The EQS is the first model to feature Mercedes-Benz’s EVA electric car platform: “It is the ultimate expression of our brand’s formal purity,” explains Robert Lesnik, head of exterior design at the German manufacturer. “With the EQS we have created a brand new generation of luxury cars of the future. The car stands out from all other models we have created so far thanks to its extraordinary shapes,” says Gorden Wagener, head of design at Daimler Group. The EQS’s exterior is defined by its roofline and waistline: “The roofline forms a kind of ‘one bow’ which, combined with the low, sporty front end, short overhangs and long wheelbase, creates proportions that are unprecedented in our design”, continues Lesnik.
Stylistic elements strongly favoured by the model’s underlying electric architecture. The changes also involve the cab, which has been designed with an advanced layout: the base of the A pillar has been moved forward and the C pillar is set particularly far back, creating a large passenger compartment. The external volumes are totally without edges, a characteristic that has made it possible to achieve an air resistance coefficient of 0.20. “The study of the exteriors started with the F015 concept car in 2015 and then a competition began between all our style centres that led to the definition of the final deisgn,” Steffen Kohl, head of Mercedes-Benz’s Advanced Design department since 2008.
The interior of the EQS is a leap into the future. The optional MBUX Hyperscreen is the most obvious expression of this: the entire instrument panel is made up of three curved screens integrated into a single element 56 inches wide, an option that dictates the aesthetics of the entire dashboard and cabin. Above the panel extends the turbine-shaped vent strip.
“The interior was designed entirely in Europe. The initial concept was defined by our studio in Como, to continue in Nice once the transfer of the design centre is complete at the end of 2019,” says Peter Balko, head of interior design. “We had initially thought of eliminating the central tunnel that joins the console to the dashboard, but then the ergonomic issue prevailed and we decided to lengthen the screen downwards and connect the two elements with a tunnel.” The Mercedes-Benz EQS will make its market debut in August and the first exterior images will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
