For many manufacturers in this era, mass produced EVs can run the company at a loss but Daimler CEO Ola Kallenius is insistent that the brand’s first electrified sedan will drive up profits.
Speaking to Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Kallenius anticipates that the EQS will produce favourable profits but, next to its fossil-fuelled S-Class compatriot, it will not be the bread-winner due to the higher cost of producing an electric car.
“The logic remains the same: the top segment promises the best profit margin,” he told the German newspaper.
Teased earlier this month, the EQS will be the brand’s stand-alone, all-electric offering of the S-Class range with a European launch expected to take place in August. The rear-driven 450+ EV will boast a power output up to 245 kW and 568 N.m of torque delivered to the rear while the 580 4Matic will send 385 kW and 855 N.m to all four paws. Power is sourced from a 90 kWh (450+) or 107,8 (580 4Matic) kWh battery which gives it a claimed range of 770 km.
The E-Class-based EQE “business saloon” based on this new architecture is expected to be revealed soon.
