouTube — that's heavy on fast cuts but light on detail — Mercedes Benz introduces two sedans (the EQS and EQE) and an SUV (the EQS SUV) all speeding down empty roads in the Black Forest and all clad in contemporary dazzle patterns to make it harder to discern their details. We can be sure of a few things, though. The vehicles start arriving on showroom floors and streets next year, they're going to be expensive and luxurious, and they want to eat at least a bit of Tesla's lunch.
How we got here —
In 2018, Mercedes-Benz introduced the Vision EQA and promised a slew of hybrids and fully-electric cars would follow, with plans to have an electrified car for every segment (10 in total) by the end of 2022. Then, last year, it began showing off prototypes of its first all-electric vehicle, the EQC 400 crossover.
The EQC was meant to go on sale in the U.S. at the end of last year, but Mercedes-Benz delayed it, reportedly to give the U.S. EV market time to mature beyond its singular obsession with Tesla. It's now due to land this December, though considering the current economic climate, we wouldn't blame the company if it opts to hold out a little longer, though we'd argue it'll be squandering a potential lead because the top-end of the U.S. EV market is about to get very crowded indeed.
What's coming up —
Nonetheless, that hasn't stopped Mercedes from trying to build some hype for its electrification plans. In the video above, the company introduces the "flagship EQS" that'll form part of the S-Class lineup of full-size, ultra-luxurious sedans.
Next up we get a glimpse at the EQE, which Christoph Starzynski, head of product group electric vehicle architecture for Mercedes, describes as a "business limousine of the future." It's "E" designation makes it clear it'll fit into the mid-sized sedan portion of the Mercedes hierarchy. Both sedans are due out in 2021.
Last, but by no means least, there's the EQS SUV which will only follow in 2022. Given the naming convention, it'll clearly be larger than the EQC... but that's about all we know. There's no talk of range, performance, charging speeds, or other statistics. We'll have to wait for those. But Mercedes-Benz wants prospective buyers to know if they're thinking of getting a luxury EV in the next year or two, they might want to wait and see exactly what it has to offer.
