Earlier this month Mercedes-Benz began producing the electric EQS SUV in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, slated to join the EQS sedan on sale in a matter of weeks. And later this year the pace of market debuts will accelerate, with Mercedes slated to offer as many distinct model lines as Tesla.
Starting with the EQS sedan that debuted almost a year ago, Mercedes plans to add the EQS 450 4Matic to the current lineup of the EQS 450+ and EQS 580 4Matic. This will give Mercedes sedan buyers a second all-wheel-drive model, priced below the EQS 580 4Matic.
Later this year Mercedes also plans to add the EQE 350 4Matic to its midsize electric sedan lineup as a 2023 model, joining the EQE 350+ and EQE 500 4Matic. The EPA range estimate and detailed pricing for this model will be available later this year.
The model that's widely expected to be one of the brand's volume sellers will arrive later this year as well, with the EQB 250+ slated for sale in late 2022 with an EPA range of 250 miles, joining the EQB 350 4Matic and the EQB 300 4Matic. The front-wheel-drive midsize crossover offers seating for up to seven as an option, while also offering a 10.25-inch central display and a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster as standard features. The all-wheel-drive EQB 350 4Matic and EQB 300 4Matic will continue on for the 2023 model year with no changes.
The single-motor EQB 250+ is expected to be the brand's affordable electric crossover, following Mercedes' decision not to sell the EQA and EQC stateside. But as popular as the EQB crossover is expected to become in Mercedes' electric lineup, one other model has the potential to upstage it when it comes to sales, due to the sheer variety of versions that will be offered.
Later this year Mercedes will offer the EQE sedan in a total of four flavors: EQE 350+, EQE 350 4Matic, EQE 500 4Matic, and the AMG EQE. The latter three models will offer all-wheel-drive layouts as standard, with the electric sedan intended to be positioned roughly alongside the gas-engined Mercedes-Benz E-Class in the automaker's lineup.
So in a rather short span of about 12 months, starting with the arrival of EQS sedan stateside, Mercedes will offer four distinct model lines with several versions of each model, including AMG variants.
As much as 2022 may be a breakout year for Mercedes EVs, the competition is not resting. BMW introduced the i4 and iX earlier this year, which will be joined by the i7 sedan soon. In the span of about a year, BMW will have introduced three new battery-electric models, with several versions from which to choose.