It should pretty clear by now that electricity represents the auto industry’s (immediate) future, with most of the big players in the market having stepped up their efforts to rapidly expand into the new-energy vehicle segment.
Looking beyond the inevitable death of ICE-powered vehicles, Mercedes-Benz asked themselves how would the S-Class evolve? And they provided the answer with the Vision EQS Concept that debuted at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Also Watch: Mercedes-Maybach Ultimate Luxury Concept Will, Thankfully, Remain Just A Study
The full-size luxury sedan sports a controversial exterior design. Some said that the front-quarter view reminds them of the Bugatti Veyron, whereas others instantly compared it to the Tesla Model S. Regardless of how one sees it, it’s only a show car, built to bring new technologies forward, like the clever LEDs that create a 3D effect or holographic headlights that make the laser tech seem old.
Made from recycled plastics and wrapped in vegan leather, the interior was inspired by the world of luxury yachts, so it’s not your typical S-Class. The overall design is very minimalistic and quite basic, but in a fully functional car, the human-machine interaction would be quite revolutionary, with lots of hand gestures, moving parts and touchscreen displays – like in the official renderings of the cockpit presented by Mercedes-Benz last month.
With the battery fully charged, the Vision EQS can travel for over 400 miles (650+ km), in the WLTP test cycle. It’s also quite agile, needing less than 4.5 seconds to accelerate to 100 km/h (62 mph), and hitting a top speed of more than 200 km/h (124 mph).
So, is the future of luxury cars exciting, or should we enjoy the outgoing technology while we still can? CNET’s RoadShow went to Japan to drive Benz’s latest study, and here’s what they had to say about it.