Mercedes-Benz unveils new EQS electric sedan to take Tesla

Mercedes-Benz believes that its new EQS sedan will redefine the all-electric luxury vehicle segment as it competes against Tesla and a growing number of emerging start-ups and old carmakers.

The 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS, launched on Thursday, marks a new era for the German carmaker as it pivots towards electric vehicles. The car will be part of its large family of S-class cars when it arrives in US showrooms in the fall.

“EQS is designed to exceed the expectations of even our most demanding customers,” Mercedes-Benz and Daimler CEO Ola Kaellenius said in a 63-page press release for the car. “That’s exactly what a Mercedes has to do to win the letter ‘S’ in its name. Because we don’t give that letter easily. “

In particular, the interior of the vehicle looks more like a cabin in a futuristic spaceship than a car. It has screens on almost the entire dashboard of the vehicle. In total, it has three screens under a single 56-inch curved glass surface, including a passenger screen that will not be visible to the driver.

The automaker has not released prices for EQS, however, industry experts expect it to easily exceed $ 100,000. The starting price for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2021 ranges from $ 94,000 to $ 160,000. Its Mercedes-Maybach S models can exceed $ 200,000.

“They started from the top,” said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at Edmunds.com. “This is similar to what we’ve seen at some of the other carmakers. It’s their most expensive vehicle to come out first.”

The price range for the large Tesla Model S sedan ranges from about $ 79,990 to $ 149,990, including a new high-end performance model, the Plaid S.

The EQS interior is essentially the opposite of Tesla models that feature simplistic modern interiors. Some Tesla models only have a large screen in the center of the dashboard, which controls almost every aspect of the vehicle.

“EQS will have to have a distinctive sign to stand out. I think giving people that very futuristic feeling that you’re driving something different is going to be appealing to some buyers,” Caldwell said. “But I think the simplistic design for Tesla made a lot of people very happy.”

The exterior of the EQS has a design similar to its traditional S-class siblings, but somewhat more aggressive in terms of the front of the vehicle. A special edition, revealed by the company, features a two-tone paint, black and silver, on the entire car.

The car is the first EV on a new vehicle platform for Mercedes-Benz. It also offers a new generation of batteries with a significantly higher energy density, which allows greater autonomy.

The first models to arrive in the US will offer up to 516 horsepower and 611 pound-feet of torque. The electric range of the vehicles is expected to be about 770 kilometers.

For technology, the vehicle has a number of safety and convenience features, including a new driver assistance system that can control the speed and braking of the vehicle, as well as assist in other functions such as changing lanes or keeping the car on the belt. to. The system is more driver-controlled than other systems from Tesla and General Motors.

EQS will also include an augmented reality system available, including head-up display, which projects three-dimensional graphics such as on-screen arrows to show drivers where to go.

EQS is part of the Mercedes-Benz “Ambition 2039” initiative, which includes more than half of the cars it sells to have electric drive systems, including all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

Mercedes-Benz is in a race with other old carmakers to launch new electric vehicles to reach the industry leader Tesla, which accounted for the majority of US electricity sales. It also anticipates a number of new competitors, such as Lucid, which plans to launch a luxury EV later this year.

“I think Mercedes Benz will do an excellent job on electric vehicles,” said Brian Moody, executive editor at Autotrader. He said it should be a formidable competitor to Tesla, which he attributes to the fact that it really shows the car industry “what people really want when it comes to electric cars.”

“They didn’t want any economic boxes,” he said. “They want a high-performance car, with a lot of luxury and they will pay for it.”