Mercedes-Benz is putting an early end to the EQE sedan and crossover after just four years on the market. This is a powerful signal that the German premium giant's strategy is undergoing a serious revision, and the era of extreme experiments with the vision of electric models is finally over.
When the Germans introduced the EQE range, their goal was to rewrite the rules of aerodynamics. The smooth, teardrop-shaped silhouette undoubtedly helped achieve a low coefficient of drag and a greater range on a single charge, but the price for this turned out to be too high. The brand's traditional customers never accepted the design with an "egg-shaped" a shape that deprived the cars of the classic, massive and respectable presence on the road, which sedans and SUVs with a three-beam star have always been distinguished by. Added to this were critical remarks about the space in the cabin and the quality of some interior materials, which were difficult to reconcile with the solid prices of the brand.
The reality of the global market quickly showed that buyers in this segment were not ready to compromise on aesthetics in the name of blind pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency. The EQE family models simply failed to generate the expected sales volumes, which prompted the management in Stuttgart to make the pragmatic decision and redirect its huge resources to the earlier development of the next generation of cars.
This move also marks the gradual abandonment of the specific EQ nomenclature as a separate brand. The brand's future electric models will no longer look like concept capsules from another dimension, but will return to the classic, recognizable and beloved proportions, combining cutting-edge technologies with the traditional luxury and appearance of a true Mercedes.