The Mercedes-EQ family of electric vehicles already has five members on sale in Europe (EQA, EQB, EQC, EQS, EQV), with a sixth one to join the ranks soon—the EQE midsize sedan.
But the German luxury car manufacturer has more models in the pipeline, and the next one on the launch calendar is the EQE SUV. Arriving late this year in Europe, the EQE SUV will borrow a page from the EQS and offer an AMG performance variant in addition to the standard model.
The Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV was just spotted for the first time near AMG's headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany. The fully camouflaged prototype appears to feature the final production body, albeit with some additional tape on the bumpers to keep the suspense going.
The headlights and taillights are partially covered as well, and the area where the traditional grille would be on a combustion engine-powered vehicle is completely obscured by a black panel.
Gallery: Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV spy photos
Compared to the regular EQE SUV, the AMG variants will feature a slightly lower ride height, multi-spoke AMG wheels filling the more pronounced wheel arches, AMG-badged brake calipers and new bumpers—likely with those small canards at the front seen on this prototype for the first time.
As with the EQS and the EQE sedans, as well as the upcoming EQS SUV, the EQE SUV utilizes Mercedes-Benz's EVA 2 (Electric Vehicle Architecture). The carmaker has so far filed applications for triple-digit alphanumerical trademarks for EQE XXX from 250 all the way up to 600, which suggests the electric midsize SUV will offer several powertrain variants.
For performance models, there are trademark applications for EQE 43, EQE 53, EQE 55 and EQE 63. At least one of those, the EQE 53, will be used for a Mercedes-AMG variant. We say that because a 53-badged AMG version of the EQS sedan already exists.
If the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 SUV is to use the same powertrain as the EQS 53, it will pack a dual-motor AWD setup with a total of 484 kW (649 hp) and 700 lb-ft (948 Nm) of torque—751 hp and 752 lb-ft (1,018 Nm) in overboost. In the EQS 53, the lithium-ion battery pack has a usable energy content of 107.8 kWh, which should provide enough juice for the EQE 53 too.
