The German automakers are facing a hurdle much bigger than simply adopting electricity. Their model lineups are filled with dozens of configurations, and the rivalry between various brands forces them to keep each segment alive, even if it's not competitive.
One good example of this is the BMW 6 Series GT. It's not particularly sporty, cost a lot of money to develop and does basically the same job as the 5 Series. The Mercedes S-Class doesn't have quite the same overlap problems, but you can't deny the impact Tesla has had at the top of the luxury car market.
Daimler's answer? To launch the EQS, which is their upcoming flagship model, combining top-not luxury features with the best electric powertrains Mercedes can offer right now. It's a Mercedes, so it should do well, but we can't help noticing a few things.
For example, this spy video from WalkoArt shows both the EQS and the W223, which is the next-generation S-Class. It's pretty obvious that one is like a sportier, more futuristic version of the other. But where does that leave the CLS-Class, which has very similar-looking headlights to the electric model.
The spy footage also proves that a German model doesn't necessarily need to have a giant grille to look sporty. And what's so aspirational about a flagship sedan with a 3-liter diesel engine when you can have a faster EV, right? Well, we're not sure it's that much faster. While Tesla's monsters play the 700 horsepower games with supercars, the best Mercedes can do right now is 408 horsepower, which in the EQC crossover means 0 to 62mph in about 5 seconds.
EV sales levels are still pretty low, so Mercedes is likely to share interior components between these two, which no bad thing. We know that the S-Class will debut a brand new infotainment setup and Level 3 autonomous driving. We can also see flush-fitting door handles on both these prototypes too.
Daimler's answer? To launch the EQS, which is their upcoming flagship model, combining top-not luxury features with the best electric powertrains Mercedes can offer right now. It's a Mercedes, so it should do well, but we can't help noticing a few things.
For example, this spy video from WalkoArt shows both the EQS and the W223, which is the next-generation S-Class. It's pretty obvious that one is like a sportier, more futuristic version of the other. But where does that leave the CLS-Class, which has very similar-looking headlights to the electric model.
The spy footage also proves that a German model doesn't necessarily need to have a giant grille to look sporty. And what's so aspirational about a flagship sedan with a 3-liter diesel engine when you can have a faster EV, right? Well, we're not sure it's that much faster. While Tesla's monsters play the 700 horsepower games with supercars, the best Mercedes can do right now is 408 horsepower, which in the EQC crossover means 0 to 62mph in about 5 seconds.
EV sales levels are still pretty low, so Mercedes is likely to share interior components between these two, which no bad thing. We know that the S-Class will debut a brand new infotainment setup and Level 3 autonomous driving. We can also see flush-fitting door handles on both these prototypes too.