it's a market in transition. they see customer opportunity for an ICE s-class, and opportunity for a big new EV. only having one vehicle to do both RIGHT NOW would limit their opportunity.

at some point the ICE s-class will go away and i wouldn't be surprised to see the then EQS renamed as s-class.

except for maybach, and AMG, but whose quibbling.

not everyone wants a hyperscreen, or an EV for that matter. i disagree they're shooting themselves in the foot. plus the EQS isn't even out yet. it may also turn out the EQS is $200K loaded or something crazy, while the S-Class is 90s to 150s or whatever it is.

oh you mean like your favorite brand's telluride and palisade?

in the car biz it's good to have people choosing between A and B instead of A or NOT A.

my neighbor got an s-class about 3 years ago. it was something he'd always wanted. not a chance he would have bought a new untried EQS then or now.

besides SW17LS the s-class buyer typically isn't 'young' and is also pretty conservative. the EQS will appeal to a tech forward buyer, maybe someone working IN tech for example... but is likely far too new and untested to be bought by 'typical' s-class buyers.

 

And yet they've already announced plug-in hybrid versions of the new S-Class. Clearly they have no qualms about electrifying the S-Class. But rather than go all the way, we're left with a half-assed attempt.

Maybachs are just longer wheelbase S-Classes, there's nothing more technologically advanced about them. And the S-Class can be had as an AMG too.

It's not a matter of want, it's a matter of it being unavailable. For a car advertised as being the flagship of Mercedes, not having that option even available is just an oversight.

And there is already a $200K S-Class- it's the Maybach.

Hyundai and Kia are two separate companies and even have separate stocks lol. Meanwhile the S-Class and EQS will be sold in the same showrooms and will cannibalize each other just like the AMG GT 4 Door did to the CLS.

If that's the case Mercedes wouldn't have bothered with a PHEV S-Class. A "typical" S-Class buyer wouldn't want an all-screens Tesla interior either, yet here we are.

 

I just don't think this car is a replacement for the S Class.

 

I don’t see how the EQS would cannibalize S class or see it as a bad thing. Mercedes wins either way in getting sales, but now also has a model that potentially may bring in new buyers.


Its clear to me that if it was possible to make an EV s class with the same range, packaging of battery, aerodynamics as the EQS, Mercedes would have. But obviously there are compromises that we can’t even begin to comprehend. The S class has a very specific image and expectation in this world. To simply make a less than ideal EV S class that would not be innovative would mean it would be dead upon arrival. Plus it would be extremely risky to replace the flagship as EV only.

If and when ICE cars go away for good, I can see this being the new S class and drop the EQ nomenclature. But automakers have to hedge their bets. Nobody knows what’s in store for the future.

as for why the hyper screen isn’t available on the S class, I think it’s pretty clear. Before Tesla Model S, very few young, tech oriented people bought the full size luxury car. S class was for old folks. I don’t see age 50 and above wanting the hyper screen or even understanding how to use it. EQS is meant to appeal to rich millennials

 

Mercedes already has a plug in for the outgoing s class.

 

We know, I was referring to the new model. If Mercedes didn't care about electrifying the S-Class then a PHEV wouldn't have been offered to begin with.

The new S-Class is already all screens. It's no more difficult to use than the Hyperscreen. The fact that the standard EQS without the Hyperscreen has the same dash as the S-Class alone already makes the S-Class less special.

 

The C Class has the same dash too, THAT makes the S feel less special lol

 

If Mercedes can't make an EV S-Class to compete with the EV 7 Series and EV A8, then that would be nothing short of them admitting that they can't match the engineering prowess of their fellow German counterparts.

True as well lol

 

i agree! it is not CURRENTLY a replacement. my point is as they end the ICE cars, the EQS will become the new S-class, because there would absolutely be no point in having an EQS and an EV s-class.

a PHEV is nothing like an EV. and Mercedes is under the gun to lower emissions and improve fuel economy across the fleet, plus some of their customers will want a PHEV so they'll offer it. but hybrids and PHEVs are the end of the line for ICE cars.

no, the fact that the EQS without hyperscreen is like the s-class shows that the EQS *is* the next gen S-Class.

i'm not up on EV 7 series or A8 - are they out? more importantly what are the specs/ranges?

again, mercedes has gone for a clean sheet flagship EV so they're not constrained by any ICE baggage. i think it's an outstanding move and will position them well in the future that is rapidly approaching.

 

What EV 7 series and EV A8?

 

Here's the EV 7 Series being confirmed:

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a3...ric-confirmed/

There was supposed to be an EV A8, but it seems that those plans are still in flux because of the recent CEO swap.

https://electrek.co/2020/04/02/audi-...lagship-sedan/

 

i'm sure you know this, but the article says it's the next gen 7 series, due next year or 2023 with gas and electric variants (and no doubt hybrid and phev as well).

i think mercedes is going to have a big laugh over the EV 7 version. the 7 series is already a heavy tank and adding a giant battery pack isn't going to help. i've no doubt the EQS, being built to be an EV, will be lighter / better range, etc.

perhaps they've looked at the EQS and realized whatever they had planned won't be enough.

 

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Current info floating pegs the 7 Series EV about on par with the EQS in virtually every metric- horsepower, range, etc. All without the funky polarizing egg shape (though the nostrils may be just as polarizing lol).

https://insideevs.com/news/485937/bm...-range-120kwh/

The EQS isn't exactly much of a feather either. It already weighs over 5,000 pounds and has a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds despite having a bigger battery than the Model S. The WLTP measurement for the range is around 470 miles- expect that number to drop to around 400 on the EPA scale. Meanwhile the similarly sized Lucid Air will have over 500 miles on the EPA scale. Same with the upcoming Model S Plaid. Both will be far faster than the EQS at 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. Both will probably cost less too.

This was from a year ago before the public knew much of anything about the EQS so I highly doubt it. And it'll be years before we even get a new-gen A8 anyway since it just came out fairly recently.

All that can be said is that Mercedes is offering two sedans that compete in the same segment with very similar tech and sold in the same showrooms, in a segment that is declining. It'll be a tough sell.

 

We pretty much know next to nothing about a 7 EV and it is all speculation and good guesses so I’ll believe it when I see it if it’s “on par with EQS without egg shape”. What we do know is everything about the EQS which will have a solid two years to market before bmw. By the time the 7 comes out, the EQS would almost be in its mid cycle refresh which could affect power train. Just like the Audi Etron which had a range bump in year 2.

 

Unfortunately the EQS isn't all that competitive spec-wise even compared to current and other upcoming EV's, as I already mentioned. A 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds is pitiful for a car with a battery that large. So much for that low drag coefficient egg design.

The only advantage the EQS will have over a Tesla Model S or Lucid Air is the fact that it'll be a proper flagship luxury car with a German badge. In that regard, I have no doubt that the next 7 Series will match it.