Mercedes: Base model of the EQS no longer available

With its EQS, Mercedes has set the bar extremely high for luxury electric cars. Demand for the high-priced luxury electric car was correspondingly high. Ironically, it is now the comparatively inexpensive basic version that is no longer in demand among customers. The Stuttgart-based company has now unceremoniously withdrawn the EQS 350 from the market. The reason for the slump in sales is probably, among other things, the competition from its own ranks.

Base version for just under 100,000 euros

In view of the features offered in the entry-level model of the EQS (EQS 350), it is almost crazy to speak of a “basic version”. But when you consider the price of almost 100,000 Euros, features like the gigantic Hyperscreen seem more than justified. But despite the good features, the EQS 350 no longer finds enough buyers to be available in stores. This lack of demand has at least been confirmed by the electric car experts at Ecomento. Considering that the model was only on the market for a few months, this is a very quick end for the chic e-flitzer.

But what are the arguments that make prospective buyers more likely to opt for the EQS 450+? As the name suggests, it offers a much larger battery. Since the EQS is a typical long-distance car, this is a big plus point compared to the EQS 350. After all, we are talking about a difference of almost 150 km range per battery charge. But the EQS 450+ not only scores with a remarkable 780 km range. On top of that, it offers more power than the EQS 350.

Of course, Mercedes is aware of the increased demand, which is why the sales price of the EQS 450+ has also directly increased by just under 1,00 euros compared to the release in the summer of last year. Which clientele the S-Class primarily serves, even as an electric car, ultimately becomes clear, however, when you look at which equipment variant is most in demand. This is not the EQS 450+, but the EQS 580 4Matic, which costs at least 140,000 euros. If that’s not enough, you can reach for the AMG version in the form of the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4Matic+ with the equivalent of about 658 hp (761 hp in boost mode).

In-house competition

Another problem may have been the EQE’s strategically inopportune release. After all, the base model of the fully electric E-Class costs just under 30,000 euros less than the EQS 350 and offers little difference, at least in terms of engine output and battery capacity. Quite the opposite. If you opt for the EQE 350+, it even offers a longer range than the EQS 350. Mercedes has obviously dug its own grave for the basic version of the all-electric S-Class.