New Trademark Filings Possibly Give A Clue To Mercedes' EV Subbrand

Really MB, that is the best naming series you can come up with.  

I am so over this minimalist labeling of auto's.

Chevy BOLT far Superior name to the i3, i8, and now EQA, EQE.........

Second to last name...EQ BOOST???!!!

At least Ford's version is full logical.

Those Germans....wacky they are!

EQ... Not sure how I feel about that.. I could see maybe an "e" next to the letters they already have now like a Ce300 or C300e.

^ That would make the most sense within the MB scheme ('C300e') except supposedly Daimler is going to create a separate line of sedans & CUVs rather than use the existing lines. 

Wonder how they'll combine sales numbers on this….

But they already have a C350e, GLE550e, and S550e on sale right now so they can't just add an e to the end of existing names.  They have to do something new unless they go 1930s style and go with names like 540k or 770k and use a number for kilowatt power of the motor.  But then how do you differentiate body styles with the same power.  EQE or EQS at least lets them segment their electric cars to the existing line.  I don't really like the Q.  Might as well just do EV-E, EV-S, etc.

Might as well just do EV-E, EV-S, etc.

Totally agree with you on this, best common sense and ease of communication and marketing, use the EV and the existing letter to clearly define the auto level and that this is an electric.

But what do you finish the name out with? Can't go with "EV-E400" - that's ridiculous.

MB just realigned their nomenclature to attempt to make things more clear. It didn't, but OK.

If they use kw's like smk suggested (tho that's a bit too much of a straight-up copy IMO), they can't use "EV-E60"; it's also ridiculous. MB's naming scheme is confusing enough already & people are just going to be more confused.

Maybe "EV60", "EV70" etc, "E400" and "E63 AMG"…. God, that still sucks. 

What a hot mess.

Perhaps they leave numbers off the electric car names.  And just make EQE, EQS, etc and then just put a number on the trunk for battery pack size.  Like Tesla puts 70, 85, 90 on the trunk, but they are all just called Model S.  Or like how a lot of cars will have a 2.0t or 3.0t badge on the trunk, but the model name is the same, or an Accord might say EX or LX on the trunk.  

But that's not the mercedes scheme, and they just doubled down on the scheme they DO use.

EQE, EQS…. what are those names supposed to mmeeeaaann??

I personally was thinking along this line:

C300-ev

S550-ev

E63-ev

Keeping the family name as is, but tagging ev onto the end of it to define that the auto is pure electric.

The problem with the above is MB defines those numbers as referring to displacement (even tho, for example, the 'S550' is actually a 'S470').

The EV has no displacement!

S550-EV would imply the car has both a (4.7L) ICE AND an Electric Propulsion system. 

Maybe the least egregious method is 'S-EV'. 

But the electric cars are also not E-class or S-class cars. These are brand new models, new chassis, new interior, etc. Mercedes has 3 plug in hybrids now with 7 more coming. The C300e and S550e are already on sale, they can't make a 2nd and totoly different car with that same name. This isn't Hyundai Genesis sedan and coupe with 2 products and 1 name. The EQS would have less in common with an S-class than a GLS does with an S-class.

Why??

Why another string of sedans & CUVs just with EV? 

If the self-proclaimed 'best' engineering of MB is ultimately planning on going all EV (according to your prediction, in a few decades), are they going to just drop all the ICE model lines eventually?? No more 'S-class'?

Or, should not MB try to incorporate Electric Propulsion into the core model lines, with the thinking that higher & higher percentages will go with the EP option and the core model lines can go on into the future? This makes a LOT more sense, will save Daimler billions, and insure the continued equity of the model names. The alternative, seemingly, is only because they can't figure out a "logical" naming convention. That's just stupid.

MB can only fracture their catalog into so many dozens of paper-thin slices...

But if GM is going to move toward EV cars, why make a Volt and Bolt?  Why not just make a Pure EV Malibu, Pure EV Cruze and cancel the Volt and Bolt right now.  Mercedes is doing nothing different than Nissan did with the Leaf, or Chevy did with Bolt.  Mercedes is making a new model that is electric only.  Probably by 2025 every Mercedes will be a plug-in hybrid, and then I'd guess there will be pure electric versions of E-class, S-class, etc as technology changes.  I am thinking in 2050 Mercedes and most car companies might just have electric cars.  But that is a long way from now, EVs are still a niche product.

But GM is the Corp that dumps models names with regularity. And GM sucks, right- who wants to follow their lead?
 

Here MB is potentially creating a parallel line of EV vehicles, at which point the ICE models & that entire naming convention will likely be killed off.
I'm just saying it seems that's what MB is setting up.

There is a Malibu and a Bolt.  There will be an E-class and an EQ-whatever.  Same difference.  MB isn't going to kill the E-class, they'll add more hybrids over time, and the day the gas engine dies, the E-class will soldier on with electric only.   No one is saying that Bolt means death to the Malibu or Cruze or Equinox.  They can co-exist.  

We just need Mercedes to build this and it's go time!  Maybe they can do it in gas and electric.

So we're acknowledging here… that Chevrolet & Mercedes, both clearly & unabashedly mainstream, mass-market, full-line brands, are following the same path in this case, with Chevrolet in the lead. Got it.

- - - - -

Per your above post, I've not heard that the Bolt is meant to replace the Malibu in any way, and indeed the Bolt is notably smaller. 
Whereas with MB, the premise -at least as how it's been presented here- is that there's clearly 5 model names above, not one or 2, and MB doesn't have 5 empty slots in it's catalog of 101 models. That would mean these EV 5 are parallel models, duplicates (in size/class) to the existing models. 

Bolt may well be a duplicate of the Spark currently, I don't know their specs offhand, but like I said, Chevy would drop 'Model A' in a heartbeat, and likely will. I seriously doubt the long-term plan is to retain all 4 of the Sonic, Spark, Bolt & Volt.

Not mass market, but both brands can introduce an EV and give it a new name.  Why didn't Chevy just call the Bolt the Spark EV and charge $39,000 for a Spark?  Clearly that would not be the right way to go, that is why Mercedes isn't going to make an E500-E and charge $125,000 for it.  Mercedes is supposed to have 2 crossovers and 2 sedans that are electric.   Tesla is making a Model Y small SUV to complete the S3XY line up as Elon says, I'd imagine the 4 Mercedes products will be very similar in size to those 4.   This is all part of the grand plan to dominate the luxury segment.  The C-E-S classes fight BMW and Audi, they made the AMG GT to take on the Porsche 911, the EV line will take on Tesla, the Maybach to go against Bentley.   They want to take them all on.

So MB is going to benchmark the current/future 4 Tesla models. That would mean an electric sedan in the size/tier as the Model S…. but MB already has at the S-class in that tier.
They are going to split their S-class base as some undoubtedly will go for an EV 'S' class. They'll spend a billion or so, have a duplicate size/position model to it's own s-class.

That makes no sense. 

MB should just drop the S550 for the new 'S-EV', leaving the S600 for those that still want to burn gas. 

Bring it out in the next generation on a common platform, and make the S-class both stronger in the short-term and insure it's longevity in the long term.

- - - - -

Also, I am shocked, SHOCKED I TELL YOU regarding your position here; that 'Chevy does it, so it's OK if Mercedes does it too.' 

Wow. That's VERY unlike you, smk. Did your fish go belly up this weekend- you're off your MB game.

Nissan made the Leaf, BMW made the i3, in a different way Toyota made the Prius rather than a Corolla hybrid.    Many car makers have introduced an all new model as their "green" vehicle.  This is a new product for a new segment, it gets a new name.

The Tesla Model S is the size of a CTS though, the S-class is way bigger than a Model S and the S-class burns gas.  Maybe they lose some sales, but how many have they lost to Tesla, or could they lose to an Audi A8 E-tron or something?  They can steal sales back from Tesla now, prevent them from stealing future sales.  We also don't know anything about how they will price these electric Mercedes or how fast they might be.  But Mercedes doesn't want to get caught with their pants down with no EVs when the market takes off.  Sort of like how Cadillac is starving for crossovers right now, Mercedes was ready for the crossover craze, perhaps they invented the luxury crossover craze with the ML in 1997.  But when crossovers got hot, they had 4 of them to sell, when EVs get hot, they'll have 4 to sell while the other guys are playing catch up.  Always one step ahead.

Except with EVs, they are way behind there.

Size is not important; tier/class of vehicle is. There the Model S & S-class compete head-to-head… except the problem for MB has been proven that it can be unseated in sales (YOU care about this, I do not).

And again, some folk expect MORE from MB, rather than a 'we'll get around to it eventually' approach, and then when they do, a 'it's good enough for nissan & Chevrolet, it's good enough for us' approach.

- - - - -

Like I've said numerous times, a modular platform which allows either an ICE or EP is the wave of the future and makes transitioning between the 2 mode seamless.

The first brand to nail this has paved it's own way into the future. It just won't be mercedes from the sound of it.
 

Nissan made the Leaf, BMW made the i3, in a different way Toyota made the Prius rather than a Corolla hybrid. Many car makers have introduced an all new model as their "green" vehicle. This is a new product for a new segment, it gets a new name.

The Tesla Model S is the size of a CTS though, the S-class is way bigger than a Model S and the S-class burns gas. Maybe they lose some sales, but how many have they lost to Tesla, or could they lose to an Audi A8 E-tron or something? They can steal sales back from Tesla now, prevent them from stealing future sales. We also don't know anything about how they will price these electric Mercedes or how fast they might be. But Mercedes doesn't want to get caught with their pants down with no EVs when the market takes off. Sort of like how Cadillac is starving for crossovers right now, Mercedes was ready for the crossover craze, perhaps they invented the luxury crossover craze with the ML in 1997. But when crossovers got hot, they had 4 of them to sell, when EVs get hot, they'll have 4 to sell while the other guys are playing catch up. Always one step ahead.

How can they be one step ahead when they are clearly starting four steps behind, hence the need to compete with Tesla?

Mercedes is on pace to sell 2 million cars this year, Tesla like 50,000. And Tesla has lost money 13 quarters in a row. Mercedes doesn't fear Tesla now they fear what Tesla could be in 2025. And Europe is more green concious than we are here, and they are more likely to buy German. They can keep Tesla as a small player in Europe even if Tesla grows big here.

If Mercedes management doesn't see Tesla as a threat RIGHT NOW and is planning on answering in 2025, they've already lost.

Model S is handily outselling the S-class in the U.S. already.

They are starting now, thus the 4 EVs that will be on sale in the next couple years.  I don't see Cadillac or Lincoln with any electric cars.  Is Cadillac going to build 4 electric cars?   Tesla is a good car because it has zero pollution and is wicked fast.  These are traits of electric cars, that Mercedes can easily copy. What Tesla can't copy is the Mercedes interiors, build quality, etc.  Even though Tesla uses Mercedes switchgear in all their cars.  Tesla might be selling because it is the only came in town, then buyers have to pick between Tesla, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, maybe that isn't such an easy win for Tesla.

Within the next year and a half, a new BMW 3-Series will be revealed. There will be gas, diesel, hybrid, and the possibility of an all-electric version.

The next 3-Series will use BMW's CLAR (Cluster Architecture) which not only brings forth carbon fiber for certain parts of the vehicle, but it was designed with electric vehicles in mind.

^^ THAT'S what I am talking about, creating a platform that enables both without developing a whole entire parallel vehicle.

After Mercedes copies Tesla and starts building luxury EVs, perhaps they can copy BMW and make it happen on a singular platform.

BMW wants one platform for all.  This is what gets you Rolls-Royces built on a 7-series platform (although they are supposed to get their own aluminum chassis), and how you get 4,400 lb 5-series because they built it on a 7-series platform with 6 inches of wheelbase cut out.    If they put a 70 kWh battery in a 3-series chassis, where does it go?  They'll do it, but they will have to pack batteries under the hood, the floor plan, the trunk, etc.  Even if they still get the 50/50 weight balance, will they have low center of gravity and will they have trunk space?  

Oddly enough in a comparison of the Mercedes B-class and the BMW i3, Car and Driver said the i3 was better because the B-class electric drive was just a B-class loaded up with batteries and an electric motor to power the front wheels, while the i3 was lighter, better weight balance, rear drive, and handled better since it was made to be an electric car while the B-class was not.

BMW wants one platform for all.

Right! Well… they want the next 3-series on one platform, including the EV version. That's how you leverage your model equity into the future by allowing established, segment players the room to morph over to ElectricPropulsion as the market dictates. Rather than split your own buyer pool & diverting your marketing between 2 vehicles going for the same segment.

BMW is doing it the right way.

We'll see who wins between BMW and Benz.  

Number of vehicles sold or Return on Investment?

Mercedes is on pace to sell 2 million cars this year, Tesla like 50,000. And Tesla has lost money 13 quarters in a row. Mercedes doesn't fear Tesla now they fear what Tesla could be in 2025. And Europe is more green concious than we are here, and they are more likely to buy German. They can keep Tesla as a small player in Europe even if Tesla grows big here.

EV cars sold by Tesla-50,000

EV cars sold by Mercedes-0

Want to try that again?

Either way.  Daimler is a bigger company than BMW, they do nearly double the revenue.  Some things like autonomous drive technology they develop for the S-class is ending up on Freightliner trucks.  So they get to spread their cost around more.

In 2015, Mercedes-Benz Cars did 83.8 billion euros in revenue last year, at 9.5% margin.  BMW Autos group (Mini, BMW, Rolls) did 85.5 billion euros in revenue at a 9.2% margin.  Shockingly close actually.  Mercedes did beat BMW on cars sold 2 million to 1.9 million.

Mercedes sold about 2,000 B-class electric cars between Europe and USA last year. They aren't at zero, but they bascillay just have a compliance car.  That is why they are making more, but it isn't like Mercedes can spend all their time and resources worrying about a company that sells 50,000 cars a year when BMW and Audi are selling 2 million, they still have to build what the market is buying and the market isn't buying electric cars in big quantities yet.

Mercedes sold about 2,000 B-class electric cars between Europe and USA last year. They aren't at zero, but they bascillay just have a compliance car.  That is why they are making more, but it isn't like Mercedes can spend all their time and resources worrying about a company that sells 50,000 cars a year when BMW and Audi are selling 2 million, they still have to build what the market is buying and the market isn't buying electric cars in big quantities yet.

You keep telling yourself that. Doesn't make it true but by all means, keep telling yourself that Mercedes isn't worried about Tesla. Either way, late to the game.

EV's cannot be ignored, Too many reports showing the growth in sales and yes while not what petro or diesel sales, the new emissions spec for Europe and the requirements to now sell EVs as a % of sales in Europe is going to force all auto companies to comply.

Nissan is now on record as saying they are looking at and will probably offer multiple battery pack options in the Leaf Generation 2. While many are comfortable with 100 miles or less range on a battery pack, they understand that some want more and are looking at having for sure a 200+ pack and possible a 300+ pack as options. This alone Nissan believes would allow them to triple if not quadruple their Leaf sales. If that is true and they did sell 75,000 in the US and 160,000 global for 2015. I do not see any auto company that can ignore the EV auto.

One of the Key companies that track sales says the EV's are on target for having sales over 6 million a year by 2024.

http://www.navigantresearch.com/research/electric-vehicle-market-forecasts

Key interesting note is that this figure could double easily depending on cost of battery packs and range. Both of which have in the last two years dropped considerably in price and grown in capacity for range.

Those first to market will win this next battle in the auto industry.

Mercedes sold about 2,000 B-class electric cars between Europe and USA last year. They aren't at zero, but they bascillay just have a compliance car.  That is why they are making more, but it isn't like Mercedes can spend all their time and resources worrying about a company that sells 50,000 cars a year when BMW and Audi are selling 2 million, they still have to build what the market is buying and the market isn't buying electric cars in big quantities yet.

You keep telling yourself that. Doesn't make it true but by all means, keep telling yourself that Mercedes isn't worried about Tesla. Either way, late to the game.

Where is Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Lexus, JLR, and the rest of them? They don't even have electric cars in deleopment yet.

Mercedes sold about 2,000 B-class electric cars between Europe and USA last year. They aren't at zero, but they bascillay just have a compliance car. That is why they are making more, but it isn't like Mercedes can spend all their time and resources worrying about a company that sells 50,000 cars a year when BMW and Audi are selling 2 million, they still have to build what the market is buying and the market isn't buying electric cars in big quantities yet.

You keep telling yourself that. Doesn't make it true but by all means, keep telling yourself that Mercedes isn't worried about Tesla. Either way, late to the game.

Daimler used to own 8% of Tesla but sold it. They know what Tesla is but they aren't going to abandon 2 million sales a year to chase 50-100k electric sales. Mercedes will have 10 plug in hybrids by next year, they have 3 for sale right now, so they offer electric driving already, just not pure EV besides the b-class that no one wants. The 4 EV's are coming and at a good time when the market will want them.

Where is Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Lexus, JLR, and the rest of them? They don't even have electric cars in deleopment yet.

 

 

Mercedes sold about 2,000 B-class electric cars between Europe and USA last year. They aren't at zero, but they bascillay just have a compliance car.  That is why they are making more, but it isn't like Mercedes can spend all their time and resources worrying about a company that sells 50,000 cars a year when BMW and Audi are selling 2 million, they still have to build what the market is buying and the market isn't buying electric cars in big quantities yet.

You keep telling yourself that. Doesn't make it true but by all means, keep telling yourself that Mercedes isn't worried about Tesla. Either way, late to the game.

Where is Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Lexus, JLR, and the rest of them? They don't even have electric cars in development yet.

 

As far as you know they do not have anything in development, but they very well could. Remember this is a company that caught the whole world with their pants down when they showed off the BOLT and announced it going into production. The BOLT forced Tesla's hand in regards to the T3 and it also is forcing all auto companies to move forward with an EV.

Cadillac very well could have a whole group of EV's on the drawing board that you and the rest of us know nothing about. 

MB is reacting to the fact that Tesla S is making inroads into their top end line of auto's. More and more people buy a Tesla over an S model from MB.

 

 

 

Mercedes sold about 2,000 B-class electric cars between Europe and USA last year. They aren't at zero, but they bascillay just have a compliance car. That is why they are making more, but it isn't like Mercedes can spend all their time and resources worrying about a company that sells 50,000 cars a year when BMW and Audi are selling 2 million, they still have to build what the market is buying and the market isn't buying electric cars in big quantities yet.

You keep telling yourself that. Doesn't make it true but by all means, keep telling yourself that Mercedes isn't worried about Tesla. Either way, late to the game.

Daimler used to own 8% of Tesla but sold it. They know what Tesla is but they aren't going to abandon 2 million sales a year to chase 50-100k electric sales. Mercedes will have 10 plug in hybrids by next year, they have 3 for sale right now, so they offer electric driving already, just not pure EV besides the b-class that no one wants. The 4 EV's are coming and at a good time when the market will want them.

Where is Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Lexus, JLR, and the rest of them? They don't even have electric cars in deleopment yet.

Again, you keep telling yourself that. The fact that they are creating this sub brand says otherwise though.

 

And what is Cadillac's response to Tesla?  Tesla sales will surpass Cadillac by 2020 at the current rate.

 

 

 

Mercedes sold about 2,000 B-class electric cars between Europe and USA last year. They aren't at zero, but they bascillay just have a compliance car.  That is why they are making more, but it isn't like Mercedes can spend all their time and resources worrying about a company that sells 50,000 cars a year when BMW and Audi are selling 2 million, they still have to build what the market is buying and the market isn't buying electric cars in big quantities yet.

You keep telling yourself that. Doesn't make it true but by all means, keep telling yourself that Mercedes isn't worried about Tesla. Either way, late to the game.

Where is Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Lexus, JLR, and the rest of them? They don't even have electric cars in development yet.

 

As far as you know they do not have anything in development, but they very well could. Remember this is a company that caught the whole world with their pants down when they showed off the BOLT and announced it going into production. The BOLT forced Tesla's hand in regards to the T3 and it also is forcing all auto companies to move forward with an EV.

 

Cadillac very well could have a whole group of EV's on the drawing board that you and the rest of us know nothing about. 

 

MB is reacting to the fact that Tesla S is making inroads into their top end line of auto's. More and more people buy a Tesla over an S model from MB.

 

Tesla Model S sold 50,300 units worldwide in 2015.  The S-class was close to 100,000 the past 2 years.   Tesla also has the only electric performance car on the market, what happens when there are 5 cars in that segment?  I also read the average transaction price of a Model S is $79,000 vs $106,000 for an S-class, so we have a bit of a gap there.

Mercedes sold about 2,000 B-class electric cars between Europe and USA last year. They aren't at zero, but they bascillay just have a compliance car.  That is why they are making more, but it isn't like Mercedes can spend all their time and resources worrying about a company that sells 50,000 cars a year when BMW and Audi are selling 2 million, they still have to build what the market is buying and the market isn't buying electric cars in big quantities yet.

You keep telling yourself that. Doesn't make it true but by all means, keep telling yourself that Mercedes isn't worried about Tesla. Either way, late to the game.

Where is Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Lexus, JLR, and the rest of them? They don't even have electric cars in development yet.

As far as you know they do not have anything in development, but they very well could. Remember this is a company that caught the whole world with their pants down when they showed off the BOLT and announced it going into production. The BOLT forced Tesla's hand in regards to the T3 and it also is forcing all auto companies to move forward with an EV.

 

Cadillac very well could have a whole group of EV's on the drawing board that you and the rest of us know nothing about. 

 

MB is reacting to the fact that Tesla S is making inroads into their top end line of auto's. More and more people buy a Tesla over an S model from MB.

Tesla Model S sold 50,300 units worldwide in 2015.  The S-class was close to 100,000 the past 2 years.   Tesla also has the only electric performance car on the market, what happens when there are 5 cars in that segment?  I also read the average transaction price of a Model S is $79,000 vs $106,000 for an S-class, so we have a bit of a gap there.

You do understand the distinction that he made when he said that more and more people are buying the Tesla right? It doesn't mean Tesla sold more but more people are now picking it over the S Class.

 

 

 

 

Mercedes sold about 2,000 B-class electric cars between Europe and USA last year. They aren't at zero, but they bascillay just have a compliance car.  That is why they are making more, but it isn't like Mercedes can spend all their time and resources worrying about a company that sells 50,000 cars a year when BMW and Audi are selling 2 million, they still have to build what the market is buying and the market isn't buying electric cars in big quantities yet.

You keep telling yourself that. Doesn't make it true but by all means, keep telling yourself that Mercedes isn't worried about Tesla. Either way, late to the game.

Where is Cadillac, Lincoln, Acura, Lexus, JLR, and the rest of them? They don't even have electric cars in development yet.

 

As far as you know they do not have anything in development, but they very well could. Remember this is a company that caught the whole world with their pants down when they showed off the BOLT and announced it going into production. The BOLT forced Tesla's hand in regards to the T3 and it also is forcing all auto companies to move forward with an EV.

 

Cadillac very well could have a whole group of EV's on the drawing board that you and the rest of us know nothing about. 

 

MB is reacting to the fact that Tesla S is making inroads into their top end line of auto's. More and more people buy a Tesla over an S model from MB.

 

Tesla Model S sold 50,300 units worldwide in 2015.  The S-class was close to 100,000 the past 2 years.   Tesla also has the only electric performance car on the market, what happens when there are 5 cars in that segment?  I also read the average transaction price of a Model S is $79,000 vs $106,000 for an S-class, so we have a bit of a gap there.

 

True but then Tesla is not heavily discounting their cars like MB does with the S-class nor have I found a Tesla S in private car rental service. I find many S-class auto's being used as taxis, aka private auto rental. I am willing to bet that half of the S-class sales are in use as a private chauffeur service to the public around the world. Much like how MB uses the E-class as the core taxis of Europe which accounts for their large sales numbers.

No matter what all this is good for everyone, but Surreal is correct, more private owners are choosing a Tesla over the S-class as something special. S-class had this to themselves, but no more. More and more options are now available and people love the quiet ride of the Tesla. This is another reason the EVs will grow in popularity as battery density grows for longer range.

And Mercedes is about to take a big bite out of the Model S and Model X sales. I happen to like Tesla, but they don't make any money. At some point they have to turn a profit.

And Mercedes is about to take a big bite out of the Model S and Model X sales. I happen to like Tesla, but they don't make any money. At some point they have to turn a profit.

I agree with the have to turn a profit. I have mixed emotions about your big bite statement. A pure EV S-class will help pull in the few that left for Tesla, but with everyone bringing EV's out I have to wonder how big a bite MB can get now. This will boil down to who brings out what when and what options.

I will say this, regardless of the luxury brand, they better plan to option like Tesla. If you do not have RWD/AWD and multiple battery options as well as their own version of Ludacris mode, you're bringing a knife to a gunfight.

S-class is old school, Tesla is new school.  S-class even though it is loaded with technology has classic styling in and out and is a big rear drive sedan with a long hood and V8 and V12 power.  It is kind of a throwback vehicle while most cars got smaller bodies and smaller engines, the S-class has hung around as the classic big sedan.  Tesla Model S is the size of a CTS with a 20 inch touch screen and a minimalist interior, it has a different appeal.

My guess is the Mercedes electric cars have a more futuristic and techy interior, to make it more appealing to the type of people that want electric cars.

Little is know about these cars, but Mercedes wants up to 310 mile range, and they do favor a 2 motor set up and they are working on electric motors that make up to 540 hp.  They are also pretty big on active aero to extend range and think they can get a .19 cD.   I don't think these cars will disappoint on speed or range.  I am sure they'll have a 200 mile, 300 hp sort of level for the small crossover, obviously they aren't putting 540 hp in all of these, not everyone needs or is willing to pay for that kind of power.

S-class U.S. sales thru June : 8,493.

Model S U.S. sales thru June : 12,090 

Question I have is, the 'techies' are flocking to Tesla because it's 'new school'. 
Mercedes s-class, with it's dated styling & stand-up hood ornament, is decidedly old school. I don't see the MB taking sales away from Tesla, just splintering the (dropping) s-class sales. But supposedly MB is bringing out a parallel model, so whatever sales there are going to that, not the dropping S-class… and, if all it does is split the s-class buyer pool, "S-class" sales are going to drop even faster. 
That's why I say the only long-term plan is to engineer a platform that can handle both, IC and EP.

We don't know what the electric Mercedes will cost.  It might be cheaper than the S-class and not really compete with it.  I think they should do an S450 with the 360 hp bi-turbo V6, they use that engine in the SL and GLS, it would give them a S-class starting around $88,000 which would help compete with the 6 cylinder A8 and 7-series, that is a way to boost S-class sales while hurting the 7-series.

On to Tesla, the Model S can be leased for $667 a month with $6,362 the S550 base model lease is $1,149 a month for 36 months with $6,943 due at signing.   Both are 10,000 miles a year.  Since the S-class is $500 a month more, I wonder why the Tesla outsells it.

If you want to buy a Tesla, base price is $66,000 - $7,500 tax credit, - $2,000 Pennsylvania incentive for me + $1,200 destination = $58,700.    That is starting $40,000 below the S-class.   A better comparison would be E-class to Model S, the E-class is closer in size and price.

And for the record, if I couldn't have a Mercedes, Tesla would be my 2nd choice for an auto brand.  I am not anti Tesla, I like Tesla, I like the EV driving idea a lot.  Most people here bash EV's because they say the range is too low or no one will buy a 200 mile range car, but I like electric cars, I am excited for the EV take over.

It seems there is a new CLS coming in 2018, but I think this is a good time to drop the CLS and put the electric car in that $70,000-100,000 price range and make it look like a 4 door coupe, much like the IAA concept car.  The E-class has a full range of body styles and engines, CLS buyers can go to the E-class or the electric car.

Tesla does not have one of these: 

Full reveal and details Thursday.  They have to find a way to get this to production.

Right, just like the Exelero- 13 years later and still not in production.

Mercedes loves to build concepts they never produce.