An all-electric large sedan from Mercedes-Benz is coming, and it’s set to sit alongside the S-Class as a fully electrified flagship. This was previously reported to be ready for launch in 2020, thus likely to emerge as a 2021 model. The production model that will come from this development vehicle will likely be called the EQS, a name which has been trademarked as part of a list of names under the EQ brand for EVs.
The EQS will be built around a unique EV platform and is distinct from that of the S-Class, which means that despite the next Sonderklasse redesign due to debut around the same time, the two won’t share underpinnings. Named MEA, the all-electric platform is shared with the rest of the EQ model line-up, which comprises the EQA, EQB and EQC.
The EQS adopts a swooping roofline much like those of the CLS and GT 4-Door Coupe, with a liftback-style bootlid in place of a traditional unit for three-box sedan-shaped cars. Large-cars project boss at Mercedes-Benz, Michael Kelz said that the EQS will get short overhangs front and rear thanks to under-floor packaging and ‘huge wheelbases’, something which is evident in the profile view of the development car photgraphed here (below).
With the resulting flat floor and less intrusion from the transmission tunnel in conventionally powered cars, the EQS could offer even more space than the current S-Class, Autocar reports.
Given the shared platform across the forthcoming EQ range, the EQS is expected to use dual electric motors – one for each axle – for permanent all-wheel-drive. In the EQC, this layout offers 402 hp and 765 Nm of torque for the pure-electric SUV, in which a 80 kWh lithium-ion battery provides 417 km of range. The EQS is expected to use a battery pack with around 90 kWh in capacity, according to Autocar.
The magazine also reports that Mercedes-Benz had confirmed that the EQS will be built at the main Sindelfingen plant in Germany, the third plant in Germany earmarked for EQ model production. The EQC is set for production at Bremen, while the EQA will be made at the compact car plant in Rastatt.
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Even with all that camo, you can see the general outline of the design, and my, that is a looker. Kinda strange though, to have a high end Mercedes without a rearward cabin layout. But guess you will get used to it.