‘So they say….that is called Public Relations. Toyota just pivoted and said all Lexus models sold in the US will be battery electric by 2030, or 2035 or maybe never..but they “say” 2035... But the US administration says 57% of cars and light trucks will be emissions free by 2035…now Elon said today that industry has to ramp up lithium mining or there will be a slow down. So there will be a market for non battery stuff in 2035..

Mercedes just released (yesterday) a hydrogen combustion engine prototype for their work trucks…they would be foolish to think everything will be battery. Mercedes is more like Toyota on a worldwide scale…they have small 3 cylinders for emerging and developing nations…and high end stuff for America.


me too. I think the EQS and separate S gas/hybrid lineup is to protect the S class as they make so much money off these models.

 

57% led by the high end, and thats what we're talking about the high end. Companies don't make these kinds of commitments and investments and then do an about face. This is happening.

 

Work on the next-gen S-class is scheduled to start shortly and it will be on the MB.EA platform which is not made to accommodate a gas engine. I don’t know how much more proof you need than that to understand they’re going all-EV for their flagship.

It’s reasonable to assume the current ICE S-class might get a heavy second refresh to extend its life further than usual if some markets still have demand for gas vehicles in 2026-2027 though.

The EQS is already confirmed to be a one generation model and Mercedes has stated they’re stopping development on PHEVs. In the future it’ll be hybrid or electric for compact models, electric only for C-class and above.

 

"Doesn't." And no manufacturer would lack so much business sense as to literally make their own cars worse just to sell another car.

 

mercedes like all ice companies is a ship on a roiling ocean not in control of its destiny. it's doing what it has to do to survive in a new regulatory environment that isn't going to get less harsh on ice cars, so the push to electrification is going in only one direction. to use another analogy, there will be bumps in the road, and it won't be straight line but we all know where it's going.

hybrids suck and are a transition rube goldberg technology.

your beloved hydrogen might be used for commercial trucks, buses, etc., with commercial terminals, using hydrogen made from excess renewable energy ideally, but it ain't happening for mass numbers of cars.

you may not like all of this, but that won't change anything.

 

The current S class is a hybrid

 

Hydrogen cars, are btw "electric cars", which is what the Merai is. Instead of BEV's, they are "FCEV", where hydrogen fuels a battery that then provides power to an electric motor. Potatoe, Potato. I would actually prefer this method of fueling an electric car, but the problem is the availability and cost of producing hydrogen, which is prohibitively expensive at this time

 

Not what he's talking about when he talks about a hybrid.

 

yes, for compliance, because someone buying an s-class doesn't need to save a few bucks on gas.with enough tech, noise insulation, you CAN make a hybrid pretty smooth. a rav 4 it is not though.

the 48v electrical + hybrid system does also mean accessories can run without the engine running and it allows the 'restart' after the engine 'stop' to be smoother. mainstream cars don't have such a system.

not only that, in addition to a big battery you need a honking great hydrogen tank. the mirai has so little room in it. but it does have the plus of quick refilling if you can find a place to do it.

zactly.

 

I like it when a standard is established in an industry but the commitment to phase out ICE is absolutely ridiculous. It is so stupid I honestly can't even fathom it.

 

1000% agree, they are just test bed platforms. In person at the dealership they look HORRID parked in the showroom next to W222/223s and SLs, like they of another brand entirely and so oversized/ungainly. They would have a much easier time selling them if they sold them from dedicated dealerships since right now the fact you can see them next to normal cars makes them a hopeless sell......it also doesn't help the sales staff scoff at them.

 

And you have no experience or body of knowledge about the industry or whats coming to form that opinion, so it has no value.

 

My search for new cars has ended after I found my ones. So what the industry does now doesn't really phase me. Its still fun to poke fun at all the things they do wrong though lol.

 

Except that they aren’t wrong

 

so you think you're still going to be driving the same car(s) in 10 or 20 years or more?