We think there’s little argument that the Mercedes-Benz EQS is, in many or most ways, a sensational vehicle. Here’s the hurdle it hasn’t been able to clear: It’s undoubtedly the electric version of the venerated S-Class, but is the EQS an S-Class in the ways that matter to buyers — as clearly as the BMW i7 is a BMW 7 Series that just happens to have an electric powertrain? The answer for the EQS, at best, has been, “Not really.” Georg Kacher spoke to named an unnamed sources to figure out how the brand is addressing the character gap, the summary being Mercedes is “rethinking the strategy for its flagship sedans.”
Stating with the standard-bearer S-Class, the current generation leans more into its founding principles of profound luxury mixed with easier use. Facelifts are in the works for 2026 and 2029, that one in 2029 supposedly the last call for an internal-combustion-powered S-Class; the last gas-powered unit is expected to roll off the line in 2032 or 2033. Before then, we’re told a less fussy user interface will return, with touch sliders on the steering wheel supposedly being replaced by capacitive buttons and thumbwheels, and a reworked instrument panel showing off a new Hyperscreen with an optional passenger display. Hartmut Sinkwitz, head of interiors, told Kacher, “Intuitive ergonomics will return, but I’m not saying analog is the new digital. Instead, we are going to offer the customers the best of both worlds.”
There will be more factory-based luxury thanks to more investment in Maybach trims, more personalization thanks to an expansion of the Manufaktur division. There’s going to be more flash as well, in the form of a new grille with user-selectable dynamic illuminations.
The EQS, then, will follow the lead of Mercedes’ most important star, albeit in stages. The report says this year the electric sedan picks up a 118-kWh battery, a gain of 9.6 kWh over the current pack, accompanying minor updates like better rear seats for the Executive package and a three-bar grille that adds Mercedes gravitas. Next year, a suite of powertrain improvements include switching to an 800-volt architecture, installing some new MMA-platform components developed for the electric CLA, and swapping in Mercedes’ in-house motors to replace the Valeo units.
Then in 2028, an all-new EQA on the MB.EA-L platform and a more three-box design, with roomier and more opulent digs for rear passengers, will get a chance to reset the EQS barometer alongside the final run of the ICE-powered S-Class. This one, according to an unnamed source, “needs to under promise and over deliver, or even newcomers like Lucid and Yangwang will eat us for breakfast.”
