Mercedes will use the designation “with EQ know-how” slightly than naming its EVs with separate “EQ” mannequin names, to give attention to treating them extra like regular fashions – in what this writer considers an overdue transfer.
For a few years now, Mercedes has added “EQ” to the mannequin identify of its electrical fashions, as within the Mercedes EQS, EQE and so forth. It’s meant to face for “electrical intelligence,” a play on the idea of “IQ.”
The conference began with Mercedes’ EQ idea vehicles, first named as such in 2016 (particular point out right here for the superior EQA scorching hatch idea, which ended up turning into an SUV… sigh).
Since then, Mercedes has carried it over into all of its electrical fashions, treating “EQ” as a separate sub-brand or a mannequin line by itself, to tell apart it from the corporate’s staid fossil-powered choices.
However that has led to some confusion amongst patrons. With fashions named EQA, EQB, EQC, EQE, EQE SUV, EQS, EQS SUV, EQV, and EQT, it begins to seem like alphabet soup.
Mercedes seen this confusion and commented on it again in 2023, when it first introduced its plan to drop EQ branding from its mannequin names.
Mercedes patrons are used to the conference of naming autos with lettering primarily based on physique model and numbers primarily based on engine displacement. However for the EV line, all autos share the letters “EQ,” which could lead on clients to assume that there’s some similarity between them, and engine displacement doesn’t actually make any sense to use to an EV. So there may be room for confusion there.
As a substitute, Mercedes now says it should comply with the conference it established with the discharge of the electrical G-Class, which it formally calls “G580 with EQ know-how.” That “with EQ know-how” portion will stick and be carried by way of different Mercedes EVs, just like the upcoming electrical CLA. Plug-in hybrids will use “with EQ hybrid know-how” as their designation.
Mercedes is treating this as considerably of a compromise between dropping “EQ” solely and nonetheless sustaining continuity with its previous electrical fashions. On this means, there may be nonetheless a approach to inform {that a} mannequin is electrical, however they are going to be handled extra like “regular” fashions inside the mannequin vary, as an alternative of as a separate sub-brand.
Alongside these modifications, Mercedes has additionally signaled a return to extra “conventional” designs for its EVs, reminiscent of a pretend grille for the 2025 EQS and maybe much less streamlined exterior shapes for upcoming EVs.
Electrek’s Take
It’s a little bit of a mouthful, particularly on the primary out there mannequin with such naming, the G580 with EQ Know-how – however we anticipate that folks will begin calling it “the electrical G-Class” or “G-Class EQ” (maybe the same therapy to how folks use AMG) or thereabouts, and that as different fashions acquire the identical designation, they may get the identical colloquial therapy till it will definitely feels regular. (Though, we nonetheless don’t know what the “580” means in that identify).
And, I’ve lengthy thought that automakers ought to do one thing like this, and deal with electrical fashions as regular fashions slightly than some international factor.
We’ve seen loads of odd naming conventions from automakers as they fight to determine what to name their EVs – like Audi, which initially launched the E-tron as a singular idea mannequin and later ended up utilizing it as a designation for something with an electrical motor, or BMW, which began a separate “Projekt i” sub-brand within the early days (with really attention-grabbing designs for as soon as), then killed it off, then introduced again the “i” to make extra conventional-looking autos.
My idea is that by treating fashions as one thing international, one thing totally different, you create an inside battle inside the group, confusion amongst clients, and all-in-all make the EVs appear much less like a “regular” selection {that a} purchaser may make. It virtually feels such as you’d must go to a separate dealership, speak to a separate specialist, with a purpose to discover an EV. It provides one other layer of friction which may push clients away.
However EVs don’t have to be totally different and bizarre, particularly right here in 2025 the place nearly everybody at this level has seen them, taken rides in them, has a good friend who has one, or one thing of the type. And if your entire auto business goes to affect – which, I feel it bears repeating, is going on and is inevitable, regardless of who tries to cease it – sooner or later we have to drop this concept that EVs are “one thing else” and acknowledge that they’re simply vehicles.
So, why not name EVs one thing regular? Each gasoline automotive will get its personal identify – Tucson, Elantra, Camry, Palisade – so why can’t EVs simply be regular too? Let’s get extra Taycans, extra Dolphins, extra Leafs.
And, that is one step alongside the way in which in the direction of that for Mercedes, and that’s a great factor. Different automakers ought to contemplate the identical.
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