Mercedes-Benz might only have the EQC currently on the road as its only car, but the German automaker has a considerable amount of electric cars coming down the pipeline. Mercedes’ performance division, AMG, seems to be looking to enter into the electric world to, but it may take until the fifth EQ car, the EQS before they can develop a performance variant.
Mercedes revealed their rather attractive EQS concept last year, adding on to their already long list of planned electric cars. With its release date being somewhere in late 2021, early 2022, the EQS luxury electric car will release behind the EQC, EQV electric van, EQB, and EQA. Not to mention the EQS will release slightly ahead of an EQE as well as an electric G-Wagon variant, presumably called the EQG.
The EQS will serve as Mercede’s flagship electric car just like its S-Class has been the automaker’s pinnacle of luxury for decades. The EQS will go head to head with the Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan, Electric BMW 7-Series, Audi e-tron GT and perhaps even the Lucid Air, some very stiff competition. The concept that Mercedes showed was a very nice looking car in my opinion and test mules of the car has already been spotted on multiple occasion.
Limited information about the EQS is known other than a 100 kWh battery and a 435-mile WLTP rated range. We know that the size of the EQS is closer in length to the current CLS, but thanks to the merits of electric vehicle powertrain architecture it allows for the same amount of more interior space as the current S-Class.
Mercedes research and development boss Markus Schäfer was excited about the new design process:
“It’s a whole new world. The limitations placed on the packaging by a conventional combustion engine platform don’t apply any more. The space, especially in the rear, sets new standards. And with the liftback tailgate, we’ve improved practicality.”
While AMG’s involvement with performance tuning has been basically nonexistent at this point, a report from Autocar states that the performance division will be getting its hands on the EQS for its first foray into electric cars.
Initially, the most powerful EQS planned would have 470bhp and 560lb ft. However according to one “high-ranking Mercedes engineer” AMG is planning an EQS that will fall in line with the power delivery of the existing S63 4Matic. The current S63 makes a little over 600 hp, meaning that the planned EQS AMG will be quite capable.
For comparison, the Tesla Model S Performance has about 780 hp, so the EQS AMG will have to overshoot their target of 600 hp quite a bit if they want to go head to head with Model S in terms of performance. According to the report, the powertrain is being developed with the intent of going against Tesla’s upcoming tri-motor Plaid powertrain, so perhaps we will see some gargantuan power come from this AMG.
The source states the EQE and EQG will also most likely get the AMG treatment but do not know if the models coming before the EQS will get performance versions straight away after launch.
Competition is certainly heating up in the performance luxury electric car segment.
