An electric vehicle hat-trick to unlock the 'Year of Mercedes-EQ'

German premium automaker Mercedes-Benz debuted a battery of electric vehicle offerings under its full-fledged subbrand Mercedes-EQ in Shanghai on Sunday, paving a solid road to the company's sustainable "Ambition 2039" vision.

By unlocking a "Year of Mercedes-EQ", the company scored a hat-trick with three heavyweights from its latest EV lineup.

They are the world premiere of all-new EQB SUV, the China premiere of the all-new EQA SUV, and the all-new EQS that just made its world premiere on Friday.

"The EQS embodies a new dimension of an all-electric luxury sedan," said Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG. "It brings to the table all you can expect from Mercedes-Benz."

"We are fully committed to bringing our vision of sustainable mobility to life," he added.

"The EQ family keeps growing with even more exciting products. We want to do our share to make the world a better place."

Källenius made his remarks through a digital greeting at the conference of "Mercedes-EQ Night" during the ongoing Shanghai auto show. The remarks reinforce the company's "Ambition 2039" plan that aims to include a fully carbon-neutral fleet.

A futuristic concept car, the Vision AVTR is a portrayal of symbiotic relations amid humanity, mobility and nature. It joined the display in the evening, as a way of symbolizing the automaker's goal to realize its vision step by step.

Bringing vision to life

On the heels of the EQC's introduction, the new subbrand's first EV model in 2019, the EQS, EQA and EQB are set to enter China's market in succession this year.

"By the end of 2021, we will offer four all-electric EQ models in China," said Hubertus Troska, member of the board of management of Daimler AG, responsible for China.

"Besides the EQC SUV, launched in 2019, two additional Mercedes-EQ models will be locally produced in Beijing.

"Our 'Ambition 2039' plan resonates with China's commitment to carbon neutrality," Troska added.

The Chinese new energy vehicle market continued to pick up strong momentum in the first quarter of 2021, with a year-on-year growth rate of 280 percent, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufactures. The three new electric cars are a strong testament to the company's ambition to redefine luxury mobility in an electrified era.

Covering large-sized models and flexible compact options, Mercedes-EQ is set to provide more dimensions to the electric driving capabilities of Chinese customers.

Progressive luxury

The internationally recognized, all-new EQS is the first large-sized all-electric luxury sedan in the market. It has brought Mercedes-Benz's traditional virtues of design, safety and comfort together with a vision of electric luxury and technological innovation.

The model, purposely built upon new EV-dedicated architecture, features a battery cell capacity of 107.8 kWh and offers an e-range of up to 800 kilometers, according to the recently issued CLTC standard by authorities. Thanks to its unique "One Bow" design, the EQS delivers the best aerodynamic performance among production cars, with a record 0.20 drag coefficient.

As one of the highlights of the EQS, the revolutionary MBUX Hyperscreen epitomizes the emotional intelligence and sophistication of this electric car. In addition to the 141-centimeter-wide curved OLED screen band, it features adaptive artificial intelligence learning and a "zero layer" user interface, offering all important functions on the top level of the screen according to individual user habits and respective situations.

The road to sustainable mobility is also about the balance between technology and sustainability. The all-new EQS, for example, will be produced at Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany, where the company's first "completely carbon-neutral" factory will be located.

"As an embodiment of our vision to combine progressive luxury with sustainable mobility, the all-new EQS marks an important milestone toward our 'Ambition 2039' plan," said Jan Madeja, president and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co Ltd (BMBS).

In the meantime, the younger generation of customers can also look forward to two fully electric compact SUVs from the Mercedes-EQ world.

The EQA marks its entry into the all-electric vehicle world of Mercedes-EQ, and the all-new EQB represents the first and only compact luxury all-electric seven-seater in the market. Both models have a drivable range in excess of 500 km, according to the CLTC standard.

The local production of the EQA and EQB will commence in Beijing this year, expanding Mercedes' locally produced electric line-up to three models.

Carbon-neutral actions

In line with the high pace of innovation, becoming carbon-neutral along the entire value creation chain is a fundamental yet challenging task for carmakers.

According to its New Strategy announced last October, Mercedes-Benz reaffirmed a clear commitment to the electrification of its product portfolio, targeting leadership in electric drive and car software.

"At Mercedes-Benz, our mission is to build the world's most desirable cars," Källenius said. "We're focusing on going digital and going electric while maintaining all of our signature Mercedes values including innovation, comfort, safety and design."

Mercedes-Benz has set a clear course for its next steps. With the Mercedes-EQ brand, the three-pointed star will address a new audience with progressive high-tech products, built on dedicated electric architectures.

In addition to the EQS, three all-new electric vehicles built on the large new EVA architecture are set for launch in the near future: the EQE sedan, EQS SUV and EQE SUV. Moving forward, new electric products are also expected for the subbrands Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and G.

Besides a continuously growing electric portfolio, Mercedes-Benz is following a holistic approach to climate protection and carbon neutrality. This includes the further improvement of its local carbon dioxide-production footprint. One example is the on-site photovoltaic system at the new Beijing Shunyi plant. It is one of the largest such systems within the global Mercedes-Benz production network and can save a total of 21,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. It also includes the intelligent reuse of materials. The Beijing Yizhuang plant already recycles more than 1 million litres of reclaimed water every day.