And it’ll leave room for the flagship EQ S electric limo, too.
German luxury marque Mercedes-Benz is said to be working on their replacement for the flagship S-Class limousine, which is due to land in 2020. With the new generation will come a whole bunch of new technology, as well as updates in the powertrain department. Amazingly, it seems like the new S-Class will be hybrid-only with the new model, and it’ll also only be long-wheelbase.
The move to offer just one wheelbase makes sense, as the smaller E-Class has grown enough in length to make the standard-length S-Class a little bit pointless. Furthermore, the appeal of large saloons like the S-Class are as chauffeur-driven limousines, and buyers with that sort of use in mind will immediately gravitate towards the long-wheelbase models anyway. This is a strategy that’s already been employed with the Lexus LS, which is only available in one (long) configuration.
But the S-Class will, for the first time, have to share the alpha position in the Mercedes-Benz lineup. The next-generation S-Class will sit at the top of the tree, but it’ll share the spotlight with the EQ S, which will be an all-electric version of the same car. While their appeal will be similar, their approach will be different – the EQ S will now sit as the eminent technological flagship of the Mercedes lineup, whereas the S-Class will take a back seat to some degree, despite still aiming to outdo rivals like the Audi A8 and BMW 7-Series.
The EQ S will sit above the S-Class (but presumably below a Mercedes-Maybach version), and offer nearly 500km of range on a single charge, according to WLTP test standards. Plug-in hybrid S-Classes instead will offer a zero-emissions fully-electric range of about 100km on a single charge (WLTP standards), though both will likely be offered with some variation of a 4Matic all-wheel drive system.
The two cars will sit on two different platforms, with the standard S-Class utilising the MRA platform, while the EQ S will use a new modular electric architecture (dubbed MEA). MEA will be the first electric Mercedes-Benz platform to not be based off of an existing combustion-optimised platform, a strong move towards zero-emissions motoring.
UK publication Autocar reports that the EQ S will bear its own unique styling, so while sizes will be similar, the EQ S will be a distinct machine in of itself. It’ll have a shorter bonnet & more aerodynamically-smooth bodywork in order to fully maximise the electric range.
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