The next generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS will be unified under one name as part of a move by the German brand to bring parity between its EV and combustion-engine line-ups.

This means the car maker’s flagship will continue with ICE power in its eighth generation – due in 2030 – despite Mercedes previously pledging to replace it with the Mk2 EQS from the end of the decade.

Mercedes will therefore do away with the EQS name introduced on its flagship electric model in 2021, CEO Ola Källenius has confirmed. “There will be two S-Classes in the future – ICE and electric,” he said, adding that both versions will feature similar exterior and interior designs.

However, they won’t be based on the same platform, Autocar understands. The S-Class EV is set to use the upcoming MB.EA Large platform and its ICE sibling will be on a further developed version of today’s MRA architecture.

The plan mirrors the positioning of the new G-Class, which now comes with both combustion-engine and electric drivetrain options without any significant difference in styling.

The unification of the two models follows disappointing sales of both the S-Class and EQS, with deliveries of the ICE car plummeting by 37% in the first quarter of 2024. This has resulted in S-Class production being cut to just a single shift at the Factory 56 facility in Sindelfingen, Germany, which also produces the EQS.

Mercedes initially projected that electric models would account for more than 20% of its 2,043,800 global sales in 2023. However, they achieved only an 11% share, despite a 73% increase in the firm’s EV sales compared with 2022.

This shortfall undermines Källenius’s earlier goal of pure-electric and plug-in hybrid models making up 50% of the brand’s annual sales by the end of 2025. In a strategy update made earlier this year, Mercedes revised this forecast to 50% by 2030.

In Europe, this sales lag has resulted in the EV car parc growing by just 2% so far in 2024 compared with last year, prompting manufacturers such as Audi, Ford and Porsche to change tack and refocus on ICE and hybrid cars.

At Mercedes, this gave the S-Class a reprieve, because the brand decided to extend the lifespan of key petrol and diesel models by investing in the electrification of existing engines to ensure regulatory compliance for emissions and other factors “well into the 2030s”.

In a separate interview with German publication WirtschaftsWoche, Källenius confirmed that Mercedes had budgeted to invest up to “€14 billion [£12bn] in research and development and in plants with a focus on digitalisation, electromobility and, significantly, advanced combustion engine technology” within its passenger car operations alone in 2024.

Källenius said: “Our engines will always be at the highest technological standard. Otherwise, we would abruptly choke off our combustion engine business in 2027/28.” While the company has given the go-ahead to additional – and previously unplanned – investments in combustion technology, Källenius denies it comes at the detriment to planned EV development.

Speaking to Autocar, he quashed rumours suggesting that Mercedes planned to stop development of the MB.EA Large electric vehicle platform in favour of the EVA2M – which will be used first by a facelifted version of the EQS next year. He said: “We’re already planning with MB.EA Large.”

Estimates put the original planned investment in the MB.EA platform at between €4bn and €6bn. As well as underpinning the replacement for the EQS, this platform is tipped to be used for the as-yet-unconfirmed EV successors to the E-Class, GLE and GLS.

One high-ranking insider with key knowledge of Mercedes’ future model plans told Autocar that the decision to develop an eighth-generation combustion-engined S-Class will almost certainly ensure the E-Class continues into a seventh generation with the choice of petrol and diesel engines alongside an electric-powered version that will be a successor to today’s EQE saloon.

Our source said: “The S-Class and E-Class are closely related from a technical standpoint. To do one without the other would greatly affect the economies of scale enjoyed by today’s models.”

Despite the differing platforms, the eighth-generation S-Class is planned to unify the look of both combustion-engine and electric models in a move mirroring that of their closest rivals, the BMW 7 Series and i7. As with the G-Class, each model is expected to feature its own individual grille but have common bodywork.

EQS, S-Class in line for refresh

Before the next- generation S-Class arrives, Mercedes-Benz is committed to implementing a range of revisions for the existing EQS and S-Class flagships.

Under the current plans, the electric EQS will gain a major technical upgrade during the second half of 2025 and the combustion-engined S-Class saloon is set to be facelifted in 2026.

The EQS has recently received mild styling revisions as part of a so-called “running change” for the upmarket electric saloon but the upgraded version will adopt a heavily modified version of the EVA2 platform.

The reworked platform will receive an 800V electric architecture instead of the 400V system in use today, which will endow it with faster charging times.

Insiders suggest the 10-80% charge time is set to be reduced by up to 10 minutes compared with today’s EQS, taking as little as 21 minutes on a high-powered charger. Its 118kWh battery will also be uprated with new chemistry, which will increase the range by 37 miles to 535 miles in its most efficient guise. This technology will be shared with the upcoming electric CLA.

Further changes include the adoption of Mercedes-produced eATS2.0 electric motors in place of the Siemens Valeo electric motors of the current model.

The single-speed gearbox will also be replaced by a new two-speed unit, providing the upgraded EQS with added performance potential and possibly a higher top speed.

Less than a year after the arrival of the upgraded EQS, Mercedes will introduce the facelifted S-Class, which is scheduled to reach showrooms five and a half years after the seventh-generation model first went on sale. This is around two years later than the traditional timetable and reflects the extended cycle planned for the existing car. 

The facelifted version will sport a new-look front end with an even bolder iteration of Mercedes’ traditional chromed grille and a different headlight design. Inside, the luxury saloon will receive an optional MBUX Superscreen and the new MB.OS operating system.

The existing twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 is also set to be upgraded to the latest M177 specification with 48V mild-hybrid tech.

Additionally, Mercedes will upgrade the S-Class’s level-three Drive Pilot autonomous driving capability with a new sixth-generation software package. It is expected to allow hands-off driving at speeds of up to 68mph.