The new upmarket saloon is scheduled to go on sale in 2022 and will compete directly with theTesla Model S in terms of price. Details of the EQE have been cited in documents recently made public by the Chinese Ministry of Information and Technology in which the EQE is referred to under its internal codename, V295.
The EQE is one of 10 new electric models destined for sale from Mercedes under its EQ sub-brand by the end of 2025 in a development programme already budgeted to cost up to €10 billion (£8.7bn).
On top of this, the German car maker has announced the investment of a further €20bn (£17.4bn) in battery cell technology. Electric models are expected to account for more than a quarter of all Mercedes’ sales by the middle of the next decade. Zetsche said: “Our electric offensive continues to gain momentum.We are now taking the next step.”
The EQE will follow the recently introduced EQC, next year’s new EQA and EQV, the flagship EQS and the recently confirmed EQB into Mercedes showrooms in the UK.
A sibling model to the larger and more luxurious EQS due out in 2021, the EQE will also be the second Mercedes to be based on the company’s new MEA electric car platform. Set to make extensive use of aluminium, it is designed to give future EQ electric models a flat floor structure for added packaging flexibility and what Mercedes insiders have described as “class-leading interior space”.
One source said: “The EQE will be shorter in length than today’s E-Class but offer space comparable to the existing S-Class.”
As our image shows, the EQE will evolve the shape of the upcoming facelifted E-Class with a focus on aerodynamic efficiency. It will adopt a face inspired by the rest of the EQ line-up, and is expected to sit lower to the ground with a ride height adjusting depending on the road conditions.
WAGON RIDER 