High EQ: Next Mercedes EV Debuts in Early 2021, EQS Flagship Due by Mid-Year

Hear that gentle hum slowly rising to a steady whine? That's the forthcoming tsunami of German-developed electric vehicles rushing toward the horizon as part of a global push toward electrification. Across the board, it seems every German automaker is finally shaking the diesel soot from its boots and gearing up sales skirmishes against one another—alongside a full-frontal assault on Tesla. As part of this rising wave, Mercedes-Benz just outlined its timetable for its EQ-line of EVs.

Mercedes-Benz EQ: Crossovers Come First

While Mercedes-Benz's EQ sub-brand is technically already in production with the EQC, the company's latest push for EQ is centered around new EVs built on a bespoke platform (as opposed to the EQC's rejiggered GLC-Class bones), the first of which is already in production ahead of its January 20th debut. This will be our first look at the EQA, an electrified analog to the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class. Tailing this will be the EQB, an electric equivalent to the GLB-Class. Both EQA and EQB will share factory floor space with the GLA, GLB, and A-Class at MB's Rastatt plant in Germany.

Mercedes-Benz EQ: S-Class of Its Own

The Tesla Model S-baiting EQS is next on MB's EV list, and it conceptually occupies the space where an electric S-Class would be. Instead of gluing batteries to the existing S-Class, the EQ-only architecture gives way to a design closer in-line with the CLS-Class and its four-door coupe-like looks. Production of this (presumably) handsome EV begins sometime in the first half of 2021.

Mercedes-Benz EQ: Three—er, E-Class

Not one to leave any Deutschmarks on the biergarten table, MB's smaller EQE arrives soon after the flagship EQS to stare down the Model 3 and Model S, fitting size-wise somewhere between both (and serving as the electric equivalent to the E-Class). Look for production to kick off sometime in the second half of 2021.

Mercedes-Benz EQ: Hey, Is This a Crossover Episode?

If you—like many buyers—are more of an SUV or crossover person, then your interests may be piqued by the promised SUV variants of the EQE and EQS sedans. Serving as electron-expending parallel-universe alternatives to the current GLE- and GLS-Class SUVs. Both new high-riders arrive sometime in 2022 and exeunt through the double doors at MB's Tuscaloosa, Alabama plant.

Mercedes-Benz EQ: All the Tech

So far, we really don't know much about Merc's new leaner, greener EV lineup, other than what the automaker is willing to let slip. If we had to guess, we expect the ranges, charge times, and power to be close—but not match—the best that Tesla has to offer. Also, if the Neo Tokyo-vibes of the EQ brand isn't your thing, Mercedes already announced its intention to electrify or hybridize its AMG and Maybach sub-brands, so expect a silent, instant-torque variant of your favorite Merc varietal in the near future.