Mercedes S-Class EV.
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The next-generation Mercedes S-Class sedan will come with a choice of ICE or EV powertrain. The illustration above shows what a next-generation electric S-Class could look like.
This means the current Mercedes EQS EV sedan is on life support and there will be no second generation. Something many were expecting after Mercedes launched the production version. Which was very disappointing when compared to the really cool concept Mercedes had shown a couple of years earlier. If the 2021 production car had looked more like the Vision EQS Concept, things would have gone much better for the big Mercedes EV sedan.
Mercedes CEO, Ola Kallenius, just confirmed there will be 2 versions of the next-generation S-Class sedan, and one of them will be an EV replacing the EQS. However, the regular ICE S-Class will still be based on a revised version of the current platform, while the EV model will use a dedicated EV platform, which is different from what BMW has been doing with the i5 and i7 which are using the same platforms as their ICE counterparts. That also could mean both versions won’t look exactly the same, although both will be called “S-Class”.
The current S-Class came out in 2020 and the EQS in 2021. The S-Class replaced the previous 7-year-old generation. Which seems to be the regular current schedule for the big Benz. That could mean 2028 at the earliest for its EV/ICE replacement.
A slightly revised EQS is around the corner for the 2025 model year, with just a few lines of chrome added to its front end, and not much else. Something that might not be enough to turn things around. Last year, Mercedes only sold 6,800 of them in the US. With only 1,800 so far this year.
The S-class was much more popular with over 11,000 sold last year. And almost 5000 so far this year.
This is really a lesson Mercedes should learn from. You just can’t show a great-looking concept car and 2 years later come up with a very disappointing production design. They should be old enough to know by now…
I find most of MB’s designs to be simple and unluxurious. And their interior designs seem to be what Cadillac gave up… the Las Vegas strip in your driver’s seat.
“… was very disappointing when compared to the really cool concept…” actually sums up the fate of the EQS. I was anxiously awaiting the EQS as my first electric powered vehicle; once I saw the actual car—I kept my 2020 AMG S63. Seems an electric Mercedes will not be ready for some years to come.