Daimler AG announced on Thursday, the electric “sibling” of its flagship Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury sedan, to compete with the market-leader Tesla in the battle for market share as electric car sales take off.
The EQS is the first Mercedes-Benz car built on a dedicated electric vehicle platform built from the ground up. It will go on sale in Europe and the United States in August, then in China in January.
Sales of electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the European Union almost trebled to over 1 million vehicles last year, accounting for more than 10% of overall sales.
“We set the bar very high,” with this car, Daimler Chief Executive Ola Källenius told reporters. “Customers in this segment expect a blend of hi-tech innovation and modern luxury… and that’s what we’re trying to achieve with the EQS.”
Daimler has not revealed pricing yet for the EQS, saying that will come in the summer closer to the launch date.
