Mercedes covers X-Class bases
BY RON HAMMERTON | 27th Jun 2018
MERCEDES-BENZ maintains that its Nissan-sourced X-Class will have only conventional, mainstream internal combustion engines for the foreseeable future, but parent company Daimler’s planners are taking no chances, securing trademarks for AMG, all-electric and plug-in hybrid variants should the company have a change of heart.
So far, no fewer than 14 such “X” trademarks from Daimler AG are pending on the Australian register, locking out other manufacturers from snatching potential badges.
These apparent X-Class applications include four potential AMG badges (X43, X45, X65, X66), four PHEV monikers (X220e, X350e, X400e, X450e), one possible all-electric version (EQX) and five extra petrol powertrain badges (X220, X230, X250, X260, X550).
In all, a staggering 80 Daimler applications are now sitting in the pending file. These include 22 under Mercedes’ new all-electric EQ line-up that covers five passenger models – EQA, EQB, EQC, EQE and EQS – that are set to start rolling from the factory from next year, starting with the EQC.
The company has also taken trademarks for two possible AMG versions of its upcoming small GLB SUV (GLB 53 and GLB 40), as well as two mystery names – Selfcar and Selfcab – that might be a hint of an upcoming push into autonomous technologies, perhaps with ride-sharing applications.
As GoAuto has reported, Mercedes-Benz Vans executives here and in Europe have played down the prospects of exotic variants of the new X-Class ute any time soon, saying the four workhorse variants already announced – X220d, X250d, X350d and X200 – will be it during the life of the current generation.
For Australia, the four-cylinder 2.3-litre diesel X220d and X250d varieties are already on the market, with the V6 3.0-litre diesel X350d due in a few months.
But the trademark activity appears to indicate that someone at Mercedes-Benz is at least considering the possibility of a future expansion beyond the norm, into areas well-trod by Mercedes and its AMG offshoot.
With pressure in some markets to ditch diesel, extra badges for petrol, PHEV and all-electric variants would seem logical, perhaps for the next-generation X-Class when it rolls around next decade.
By then, Mercedes-Benz will have access to a production-ready electric powertrain portfolio, reportedly ranging in power from 140kW to a supercar-like 640kW, drawing current from modular battery packs sized from 60kW/h to 110kW/h.
Mercedes’ EQ-branded electric vehicles are set to mimic the alpha-numerical petrol and diesel ranges. The small EQA, for example, will have EQA200, 250, 260, 300, 320 and 360 badges available.
Built on the modular EVA platform that sandwiches batteries within the floor, the EQ vehicles will come in a choice of rear-wheel drive – with a single motor on the back axle – or all-wheel drive, with motors at the front and back.
European reports suggest the most powerful AMG-enhanced EQE will pack 640kW of power from its twin motors, sufficient to propel the large vehicle from zero to 100km/h in 2.7 seconds.
Depending on battery size, the driving range on a full battery charge will be between 400km and 650km, with charging to 80 per cent of battery capacity taking just 10 minutes on a high-voltage charger.
The first EQ model - the EQC - will be unveiled in September and launched in 2019. This will most likely be a production version of the Generation EQ concept from the 2016 Paris motor show.
Mercedes then appears set to roll out about two EQ models a year, with the range bookends – EQA and EQS – coming in 2020, the EQB and EQE in 2021, and then the EQ GLE in 2022.
