Mercedes to fold its EVs into existing family model lines

Mercedes will discontinue EQ branding for its electric cars as the first generation of EV models comes to the end of its lifecycle. The company will revert to traditional model naming structures for forthcoming EVs, starting with the latest electric G-Wagen (G 580).

The German has eight EQ models, ranging from EQA to EQS SUV. However, the new electric G-Class marks a change in nomenclature. It is branded ‘G580 with EQ Technology’, not EQG.

Mercedes product manager, Tobi Mantele, confirmed that future electric offerings from M-B will no longer be EQ variants. 

The manufacturer feels that as electric cars are normalised they will become part of the traditional model line-up. EQ is the technical platform then, identifying it as an electric variant in a broader model line-up.

Mercedes has pulled back on going all-in on electric. It has promised further developments on plug-in hybrids, and 48-volt hybrids for every petrol and diesel car.  A spokesperson for the company said that M-B has the best range amongst PHEVs and is building on that. 

Asked whether or not the low-drag styling of EQS and EQE appealed to ‘traditional’ Benz customers, the company admitted this was an important issue. The situation is evidently regional however, with good uptake in Europe and the US, less so in China. And that is an important market for M-B, accounting for one-third of worldwide sales in 2022.

The Concept CLA presages future electric M-B designs and doesn’t look quite as windswept as the EQS. There’s more of a definite bonnet and a boot rather than a sweeping line. It also has something recognisably grille-like, traditional, without adversely affecting drag or range.

The concept name also hints at future model nomenclature, the CLA arriving before any EQ suffix. 

Ultimately, Mercedes is going fully electric and the EQ addition will be redundant.