Mercedes may drop the ‘EQ’ label for electric vehicles in 2024
Mercedes-Benz apparently wants to do without the additional label EQ for its electric models from 2024. According to German media, the carmaker is considering bringing out future vehicle generations under their old names like E-Class again, regardless of the type of drive.
Handelsblatt reports as much with reference to company circles. The decision to revert to the old names has not yet been finalised, but there are indications that it will happen. The EQE, for example, would then become the E-Class, the EQC the C-Class, the GLC the G-Class and so forth. The abandonment of the EQ abbreviation is foreseeable since the group’s “electric-only” strategy is coming, the business newspaper wrote.
As reported, Mercedes-Benz wants to become fully electric before the end of this decade, wherever market conditions permit. By turning away from the internal combustion engine, the company will no longer need its own electric division, the Handelsblatt quotes an insider as saying. However, the EQ abbreviation is to be retained as a technology brand for accessories and services related to electromobility, such as wall boxes, charging services or energy storage for the home.
The electric brand EQ stands for “Electric Intelligence” (IQ) and was included in the naming of the electric models from 2019 with the market launch of the EQC. When exactly the changeover to the old names will take place is still the subject of internal discussions. However, the most likely date is the introduction of the new MMA platform in the second half of 2024.
