Tesla Model S rival will sport styling heavily influenced by the EQS electric flagship sedan.
The Mercedes-Benz EQE will be launched in 2022 as an electric executive saloon with a radical new look inspired by the upcoming EQS luxury EV.
The new Tesla Model S rival has been spotted by our photographers for the first time following its official confirmation by Mercedes in early October. The prototype is wearing the same heavy disguise as that shown in images released by the brand, but its relationship with the EQS is much clearer to see.
The EQE will bear almost no resemblance to the similarly sized E-Class, instead adopting a steeper front end and a rakish, coupé-style silhouette like that of previously seen EQS prototypes and the EQS Vision concept revealed last year.
The lack of an internal combustion engine allows for a much shorter front end and, despite the sloping roof, Mercedes’ new flat-floor EVA architecture should allow for a visibily roomier interior.
Additional details previewed by this latest sighting include a new-look front end with the badge mounted lower down and the headlights adopting a sleeker, crescent-shaped look. The liftback-style rear end suggests the EQE will offer a larger boot than the saloon-bodied E-Class, while its tail-light clusters are unique in protruding from the rear of the car.
When detailing the EQE in October, Mercedes confirmed that the sedan will spawn an EQE SUV to sit beneath a more luxurious EQS SUV. The trio will pave the way for a new dedicated EV platform for compact and medium-sized models, called the MMA, in 2025, as well as an all-new halo EV claimed to be capable of travelling 1200km on a single charge.
Mercedes’ vice-president of EV architecture and EQ vehicles, Christoph Starzynski, described the EQE as a “business limousine of the future” that’s “slightly smaller than the EQS”. It will be built in China through Mercedes’ joint venture with BAIC.
Felix Page