The Mercedes EQS Is Struggling—And Its Radical Design Might Be Why

• Mercedes-Benz EQS sales aren’t doing too well right now.
• The brand’s design boss thinks that the car was introduced 10 years too early.
• Thankfully, the brand plans to unify the EQS and S-Class next go-around to get the car back to its roots.  

If you wanted a glimpse into the future of automotive design, take a look at the Mercedes-Benz EQS. There’s almost something poetic about building a car that looks like a spaceship when nobody asked for it.

In the design world, it’s kind of Mercedes’ “courage” moment—but it may have come ten years too soon.

In a recent interview with AutoCar, the chief design officer for Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Gorden Wagener, said he thinks the EQS was introduced too early for its own good.

What was supposed to be the electric S-Class of the future turned into the epitome of the car I think about when I picture The Blob. And now, four years after its unveiling, the brand finally admits that the EQS was a mistake.

“I think the EQS is probably 10 years too early,” said Wagener in an interview with AutoCar. “It’s a very, very progressive car and, of course, it was not originally designed as a chauffeur limousine. That was not the intention.”

Translation: Mercedes’ high-end buyers were expecting an electric S-Class for the brand’s flagship EV. Instead, they got a sedan that looked more like a snub-nose Volkswagen CC. Sure, it’s nice, but its design didn’t cater to buyers of six-figure cars.

The EQS starts at $104,400 and can be optioned out to nearly $180,000. Comparatively, the S-Class starts at $117,750 and can reach north of $235,000.

So where, exactly, did things go wrong? Well, just look at it. The EQS is a complete departure from the brand’s existing image. Its jellybean-like profile and dash-spanning MBUX Hyperscreen screams “spaceship” more than it does “luxury land yacht.” That might be great for peasants looking to cram a car full of flashy lights and tech, but for opulent buyers who prefer to be driven rather than drive, the EQS wasn’t the answer.

“Many people in this class expect a long hood and status from a chauffeur car, and the EQS is different there,” continued Wagener. “It’s a completely different car. Maybe we should have marketed it differently, more like a futuristic CLS, S-Class Coupe, or something like that.”

Some good news for second-hand buyers is that the EQS is the perfect storm of electric, luxury and lackluster desire from its target audience. That has made the depreciation curve very steep on these cars to the point where a used 2023 can be had for as cheap as $33,000.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter when Mercedes introduced it. Over-engineered, under-engineered—an ugly car is an ugly car. And when it doesn’t resonate with your buyers (and it’s not because of your CEO’s political stance), maybe there are some lessons to learn. Fortunately, it looks like Mercedes already took notes.

The next generation of Mercedes EVs will unify the EQS and S-Class into a single platform. Both of these vehicles will be styled (and badged) as an S-Class, meaning that the EQS radical design language—a thing of the future—is already a thing of the past.