Mercedes-Benz has issued the first image of its new EQE SUV’s interior, one that promises to be every bit as opulent as its battery-electric sibling, the EQE executive sedan. The world premiere of the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV is scheduled for Oct. 16.
The same, yet different
Given the EQE sedan and SUV most likely share most of their underpinnings, their instrument panels should also be similar.
The EQE SUV’s interior image, which shows a cabin sheathed in tones of ecru and coffee, reveals perforated leather, or some semblance of it, finished with contrasting stitching. That said, the ecru steering wheel, while striking, seems like it would get dirty without regular cleaning, or the owner wearing driving gloves.
Mercedes-Benz says its EQE SUV uses avant-garde materials, although that’s hard to ascertain from the computer-generated image, so we will have to take their word for it. But there are interesting details, such as the lit Mercedes-Benz stars on the center console lid material.
As for the center console, it’s freestanding, allowing space under and around it for stashing a purse, shoulder or manbag. And, as you might expect, the instrument panel is bookended by turbine-like air vents.
The company also claims to have one of the most spacious representatives of its class when it comes to head, leg and elbow room.
While the interior view looks rearward from the windshield, the two-row SUV interior seems to have an instrument panel that’s anchored by the with a 12.8-inch OLED touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
While it all seems similar to the sedan, the SUV’s finishes seem a to stretch a bit further, feeling a bit less reserved than the German norm.
An expanding presence
The EQE sedan and SUV as well as the EQS are an expanding presence within Mercedes-Benz as the automaker transition from fossil-fuel fed vehicles to those powered by electricity.
And the EQE isn’t the only battery-electric model getting an SUV sibling, as the automaker is planning an SUV version of the EQS as well, making it the second premium battery-electric SUV in its arsenal. They join other EVs Mercedes-Benz plans to sell worldwide, including the EQA, EQB, EQC, EQT and EQV.
Along with plug-in gas-electric hybrids, the company plans to have electrified vehicles account for 50% of the company’s sales by 2025 on the way toward going all-electric by 2030.
But the pledge toward electrification is part of a larger strategy to push for the manufacturer to become carbon neutral.
“Our ambition is also to build sustainable cars in a sustainable way,” Mercedes-Benz Cars CEO Ola Källenius earlier this year. “We are reaching a milestone already this year at our own vehicle production locations (which) are now CO2-neutral. What is next, we will increase our share of renewables massively with the target to exceed 70% by 2030.”
