- The electric Mercedes-Benz EQS is getting a 600-plus-horsepower AMG variant, according to a report by Autocar in the U.K., citing an unnamed Mercedes engineer..
- The vehicle is expected to launch in 2022, a year after the regular EQS starts shipping to customers.
- Both vehicles will be based on the automaker’s new EVA electric platform.
The stylish EQS electric luxury sedan (essentially an electric S-class), expected out in 2021, now looks like it may have a performance variant on the horizon. Autocar reports that a high-level Mercedes engineer shared details of a dual-motor AMG version that would make 600 horsepower and 663 lb-ft of torque.
Autocar’s source notes that this power output would equal that of the S63 4Matic with its twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8. The twin-motor setup seems to have already gotten a blessing from the AMG team, which bodes well for its release.
The AMG EQS will be based on the 2021 EQS sedan, which offers 300 miles of range from a 100.0-kWh battery and will, according to Mercedes estimates, go from zero to 60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds. So the vehicle is already quick for a large sedan. No official word on this EV’s power output yet, but the Vision EQS concept vehicle was presented with 469 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque. So it’s likely those numbers are pretty close to what we’ll see in the production version.
The production EQS is slated to be unveiled sometime this year—although, with auto shows being canceled or rescheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s likely that the presentation might be pushed to the late summer or fall. It’s also unknown if the pandemic has delayed the launch of the EQS or its AMG variant.
The regular EQS is expected in 2021, while this AMG version is believed on track to appear in 2022 to appease the need for speed in the luxury-sedan market.
Both will be based on Mercedes’s new electric EVA skateboard platform, which allows the automaker to expand the interior space—something that S-class owners looking to go electric will be happy to hear.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com