New Mercedes EQE saloon, EQE SUV and EQS SUV confirmed
Electric car family grows to eight, with EQA, EQB and EQS planned for UK sale in 2021 and more to follow
Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will add a new EQE saloon and EQE SUV and EQS SUV models to its growing electric car family.
The three new EQ models, confirmed by Mercedes in an investor conference on Tuesday, have been conceived around the German manufacturer's dedicated Electric Vehicle Architecture (EVA). This is the structure that underpins the upcoming EQS luxury saloon, which is currently undergoing the final phase of development ahead of a planned UK introduction during the second half of 2021.
In addition to the trio of new EQ models, Mercedes also confirmed a new dedicated electric car platform for compact and medium-sized models, called the MMA, will go into production in 2025.
It also confirmed long-running rumours that it would create a new sub-brand out of its iconic G-Class off-roader. “The demand for the G is ahead of current capacity,” it said, adding: “The legend will grow.”
Merecedes said plans for the electrification of AMG performance models will begin in 2021 and that the super-luxury Maybach line-up will double in size. In a move that's set to significantly increase its number of electrified models, the company announced that all three of its sub-brands - AMG, Maybach and G - “will go electric”.
The addition of the EQE saloon and EQE SUV - as reported by Autocar earlier this year - and EQS SUV extends the planned EQ line-up to eight models, including the existing EQC and EQV plus the upcoming EQA, EQB and EQS saloon.
Smart, which is owned half by Mercedes and half by Chinese car maker Geely, now produces only electric versions of its Fortwo, Fortwo Cabriolet and Forfour models.
Mercedes chairman Ola Källenius has previously announced that the company will spend up to €10 billion to establish a ten-strong EQ model line-up by the end of 2025.
During the investor conference, Mercedes released a marketing video of prototype versions of the EQS saloon, EQE saloon and EQS SUV undergoing testing in the Black Forest region of Germany.
In the video , Mercedes' vice president of electric vehicle architecture and EQ vehicles, Christoph Starzynski, described the EQE saloon, which is planned for launch in 2022, as a “business limousine of the future” that's “slightly smaller than the EQS”.
In the first official acknowledgement of Mercedes' rival to the Tesla Model X, Starzynski said: “We can also go bigger with our platform. The EQS SUV coming in 2022.”
No details are provided for the EQE SUV, but insiders suggest that it's set to launch in 2023.
As well as being planned for production in Germany, at least one of the new EQ models (the EQE saloon), is set to be produced in a joint venture with Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation in China, where documents from the country’s Ministry for Industry and Information Technology list it under its internal codename, V295.
Speaking about the status of EQS saloon development, Starzynski, said: “The EQS has already piled up more than two million test kilometers.”
Production of the EQS will take place alongside the recently unveiled seventh-generation S-Class at Mercedes' Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany.
Contrary to previous reports, Mercedes says its new entry level EQ model, the GLA-based EQA, is planned to make production before the end of the year. It's one of three EQ models set to arrive here in 2021, alongside the GLB-based EQB and the EQS saloon.
What's more, Autocar understands that Mercedes is planning to further extend the EQ line-up with a third saloon model using the driveline from the upcoming EQA crossover in a modified version of the A-Class Saloon.
In announcing the new strategy, Källenius revealed that moves are under way to improve profitability and cash generation. He said Mercedes plans to cut fixed cost by “more than 20% by 2025 in absolute terms compared to a 2019 baseline, via reduced spending, capacity adjustments and lower personnel costs.”
He also said that capital expenditure and research and development costs will decrease by more than 20% by 2025 compared with 2019.
“By 2025, Mercedes-Benz is aiming for a return on sales within the mid-to-high single-digit range, even under unfavourable market conditions.”
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