New electric Mercedes S-Class will replace the EQS… eventually

An electric version of the Mercedes S-Class is on its way and will replace the EQS, which was once heralded as a guiding light for the brand, but has proved to be a critical and commercial disappointment.

However, before any industry titans, A-list celebrities, world leaders or other high-net-worth individuals send their assistant out to place an order for an electric S-Class – or S-Class with EQ Technology, as it will officially be called – it’s still a few years away from launch, a source inside Mercedes told Auto Express.

The current iteration of the S-Class is set to receive a mid-life facelift early this year. There is some anticipation around the executive limousine’s refresh after Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius said the company had "invested a lot more in the model update of the new combustion-engined S-Class than we normally spend on a facelift”. 

However it appears the all-new, eighth-generation S-Class will be the first to be offered in zero-emissions guise. It’s expected to arrive towards the end of the decade so we’ve got to wait a little longer to find out how Mercedes hopes to trump the BMW i7, the next-generation Audi A8 or any EVs Bentley might launch in the meantime. 

Importantly though, the next S-Class will be available with combustion engines as well, like today’s model which you can currently save up to £8,500 on through our Buy A Car service. 

Since the EQS was launched, Mercedes has scrapped its strategy of launching electric-only alternatives to its long-established models. Instead, it’s going down the same route as BMW, by offering combustion and electric versions of its cars, including the GLC, C-Class, E-Class and, of course, the S-Class, with the EVs using the brand’s new MB.EA architecture.

Ola Källenius spoke to us in late 2024 about the brand’s future EV plans, including a zero-emissions S-Class, which at the time he indicated was going to be launched by the end of 2028.

“If you don't believe that when the next S-Class comes, the market is 100 per cent electric at that point in time, you have to have the choice for both. I think this is certainly one of the lessons learned from [our] first-generation electric vehicles in the whole market. You need to offer the electric and the hi-tech electrified ICE version without compromise.”

He added: “You don't want to have a very big car that is then kind of small-ish on the inside, in relative terms. You want to have that fully uncompromised packaging and you want the performance to be uncompromised. Hence, the only solution that we think is viable in that scenario is that you have two platforms.”

This unwillingness to compromise will offer big advantages for the S-Class EV, as Källenius explained: “The packaging advantages on the electric one are so obvious. It's not even funny how obvious they are. And if you would shoehorn a combustion engine car into an electric car, you sacrifice space that you wouldn't want to do. 

“We've worked for 100 years plus in perfecting the combustion car. If you take a luxury sedan like the S-Class, it's the best packaged car in the world. How you sit in the back seat or in the Maybach version, it is the benchmark full stop. We don't think the customers would accept going backwards on that.”

This approach, with two versions of a car on two different platforms, will require more money from Mercedes, which Källenius did acknowledge: “Investing in two versions puts some burden on your investment. If you do it in an intelligent way, the marginal additional investment can be kept on a manageable level and that's what we're trying to do.”

The two versions of the S-Class should look almost identical, and we expect the pair will stick to the traditional three-box saloon shape, rather than the futuristic, aerodynamic design of the EQS. Especially following the recent departure of design boss Gorden Wagener, who was responsible for that car and its so-called “one-bow” shape.

However, we’re hoping that the design of the next S-Class will be inspired, at least to some degree, by the jaw-dropping Mercedes Vision Iconic concept that was unveiled last year. 

Källenius also told us that, regardless of whether customers opt for the electric or combustion version of the next S-Class – or any of Mercedes’ latest models for that matter – they will be treated to the company’s latest, most innovative technology, from infotainment to autonomous driving. 

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