smk4565

I don't think they want the EV to look the same as the gas car, although I would have preferred the electric cars look more like the existing design language. Also I won't be surprised if other brands start copying the EQS styling language.

So VW is going to throw away brand equity in names like Tiguan, Jetta and Passat, for id3, id2, and id5? Makes no sense. Kia if they throw out names like Sorrento and Telluride (although new) for EV5 and EV9 is another bad move. Imagine Chevy throwing out Silverado and Corvette because the new EV naming structure is CE1, CE2, CE3, etc, awful. The Mercedes plan is to make an electric equivalent of every one of their gas models. GM basically has the same plan forming, EV Silverado, Equinox, the Bolt is basically EV Trax/Trailblazer, EV Corvette (eventually), the Lyric is basically EV version of XT6, and so on. These plans make sense because they are just going to map their current line and current names and make them electric, so they can retain current customers. Not sure which Tiguan buyer is trading their car in to spend $15k extra on an id4 which they never heard of.

Daimler(last year, now called Mercedes-Benz) has 2 car brands, Smart and Mercedes, plus the commercial trucks that would have been in last year's revenue. And Volkswagen has VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Scania and Man. I did find Mercedes Car and Vans revenue for 2021 was $119.8 Billion, and Mercedes-Benz Mobility (the finance and insurance arm) made $30.5 Billion. So $150.3 billion combined, still makes them #5 on that list without Daimler Trucks and if you put Stellantis in there. Tesla since they aren't on there was $53 billion. Heck is Mercedes has a strong year they might beat Ford. And I don't expect their 1 car brand to out-revenue the 14 combined brands over at Stellantis or VW.

But the rest of the VW lineup is Taos, Tiguan, Atlas, Jetta, Passat, etc. Why does 1 brand have two naming schemes? Same can be said about Cadillac. And likewise with Kia and the K5, Telluride, EV6. Pick a freaking naming scheme and also calling cars EV1, EV2, EV3, EV4, etc is lazy. Probably why VW Group global sales in 2021 were at a 10 year low, not a competitive line up. And Mercedes names before you go there mean something as C is for C-segment, E is executive segment, S is sonder-klase, or special class, Geländewagen means all terrain, etc.

Having sat in both EQS and S-class, the S-class has a better interior, and the dash/cowl on the EQS is rather high, I don't know why it is higher. But keep in mind the S-class interior beats anything outside of Rolls-Royce or Bentley. The EQS still has the best interior of any EV on sale now, and fit and finish quality as noted by the article, which Tesla does not have. I would take the S580 all day long over the EQS580, but I would also take the S580 over any EV. All these EV's are over priced, most $10-20k more than a similar vehicle form the same brand, at least the EQS costs the same as the similar gasoline model.

But VW doesn’t make a car called the 4, ani I think they have iD 3,5,6, whatever coming. Not an iD Jetta or iD Passat. I don’t like the EQE styling, the E-class looks better. But I don’t see another EV that’s better than EQE or EQS except maybe the Taycan, because Teslas and other EV’s don’t have very good interiors and even Tesla doesn’t have Mercedes’s tech or self drive capabilities.

A Mercedes interior blows away anything Ford, Tesla or Polestar have. 4 wheel steer which Tesla doesn’t have, a rear drive entry model which Tesla Model S doesn’t have, Mercedes has applied for US authorization for level 3 self driving, which no one else has. The EQE will do just fine, they have EQ-GLE and GLS coming next year, EQB on sale in the USA this year, Maybach EQS and EQ-GLS coming next year, EQ G-class maybe next year. They will have more EV’s than Tesla.

But all other VW’s have a word name, except maybe GTI, but that is just short for Golf GTI. The iD4 doesn’t match VW’s naming system and it’s worse car than the Kia, Hyundai or Mach E. Just like their other SUVs are no match for the Asian SUVs. Mercedes electric cars are the same naming scheme as gas cars, just with EQ in front.

The EQE53 does 149 mph, 155 mph on the AMG EQS. So the performance is there, both those cars have 0-60's in the 3's and both are "53" models, which means there must be a "63" model coming with more. Not impressed with the iD4, bad name, bad car. And the Tiguan and Taos aren't that competitive either, VW's whole lineup isn't competitive with rivals outside of the GTI, which has so few rivals. Compare an Atlas to a Highlander or Telluride, that's a joke, Tiguan vs Rav4 or CR-V, not even close.

I must have missed the part where a $42k including (destination) compact crossover with 201 hp and 2 wheel drive, weighing 4,568 lbs with a top speed of 99 mph, 4 exterior paint colors and 1 interior color choice is "well reviewed." That sounds like an awful car.

Oh right, I forgot it is the iD4 platform, which is another bad car.

The Audi E-trong GT wheelbase is about that of an Acura MDX, the overall length 2 inches shorter. The EQS wheelbase is 6 inches longer than an Escalade's, there isn't really another EV that size, outside of the full size pick ups. So this EQE is really what to compare to the Audi, Porsche and Tesla sedans, which are more in the mid-size category.

This is Audi's EQE competitor, granted they have a dual motor base, so it is comparable to the EQE43 in in terms of power, but they are the same size. Those battery converted Q4's and Q5's that Audi is selling are no match for an EQE (or the coming SUV version).

$99k Tesla interior: The reviews of the EQS say it has the best ride quality on market, it also turns tighter than a Mini Cooper and most reviewers say the tech is better than Tesla. You are still getting a lot for the price. And right now the EQS is the largest and most luxurious EV on the market. Here is the e-tron GT, which also starts over $100k, yet is only EQE size I don't see those 2 as any big threat, especially when the EQE is their size, yet not their price.

The small screen is standard on the EQS450, the Hyperscreen is optional on the 450, I think standard on the 550. Hyperscreen is optional on EQE.

They aren't Daimler anymore, they renamed the company Mercedes-Benz( and Daimler Truck was spun off to its own company). And rumor is the current S-class is the last with an ICE powertrain, so these sedans will start to merge to one product, maybe the E and C go another generation into the 2030s. I don't think the EQE will outsell the E-class, nor will the EQS outsell the S-class, so when the time comes, I can't see this 1 Bow design language winning.

Come 2028 or so the S-class will go electric, so there won't be a need for an EQS, so at that point I hope they drop this styling language in favor of their traditional styling. And then so on with the E-class, C-class, etc.

Fixed the styling in photo shop.

The EQE43 I believe isn't coming to the USA, so maybe the dual motor will be an EQE450 or something, I am surprised they even did an AMG43, that seems pointless when you could do the 350 rear drive, a 450 all wheel drive like pretty much every current Mercedes now. Also I have to imagine an AMG 63 is coming, otherwise why name the 600 hp car the EQE53. Having seen the EQS in person, it doesn't look as bad in person, although it doesn't look as good as the E-class or S-class, their gas cars look better than these electric ones. Curious to see how the EQE is priced, maybe that EQE53 will be priced around $90k like an E53 is (with options on it) and that will undercut the Tesla Model S by $5k as well, which this car is about Model S size, and looks more luxurious and better built.

They are selling the most luxurious, highest tech EV available. And plenty more coming. Plus the EQS isn't double the price of an S-class, like how the EV6 is double the price of a Sportage of which is of similar size.

Priced similar to a Ford Mustang Mach-E or VW iD4, but those don't sell too well, so I don't think this K - backwards N vehicle will do any better. $51k for the 225 hp, rear drive GT line, that is more than an all wheel drive BMW X3 or Mercedes GLC300, each of which have more power and aren't a Kia.

The Ford Escape rides poorly and handles poorly, so some car companies can get both wrong. Airmatic is standard on the GLC43, all the AMG 53's and 63's, GLS, S-class, EQS, optional on any E-class or GLE, optional on C300 up to this year but going away. As far as all the 2 liter turbo engines go, BMW probably is under rating their numbers, or else drivetrain witchcraft is happening that allows a 330i to do 0-60 in 5.4 seconds when all these competitors are around 6. The new C300 is 255 hp, 295 lb-ft plus the 21 hp and 184 lb-ft from the 48 volt mild hybrid, which I assume the E and GLE will switch over to later this year also. Audi and BMW should be making a similar move.

The Telluride I think has best in class interior, especially the higher trim version. But that doesn't mean Kia is ready to take on BMW, the worst vehicle in a hypothetical KLB would have to be better than the Telluride. I've seen the Genesis GV70 and GV80 inside and out in person, haven't driven one. They are nice, but I wouldn't put them above any of the German 3 in terms of interior, and they share an engine with the Santa Cruz, not exactly a world beater engine there, not even a hybrid or 48-volt system, no cutting edge technology. And oddly enough, I've written a few estimates on them, the parts cost on those is pretty ridiculous and you wait months for parts because they don't have them. For a brand that has only been around a few years, they do a nice job, but I wouldn't put them over Lexus or the Germans. And there is no reason they can't expand the Genesis line, Mercedes makes a hardcore off road SUV and the make the Nurburgring record setting sports car. Genesis can make an SUV with GV80 luxury and Bronco Raptor off road ability, they can make a Porsche 911 or Corvette competitor, a Rolls-Royce competitor, etc. There is no rule that their brand must be 3 sedans and 3 SUV's in small-medium-large as if they are soda and popcorn sizes at a movie theatre. And then what do you do with dealer network, they want Genesis to be stand alone I think, although in Wexford the Genesis are sold at the Hyundai dealer. Do you sell Kia luxury cars are Kia dealers, or try to launch another whole dealer network.

I think Genesis is enough for the Hyundai/Kia company. Genesis sold 200k units globally in 2021, that is 10% of what the Germans brands do, I don't know that they need a KLB to compete with Genesis (which they'd mostly be doing) and then try to fight BMW. The Stinger flopped, if it was the KLB Stinger, it would have flopped too, the interior wasn't that good, and the car was over priced, the Stinger should have been marketed to Mustang/Challenger buyers that want 4 doors or Charger buyers that want a smaller, more modern car, not against BMW buyers that aren't going to give Kia the time of day. I do think Kia should bring back the Borrego as a Wrangler/Bronco competitor, just like Nissan needs the Xterra back for the same segment. The problem Genesis will have, and a hypothetical KLB will have is they aren't going to have the halo products or racing pedigree to get the big time worldwide recognition. So their ceiling is basically what Infiniti/Lincoln are today. That isn't worth 25 years and billions of dollars to try to build KLB up to an also ran luxury brand. And if they made KLB EV only, then it has to out-Tesla, Tesla, and I don't see how they do that. Tesla was there first, they'd just be seen as a cheap copy. And if they put all that money into KLB and it bombs, what happens to Kia? do they start to fall behind, and competition starts to eat them up?

They don't need an Escalade above the supercharged V8 V-series, a Blackwing makes no sense if Blackwing are supposed to be vehicles with handling or track ability. What they could use is a higher luxury 4-seat version of the Escalade for the chauffeur crowd, although that is more a Chinese market thing, where I don't think they sell the Escalade, but the Maybach GLS and Rang Rover Autobiography 4-seater get gobbled up in these chauffeur markets.