Mercedes-Benz will reportedly be offering the all-electric EQS with a traditional grille lifted from the S-Class sedan. The brand’s all-electric flagship has failed to unseat the true king and the company has taken steps to try and incorporate some of the older model’s charms into the EV. Moving forward, the EQS will have a more traditional exterior as an option — perhaps signaling that the entire EQ line will soon be abandoning its overtly electric design language.
Mercedes only sold 5,756 units of the EQS inside the United States last year, representing a nearly 20 percent decline in sales against 2022, which also happened to be its first full year on sale. By contrast, the S-Class saw 10,122 deliveries in 2023 and it was a particularly bad sales year for a model that was launched nearly half a decade ago.
It’s no secret that the company has struggled to move its all-electric EQ products. However, dealers seem to especially loathe the EQS, noting that it has been severely oversupplied. Customers have been more interested in the smaller EQB and EQE, rather than the $105,550 (starting price) EQS. Sadly, those models have had trouble getting into the right hands and likewise aren’t seeing the kind of volumes you’d expect from something priced tens of thousands lower. There have also been complaints that Mercedes-Benz wasn’t offering dealers the kind of support they needed to make the EQS a bigger success.
According to Autocar, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius noted that the model would be getting the S-Class grille as an option during a recent earnings call. The sedan version is also supposed to be getting a larger battery that expands its range by 31 miles. While the executive didn’t specify, it’s assumed the battery will be the 118-kWh unit that’s recently been made available via the EQS SUV.
“Some [customers] will want to keep a more sporty look and have the star integrated in the panel, and some we believe will want to have the more traditional look,” Källenius told investors.
The image that Mercedes teased was said to be identical to the grille that’s on the current S-Class. While that photo may have simply been a placeholder, the assumption is that the company wants to try and move the EQS (and possibly the entire EQ lineup) away from styling elements that differentiates them from the rest of the Mercedes lineup. Adopting the S-Class grille will likewise allow the automaker to continue using the very handsome AMG grille (above) on its all-electric products.
Källenius said that the updated EQS will be available in June, with the upgraded battery likely making an appearance on the sedan variant before then. However, that’s presumably going to apply to Europe where the model moves in larger numbers. North America may have to wait a little while longer before it sees any changes made. Feel free to sound off below if you think it’s going to make a meaningful difference in terms of sales.
[Images: Mercedes-Benz]
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