Tag Archives: eq

NEWS

Mercedes wants to put big chunks of its budget into combustion engines

After realizing that their electrification goals may be too ambitious, Mercedes is now allocating a significant portion of their budget to internal combustion engines.

According to an interview with the German media Wirtschaftswoche, Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius stated that ICE (internal combustion engine) technology “will persist until after 2030”. Significant investments are needed to ensure that these engines continue to comply with increasingly stringent standards.

Källenius mentioned that the S-Class and its facelift are expected in 2026, stating, “We have invested significantly more in updating the S-Class model with combustion engines than we typically do for a facelift.”

Mercedes’ goal is to ensure that their conventional engines are at the “highest level of technology”. Without significant investment in petrol and diesel engines, the luxury brand “will abruptly halt combustion engine sales around 2027 or 2028”.

Mercedes realized the need to acknowledge that the transition to EVs was not progressing as planned. Three years ago, they mentioned that PHEV and EV vehicles would represent approximately 50 percent of annual sales by 2025.

However, it seems unlikely. At one point, Mercedes stated they would be fully electric by 2030 in some countries “if market conditions allow”.

Now, their new goal is for PHEV and EV to represent half of sales by the end of this decade (2030). However, according to Källenius, the objective for carbon neutrality by 2040 remains unchanged.

NEWS

Mercedes to stop using EQ for future EV models, revert to traditional naming

MERCEDES is reported to be considering discontinuing the use of the ‘EQ’ name for future fully electric vehicle (EV) models. According to a report by AutoExpress, this step will be taken after the end of life of all current first-generation EVs.

The German manufacturer will return to using traditional naming structures for their non-EV models. Currently, almost all Mercedes EV models have ‘EQ’ in their names, from EQA to EQS.

An exception was made for the G-Class, which was launched in Beijing last month. It was not called EQG as expected, but instead was named G580 with EQ Technology. This signifies a new direction in the naming of the brand’s EV models.

“EQ is a technical beginning, Mercedes-Benz in the future will not become EQ,” said Mercedes’ product manager, Tobi Mantele. “EQ is a technical platform for us. Once you move towards full electrification, you don’t want to undermine a brand like the S-Class, for example,” added another Mercedes spokesperson.

This direction also indicates that Mercedes wants to normalize EV as a regular model line and will use naming conventions similar to petrol and diesel models.

At the same time, Mercedes will not only offer pure EVs, but their electrification will also include plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models. “We don’t want to completely eliminate the opportunities with our existing ICE platforms. We have top-performing PHEVs in the range, and we will update them,” said the spokesperson.