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Two months ago, Mercedes unveiled the AMG EQS 53 at the Munich Motor Show as the first electric vehicle to wear the AMG badge. Now, the German automaker has released pricing for it, and it’s about what you’d expect for a range-topping high-performance EV sedan.
The EQS 53 will start at £154,995 (equal to around $208,000 at current exchange rates) in the UK, or 55% more than the base EQS 450’s starting price of £99,995. It’s also more expensive than the current flagship Porsche Taycan Turbo S that’s rated for 761PS / 751HP and kicks off from £139,280 (about $186,900).
For that money, you get a dual-motor AWD drivetrain producing 649 hp (658 PS / 484 kW) and 701 lb-ft (950 Nm) of instant electric torque. Upgrade to the AMG Performance Package with the Night Edition that pushes the starting price to £163,900 (around $220,000) though, and that same drivetrain produces 751 hp (761 PS / 560 kW) and 752 lb-ft (1020 Nm) of torque.
Read More: Electrifying 751-HP Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 Is Benz’s New Performance Flagship Limo
The former enables a 3.8-second sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) with a top speed of 137 mph (220 km/h), while the latter allows for 3.4 seconds to 62 mph with a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h). The range is the same for both, with a WLTP-estimated 358 miles (576 km) on tap from the car’s 107.8 kWh battery.
Standard features on all variants include the 56-inch Hyperscreen, an AR heads-up display, Nappa leather upholstery, a Burmester® surround sound system, a Parking package with Active Parking Assist, and 360° camera, Driving Assistance Package Plus, AMG sound programs, AMG-specific bodywork, and an AMG steering wheel.
Included with the Night Edition are 21-inch AMG alloy wheels, a flat-bottomed sport steering wheel, and sport pedals. Upgrading to the £8,995 AMG Performance Package (which is only available with the Night Edition) gets you carbon-ceramic brakes, AMG Dynamic Plus boost for Race Start, the AMG Sound Experience, the AMG Driver’s Package with increased top speed, AMG TRACK PACE, and AMG carbon-fiber interior trim.
Related: 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 Spied Almost Undisguised With Different Wheel Designs
Finally, serving as a counterpart to the bold Night Edition is the more subtle Touring specification, which comes with 22-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels and elegant ambient lighting in the cabin. On top of that, you can opt for the £2,995 Rear Luxury Lounge package (only available with the Touring), which outfits the multi-contour rear seats with black Exclusive Nappa leather upholstery, power reclining, luxury headrests, neck and shoulder heating, comfort armrests, separate climate controls, an MBUX tablet, wireless charging, and additional USB ports.
The 2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ is currently on sale now, with the first UK deliveries expected to arrive in April 2022.
BMW has released their ‘BMW Points’ scheme, giving users an enthusiastic nudge to support the future of electromobility as electric and hybrid BMW owners are now rewarded for every mile they drive in the UK or Europe.
The program applies to you if your own a BMW 330e, 530e, 545e, 745e, X3 30e (models produced after August 2021) and BMW X5 45e owners who are equipped with the 7.0 operating system.
The premise is simple, adding a bit of loyalty and gamification to the EV driving experience. Drivers will be awarded two points for every electric mile driven, with that doubled for every electric mile driven in designated eDrive zones — of which BMW have already geo-fenced to ensure their electrified cars switch to an EV-only mode once entered. These eDrive zones can be found in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin and Limerick. Collected points can then be used in exchange for free charging.
Read: The First EV Safety Car For MotoE Electric Motorcycle Championship Is BMW i4 M50
This initiative has been implemented to bring down pollution caused by BMW owners in the UK, especially as the country struggles to control C02 emissions within their highly-populated zones.
BMW has also promised their users 20 bonus points every time their vehicle has been charged longer than 15 minutes, along with a monthly bonus of 500 points for users who charge their vehicles more than 20 times a month for more than 15 minutes per session.
Points will be awarded to those who have registered for BMW Points via the My BMW App, where miles will be automatically logged by the vehicle. The points scheme is one way in which BMW is driving the company’s directive towards a greener future.
Drivers who have collected 3,200 points will be rewarded with a £10 charging credit to be used across the BMW Charging network. At 7,500 points, customers will receive £25 and at 14,500 points a £50 free charging credit. Moreover, any e-miles driven in Europe will be recorded too.
The UK isn’t the first market to receive this concept, with the system already in place for customers in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Mazda has upgraded its 2.0-liter engine, giving it more power and torque, improving the carbon dioxide emissions and fuel economy, and renaming it the e-SkyActiv X.
Debuting in the 2021 Mazda3 and CX-30, it features a lower compression ratio from 16.3:1 to 15.0:1, optimized combustion control, modified pistons and intake camshaft, and updated mild-hybrid system software.
With these changes, the Japanese automaker says the e-SkyActiv X develops 186 PS (183 HP / 137 kW) at 6,000 rpm and 240 Nm (177 lb-ft) of torque at 4,000 rpm. This represents an increase of 6 PS (6 HP / 4 kW) and 16 Nm (12 lb-ft) respectively over the previous version of the 2.0-liter unit, as well as reduced CO2 emissions by 5 to 11 g/km depending on the model, transmission and trim level.
Read Also: Mazda’s Revolutionary 177HP Skyactiv-X Engine Emits Just 96g/km Of CO2
A 2.4 mpg UK improvement and 11 g/km of CO2 less have been listed in the AWD GT Sport CX-30 packing this powertrain, whereas the entry-level manual gearbox SE-L Lux model is 2.5 mpg UK more fuel efficient and 6 g/km of CO2 cleaner. Besides the SE-L Lux and GT Sport, the e-SkyActiv X powertrain is available for the Sport Lux and GT Tech versions of the CX-30 with optional automatic transmission and available AWD from the GT Sport upwards.
Set to arrive at dealers across the Britain this month, the 2021 CX-30 will be joined by the 2021 Mazda3 from April 1, and it too sees the introduction of the e-SkyActiv X engine, benefiting from CO2 reductions of 5-11 g/km, in addition to the same improvements in output and torque. The four-cylinder will be available in the SE-L Lux, Sport Lux, GT Sport and GT Sport Tech grades of the hatchback and sedan, with standard automatic gearbox on all save for the entry-level model.
Besides the introduction of the upgraded power unit, the 2021 Mazda3 gets a standard sunroof in the Sport Lux, GT Sport and GT Sport Tech e-SkyActiv X variants.
On a related note, the 2.0-liter SkyActiv G has been renamed as the e-SkyActiv G. It produces 122 PS (120 HP / 90 kW) emits up to 7-8 g/km of CO2 less in the 2021 CX-30, where it is available in the SE-L, SE-L Lux, Sport Lux, GT Sport and GT Sport Tech, with FWD and optional automatic transmission on all bar the base spec. The 2021 Mazda3 also gets the same e-SkyActiv G in the SE-L, SE-L Lux, Sport Lux, GT Sport and GT Sport Tech, with an optional automatic gearbox offered across range, save for the SE-L.
VW’s California 6.1 van range is set to welcome back the ‘Beach’ variant in the UK from £52,062, on sale towards the end of this month.
The new California 6.1 Beach will be available with two specifications (Camper and Tour) and its main goal is to make the California range more accessible for larger families, as well as those who need a more flexible MPV to take genuine trips in.
The VW California is already the camper van of choice for so many UK motorists, and adding a new version will only serve to make the range more comprehensive.
Read Also: VW Caddy California Is The Company’s Latest Small Camper Van
First deliveries are expected by March 2021, with both Camper and Tour specs featuring a manual pop-up hydraulic roof, 17-inch alloy wheels, DAB radio with App Connect and a camping table with two folding chairs. Power will come via a 2.0-liter TDI diesel unit with 150 PS, mated to a seven-speed direct-shift gearbox (DSG).
The California Beach 6.1 Tour model comes with five seats as standard, although you can increase the configuration to six or seven – in turn this would make this van the only factory-produced camper on the market capable to seat these many people. It also has sliding doors on both sides, and the asking price is as previously stated, £52,062 ($67,357).
As for the Camper spec, it has just four seats as standard (with an option to increase to five), as well as a pull-out mini kitchen with a single gas hob and pull-out awning. The Beach 6.1 Camper is priced from £52.302 ($67,667).
The initial plan, as far as the UK was concerned, was to ban the sale of all internal combustion engine vehicles (including hybrids and even plug-in hybrids) by the year 2040.
A faster transition to 2035 then became feasible, but not without some backlash from within the industry. It was just two months ago that SMMT CEO Mike Hawes spoke about how concerned the industry was whether or not they could meet a 2035 deadline.
Well, if you thought that was tough, wait until you start getting ready for 2030, which is how soon the UK is now reportedly looking to enforce its internal combustion ban, as reported by Autocar.
Read Also: UK Study Shows EVs Are Cheaper To Own Over Their Lifetime Than ICE Cars
This report comes just as UK sales of electric and hybrid cars overtook those of diesel-powered vehicles between April and June of this year, with 33,000 new EVs and hybrids registered, compared to 29,900 diesel cars – this serves as an indicator that the Britain’s new car buyers are ready to leave internal combustion engines behind.
“2030 is an ambitious but achievable date by which to phase out the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles, one that would give a new lease of life to the UK car industry whilst combating climate breakdown and cleaning up the air that dangerously pollutes so many of our towns and cities,” said Labour minister Matthew Pennycook.
“But as well as accelerating the phase-out, the government must also set out a credible plan to get there – one that backs the low-carbon jobs and industries of the future and ensures that workers and communities are properly supported in the transition to a fairer and cleaner economy.”
Our take
Even if the UK does enforce an internal combustion engine ban this decade, that doesn’t mean your gasoline or diesel-powered vehicle will suddenly be worthless. The ban is only applicable to brand new cars, so if you own a used model, you’ll still be able to use it to get around, although we imagine the government will tax you for it pretty heftily.
The UK’s new post-Brexit tariff strategy, in place for January 2021, has finally been agreed upon, maintaining a 10% tariff on cars but cutting levies on supply chain imports. The new regime is said to be less complex than the EU system.
Britain is now looking for free trade agreements with countries around the world and wishes to have deals in place covering 80% of all British trade by 2022, as reported by Reuters.
The regime, also known as UK Global Tariff, is also said to be cheaper than the EU’s Common External Tariff, and will also apply to countries with which the UK has no agreement, while removing all tariffs below 2%.
Read Also: Brexit Could Result In Nissan Increasing Its Market Share In UK
“Our new Global Tariff will benefit UK consumers and households by cutting red tape and reducing the cost of thousands of everyday products,” said International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss.
The British government also said that tariffs will be eliminated on a wide range of products, with 60% of trade coming into the UK tariff-free, either on WTO terms or through existing preferential access. However, the UK will keep in place tariffs on products competing with industries such as agriculture, automotive and finishing, cutting levies on 30 billion pounds ($37 billion) worth of imports entering UK supply chains.
“Keeping agricultural protection makes sense as a bargaining chip for the EU & US trade negotiations. But means big cost increases for agriculture imports if no UK-EU FTA,” said Thomas Sampson, Associate professor at the London School of Economics.
The UK also wants to remove tariffs on products which support energy efficiency and will introduce a temporary zero tariff on goods being used to combat the COVID-19 pandemic – such as personal protective gear.
To summarize, the new trade plan is meant to protect the farming and automotive industry, while scrapping tariffs on household items such as dishwashers, freezers, gardening tools and many food and sanitary items.
