Mercedes is one of the manufacturers that have announced they are fully embracing electrification in their vehicles - it even announced that it intends to only sell electric cars after 2030, although there is an asterisk attached to that because it won’t actually be able to do that in all markets where it’s present.
And in order to get people interested in its EQ lineup of electric vehicles, Mercedes knows full well that it needs a halo vehicle to stimulate sales. Said halo vehicle is the firm’s first fully-electric sedan, the EQS, which was recently shown in hot AMG form at IAA 2021 in Munich.
The EQS is Mercedes’ halo electric model, the kind of vehicle that will not only sell on its own, but also spur sales for other EQ-badged models. This, according to company CEO Ola Kallenius is especially important in North America, and this belief has to be behind Mercedes’ decision not to sell many other EQ models that are already available in Europe (EQA, EQC, EQV) and to offer the EQS as its first electric Mercedes for America.
Gallery: Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 at IAA 2021
Kallenius was recently quoted by Automotive News as saying
The S-Class is such a symbol for the brand and that will help us create the momentum we need for the decade. We start with the flagship and show what a luxury dedicated architecture looks like, and since we are restricted in terms of deliveries anyway, it does not matter from a volume point of view. So, we lead with the EQS, which was the strong wish from the market.
He went on to explain that
It's not about creating a halo product. It's about taking a first step. We are upping the ante on the product side, and we are on a very accelerated path. We have to get 100 percent of the market.
The EQS is expected to debut in the United States this fall and it has a starting price of $102,310. It will be available in two powertrain versions (single- and dual-motor), three trim grades and only one battery pack whose usable capacity is 107.6 kWh and it grants the base EQS 450+ a WLTP range of 784 km (487 miles); its range has not yet been rated by the EPA.
We tried out some other EQ-badged Mercedes models
Source: Automotive News