The new Mercedes-Benz EQS luxury electric vehicle is highly unlikely to produce coupe and convertible variants in the same way as its combustion S-Class counterpart.
The bold new electric flagship takes a radically different design approach – and is completely independent technically – to the S-Class but is still positioned as an alternative rather than a successor. However, it will likely remain a one-size-fits-all offering.
Mercedes Design Director Gordon Wagener told Autocar: “These bodies are ‘special’ cars, and in the future we will see them less and less.
“Overall, specialty models will only represent 15% of the market in the future. About 50% will be SUVs and about 30% sedans [saloons], to give approximate figures. We will therefore certainly not be offering coupe and convertible versions in all segments.
The S-Class was only recently launched as a full-size four-door, but the previous generation could be specified as an option in two-door coupe and sunroof models. Wagener’s comments suggest that even these probably won’t return for the new combustion car.
“When you look at the numbers, the coupe only generates a third of the S-Class’s sales, so it’s not like you’re doing big growth numbers when you do those bodyshells.
“We will still have a fair amount of dream cars – the new SL will be launched this year […] – but we won’t always have a coupe or a convertible. We will not do that.
His comments echo those of chief operating officer Markus Schäfer, who recently told Autocar that the company will be scaling back its derivative model strategy to focus on higher-volume variants.
“We reached a portfolio of almost 50 vehicles last year and there is more to come on the electric side with our EQ range,” said Schäfer. “We have certain limits as to what we can do in research and development.
“A part of [our models] has become quite narrow [in terms of market] so we really want to focus on a more precise and more consumer-oriented portfolio. We are therefore making significant changes in our range, our portfolio and the shape of our vehicles. “
Whether the upcoming EQE sedan and EQE SUV will take a one-off model approach has yet to be confirmed, but given the sales success of the tapered-roof GLC Coupé and GLE Coupé, we can expect variations among the brand’s larger volume SUVs.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-15 23:01:23
