Although the B-Class Electric Drive and SLS AMG Electric Drive preceded it, the EQC will go down in history as Mercedes’ first mass-market electric vehicle. It kick-started Daimler’s newly founded “EQ” sub-brand of zero-emissions models, which is bound to include everything from an entry-level EQA to this – the mighty EQS.

The S-Class of EVs was spotted by walkoARTvideos on YouTube recently undergoing testing in Germany during a cold day, and while it still had plenty of camouflage on its swoopy body, there are still some details we can make out. Seeing as how the new Maybach S-Class has been spied with pop-out door handles, we’re a bit surprised the EQS in production guise will stick with a conventional setup. Making them flush with the door panel would’ve made the car not only look sleeker when viewed from the side, but probably slightly more aerodynamic and therefore more efficient.

2021 Mercedes EQS screenshot from spy video
2021 Mercedes EQS screenshot from spy video
2021 Mercedes EQS screenshot from spy video

While the Vision EQS concept before it had cameras, it looks like its road-going counterpart will stick to traditional side mirrors. As a side note, cameras are already legal in Japan and Europe on cars like the Audi E-Tron, Lexus ES, and the Honda E, so we’re hoping the much more expensive EQS will have those as well one day.

A closer look at the prototype reveals a fairly slim horizontal cap on the driver’s side fender that conceals the charging port. Because of the heavily sloped roofline, the greenhouse seems to be quite small compared to the generous proportions of the vehicle, making us think about the swoopy 2015 IAA concept or a futuristic CLS.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz Vision EQS (2019)

Up front, the cutouts in the bumper for the parking sensors lead us to believe the prototype was quite close to the production model. The headlights remained largely hidden underneath the camo, while the three-pointed star on the “grille” was missing in action. Don’t worry about the bonnet looking a bit ungainly because the frunk appears to be carrying some extra disguise to better conceal the actual metal.

Moving at the back, the test vehicle still had the provisional taillights, but the black pieces on the fender wings and tailgate reveal the actual shape and size of the clusters you’ll find on the production model. With the vehicle braking at one point in the video, we get to see the placement of the third brake light on the tailgate, which is rather interesting since we would’ve expected it to sit at the top of the rear glass like on most hatchbacks.

Mercedes does have a sense of humour if we take into account those black pieces of camo applied on the rear bumper. They’re there to mimic the cutouts made in the disguise of prototypes equipped with a combustion engine and therefore a traditional exhaust, which is something the EQS obviously lacks.

The prototype was spotted from afar, so the spy photographer wasn’t able to take a peek inside the cabin. That said, imagine the concept’s futuristic interior considerably toned down for production and with a design similar in concept with the forthcoming S-Class W223. The vehicle’s large size should translate into a spacious interior, and also quite practical thanks to the hatchback configuration and the extra boot at the front.

Mercedes EQS teaser

Accompanying a press release talking about the evolution of headlights, Mercedes attached an image of what we believe is a teaser for the production-ready EQS. The S-Class among electric cars is hiding under a car cover and is featured for a 2020 release, so we could see it in full by late this year, but not before the W223 debuts.