Mercedes is playing with fire today, as the German automaker's engineers were spotted testing a prototype for the next S-Class with an external kill switch. The large red element can be seen sticking out the front fender while the car parades around Stuttgart.
How do we know it's a kill switch? Well, we've seen the same element inside various brands of prototypes over the years, not just Mercedes. This allows the test team to kill the ignition in case something bad happens. But we have to admit that Daimler's brand seems to take safe even more seriously sometimes teaching firefighters where it's safe to cut through their prototypes.
An external kill switch tells us we're probably dealing with a plug-in hybrid or even an EV. Of course, the single sighting of the four-door coupe-styled EQS means the latter is unlikely.
Like we've been saying for many months, the W223 S-Class will mark a gigantic push for electrification, as Mercedes is working on PHEV batteries that carry nearly double the current charge. For the record, the S 560 e L boasts an awkwardly placed battery in the trunk holding 13.5 kWh for about 25 miles of range.
The S-Class plug-in hybrid costs about a quarter more than a normal model yet doesn't hold any advantage over a normal plug-in from Kia or VW, and that's a problem. Right now, the rivals from BMW and Audi aren't significantly better or worse, so the upgrade may actually be pushed by regulations, not brand rivalry.
By 2020, the automaker hopes to have more than 20 PHEV models out in the market. The new battery should have about 20 to 25 kWh and will not debut in the S-Class, but in the GLE, probably at the end of the year.
And as if that's not enough, the 2021 S-Class will be much longer, wider, with new exterior styling and a gigantic infotainment screen.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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