Speaking to media at the IAA Mobility show in Munich this week, Mercedes-Benz CEO Markus Schäfer confirmed the brand would be ditching its “EQ” moniker currently used for EVs. The automaker has stated that the name is functionally dead, and no further models, like the EQS, using that nomenclature, would be built.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes Wants Electrification To Be Simpler
Mercedes will still make use of the other arrow in its nomenclative quiver: “with EQ Technology.” Only a handful of models utilize this wordy, clumsy phrasing, such as the G 580 with EQ Technology, more colloquially known as the G-Class EV.
Speaking to Newsweek, Schäfer says the shift is a matter of identity: “We’re moving to the name Electric. In the early days of adoption, some years ago, it was a good point to make a difference with EQ… We’re moving away from this ‘EQ Technology’ more and more as customers understand it’s a choice of powertrain. And cars are, from a visual standpoint, from an appearance standpoint, more and more the same.” How quickly this will happen has been delegated downstream, says the CEO. “That’s what marketing has to decide. But, I think the differentiation is not needed anymore.”
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes Should Have Done This From The Start
Mercedes may argue that the decision, at the time, was necessary to help customers differentiate the brand’s gas-powered models at a glance. On the other hand, expecting customers to learn your brand’s particular terminology for its EVs, then changing it half a decade later, is going to result in more confusion. Now, it seems Mercedes might have it right. Simply specifying in plain English (or German, for that matter) whether or not a given car is the electric one is the most straightforward way to ease customers into a new powertrain option.
Recent data shows that predominantly younger buyers drive EV demand. New technology, new nomenclature, and other shifts could be alienating older buyers, and Occam’s Razor may be proven effective once again: sometimes the simplest solution is best.
About the author
Chase Bierenkoven
Senior Editor, Autoblog