Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV Debuts Ahead of Paris Motor Show

• Mercedes continues its march toward full electrification with the reveal of the 2023 EQE SUV, available in three trim levels and one AMG model.

• Power output goes from 288 hp in the 350+ to a whopping 677 hp in the AMG.

• Look for the non-AMG models to debut in the first half of 2023, while the AMG EQE SUV will bow in 2024. No prices or official EPA range figures yet.

Mercedes-Benz pulled the cover off the fourth vehicle in its EQ family of electric vehicles last night in Paris on the eve of the Paris motor show. The Tuscaloosa-built beast will debut in US showrooms first when it goes on sale in the first half of 2023.

The midsize EQE SUV will come on the heels (or wheels) of the EQB compact crossover, EQE mid-size sedan, and luxury full-size EQS Sedan and SUV. It’s all part of Mercedes’s long-term plan for electrification. Ultimately the three-pointed star will have nothing but EVs. The strategy is labeled “Ambition 2039,” and looks to “create a carbon-neutral fleet of passenger vehicles across the globe within the next 20 years.”

“We’re moving fast and our customers are moving with us,” said Mercedes CEO Ole Kallenius in Paris. “Demand is strong. EV sales grew by 115% compared to the third quarter of last year. And we have no intention of slowing down. We plan to double our battery electric share this year and keep advancing at that fast pace in 2023.”

The EQE SUV will be a big part of that expansion, especially in the SUV-happy United States market. The EQE SUV should be the right-sized vehicle for most U.S. buyers looking for an everyday kid-hauler that can still drive home a load of peat moss from Lowe’s or maybe even conquer the occasional dirt road to a ski hut in Mammoth, Stowe or Da Yoop.

The new ute, launching in the U.S. in the first half of next year, will come in three regular models and one AMG variant:

• EQE SUV 350+ will be rear-wheel drive only, with a single motor on the rear axle making 288 hp and 417 lb-ft of torque.

• EQE SUV 350 4Matic will have front and rear motors good for a total of 564 lb-ft of torque while the hp stays at 288.

• EQE SUV 500 4Matic will have bigger electric motors front and rear for a total output of 536 hp and 633 lb-ft of torque.

• AMG EQE SUV isn’t coming until 2024 but when it arrives will have a road-conquering 677 hp and 737 lb-ft of torque.

All will ride on the same variant of Mercedes’s all-new, all-electric EVA 2 Platform, made specifically for battery powered vehicles, unlike the smaller EQB that sits on an ICE platform converted for EV use.