GEAR SHIFT

Mercedes-Benz enters a new era with its EQS electric sedan

- JONATHAN BELL

Mercedes-Benz is making a big commitment to electrification. It currently has three pure EVs on the market, the compact EQA, the EQC SUV and the new EQS sedan, shown here in the cavernous surroundings of Zurich’s new Halle 550 exhibition space, designed by Spillmann Echsle Architects. There’s also the forthcoming EQB seven-seater SUV and an electric version of Mercedes’ V-class van, the EQV.

While EQs A, B and C follow established car design principles, the EQS is way bolder, making the most of all-new electric underpinnings. The next Mercedes-Benz EVs will deploy this platform to increasingly spectacular effect. Gorden Wagener has headed up Mercedes’ design team since 2008, becoming the company’s chief design officer in 2016, and the EQS is the culmination of a long-term design project, as well as the start of something new.