Mercedes is dropping the EQ designation from the names of its electric models and will replace it with the word “Electric.”
Photo: Mercedes, AI computer generated image
With the arrival of its new electric era, Mercedes’ model naming strategy became increasingly complicated. In the compact range, the names EQA and EQB were used to designate the electric versions of the GLA and GLB.
The same approach was applied to the EQS and EQE, the electric counterparts of the S-Class and E-Class. Unlike the compact models, however, the EQS and S-Class, as well as the EQE and E-Class, share neither a common design nor a common platform. Things became even more confusing with the EQS SUV and EQE SUV, the electric equivalents of the GLS and GLE, which theoretically should have been called GLS with EQ Technology and GLE with EQ Technology.
The naming of other models, such as the electric G-Class and electric GLC, was even more cumbersome. The official designation was Mercedes G-Class with EQ Technology. According to Mercedes, it was technically incorrect to refer to it as the Mercedes G 580 EQ, even though many people did so simply to shorten the excessively long official name.
For this reason, Mercedes has decided to focus once again on the model series designation and no longer differentiate electric models so clearly from their combustion-engine and plug-in hybrid counterparts.
As a result, in the price lists, electric models will carry the suffix “Electric” after the model designation and powertrain number. Mercedes has already introduced this naming strategy for the new CLA, CLA Shooting Brake, and GLB, and it will also be used for the upcoming GLA. The same logic is also being applied to the new GLC Electric and C-Class Electric.
However, the “Electric” suffix will appear only in the price lists, not on the vehicles themselves. This explains why the new electric CLA simply carries the badges CLA 250, CLA 250+, or CLA 350 4Matic, depending on the powertrain and battery version. In the CLA’s case, the “+” indicates the larger 85 kWh net battery instead of the 71 kWh version. However, on the road, only enthusiasts will be able to distinguish the electric versions from the combustion-engine models, as their names will be very similar: CLA 180, CLA 200, CLA 220, CLA 250, and CLA 350 4Matic. For those familiar with Mercedes’ naming convention, CLA 180, CLA 200, and CLA 220 designate the combustion-engine versions, while CLA 250 and CLA 350 4Matic refer to the electric models. Those who are not familiar with the new naming logic will have to check the official Mercedes-Benz price list on the brand’s website to determine which powertrain each model uses.
It remains unclear what will happen to the EQE and EQS. Will the EQ prefix disappear, leaving, for example, only S 580 on the rear of the car? That could create confusion, as S 580 is already the designation of the S-Class limousine powered by Mercedes’ new V8 engine.
