Mercedes-Benz Debuts Its First All-Electric Luxury Sedan—Setting Its Sights on Tesla

On April 15, in a star-studded livestream featuring Alicia Keys and James Cameron, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its first dedicated all-electric vehicle for the U.S. market. The 2022 EQS is a full-size, five-door car meant to compete directly against the Tesla Model S in the six-figure luxury electric sedan market.

Two versions of the EQS will be available at launch: The EQS450 makes 329 horsepower and will start at an estimated price of under $100,000; the up-powered EQS580 will make 516 horsepower and will start at around $115,000. Both models will be available with either rear wheel drive or Mercedes’s 4Matic all-wheel-drive system. The most powerful of these models will be able to accelerate from zero to 60 in just over four seconds, and will have a range of around 350 miles. (EPA testing has not been completed yet).

The EQS is truly an all-electric S-Class, Mercedes’s benchmark sedan for the past 50 years. This means it hosts groundbreaking design, engineering, safety, comfort, and technology features. These include an available six LCD screens—at least one in front of each passenger—three of which combine to form the optional Hyperscreen, which stretches across the entire dashboard of the car.

Controlling all this technology is the next generation of Mercedes’s MBUX user interface. This system uses artificial intelligence and machine learning, like a personal digital assistant, to recognize and store profiles featuring the preferences of specific occupants, and is controlled via natural-language voice commands. An occupant just has to say, “Hey, Mercedes” to initiate the system’s functionality.

Mercedes has also made a point of integrating whimsy and delight into the EQS. When a driver approaches the car, the EQS senses their presence and the flush-mounted door handles emerge and the door powers open. Once the occupant is inside, a touch of the interior door handle powers the door shut. Multicolored ambient lighting is used inside to set a mood but also illuminates to demonstrate who is speaking to the MBUX system and how the heating and air-conditioning system is being adjusted. It can even warn an occupant of an impending crash.

The EQS will go on sale in the United States this fall under the marque’s EQ electric sub-brand and represents the first of a slew of all-electric vehicles from the German automaker to roll out over the next two years.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest