Mercedes, the EQ family disappears: identical cars with combustion engine or battery

After the announcements by CEO Ola Källenius , the first practical consequences of the change in Mercedes strategy are now arriving. Not a clear turn that denies electric, but rather the acknowledgement that the speed of transition is too low to propose a range of models exclusively powered by batteries from 2030. With numbers in hand, Källenius himself on February 20th drew a completely new picture for the future of the brand . A total of 36 new models will be launched by 2027, but for the first time , cars with combustion engines will lead the way , 19 debuts in total against the 17 planned for battery-powered vehicles.

Even more dramatic for Mercedes will be the abandonment of the "EQ" acronym that identifies dedicated electric models, therefore different from the thermal ones. The double-track policy in a parallel range that should have taken advantage of the expected take-off in sales of battery-powered models to the detriment of those with a combustion engine. This never happened. Mercedes sold 12,391 units of the EQE family of cars in Europe in 2024, down 21% compared to 2023, while the more traditional Mercedes E-Class, which is its petrol competitor, gained 32%, up to 45,772 contracts signed. In Stuttgart they now believe it is no longer necessary to differentiate the two product lines so profoundly, and so all new Mercedes models will be developed to simultaneously offer variants with a combustion engine, identified with the acronym " EQ Hybrid Technology " if plug-in hybrids, or " EQ Technology " if battery-powered only.

In addition to the general strategy, Mercedes will also have to deal with technical issues that have to do with the modification of the model range and the availability of mechanical platforms to build them. Taking for granted the arrival of the new Cla on the Mercedes Modular Architecture (MMA) platform, we are thinking about its characteristic of being able to accommodate not only electric engines but also hybrid and in general thermal ones. Other compact models will be born on this basis, starting with the next generation Gla . It is more complex to think about larger vehicles , where Mercedes has the new modular platform for electric vehicles signed MB.EA, but which cannot accommodate traditional engines . Therefore, the method that Stuttgart will follow will be to combine the combustion variant of a model with its battery version , with the same name and aesthetic appearance, but inevitably different mechanics . The electric E-Class will inaugurate the new course, expected in 2027 and launched in conjunction with the restyling of the current thermal edition. The same parallel will be used for the Mercedes GLC and S-Class , while electrification will take a clear step back when looking at the Mercedes-AMG sports range . According to rumors, the current plug-in engine of the C63, with a 2-liter four-cylinder petrol engine, will give way to what is the great return to the twin-turbo petrol V8 , in this case with a 4-liter displacement, as early as 2026.