| If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.  This week Audi debuts a pair of Q4 e-trons, Mazda unveils its first US-bound EV, Toyota teases a RAV4-sized EV, and even Ferrari has announced its EV plans. But first:  Mercedes-Benz finally took the wraps off its EQS electric flagship sedan. Sporting more than just a monster of a battery underneath the floor, the EQS is meant to be a technological tour de force offering a level of luxury that could exceed that of the gas-engine S-Class. With a very slippery exterior and a Hyperscreen that spans the width of the dash, the EQS is meant to comfort and dazzle. A cab-forward design that takes advantage of the 107.8-kWh battery's footprint underneath, the EQS features a relatively short hood and equally modest front and rear overhangs, the net result looking like a giant coupe. There is plenty of power in either the rear-wheel-drive EQS 450 or the all-wheel drive EQS 580, the two versions producing 329 hp and 516 hp, respectively, with torque numbers said to be at least 406 lb-ft. Mercedes isn't sharing 0-to-60-mph blast times for now or some of the more detailed specs, but it's prudent to expect that the EQS will sprint when required.  A glimpse inside the cabin of the luxury-rich EQS. The EQS is destined to be compared to Tesla Model S, an almost-decade-old car getting a long-awaited update this spring. Yet the EQS is intended to be positioned quite a bit higher when it comes to luxury features—with a price tag to match. Mercedes hasn't published pricing for the two EQS models just yet, but even the base is expected to land north of the $100,000 mark.  The Q4 e-tron and a Sportback version join the Audi EV lineup. On the same day as the reveal of the EQC, Audi took the wraps of not one but two upcoming EVs headed stateside: the Q4 e-tron and its more coupe-shaped Q4 e-tron Sportback. Built on the same platform as the Volkswagen ID.4, the Q4 twins will offer a choice of 201- or 295-hp outputs, the latter with a dual-motor layout. The sole battery on the menu, however, is the 77-kWh net unit, known as the long-range battery in the ID.4. We won't know the exact EPA range estimates for a while, but Audi expects the rear-drive version to land around the 250-mile mark. Expect prices to start around $45,000 when it goes on sale later this year, prior to tax credits, making the Q4 e-tron Audi's most affordable EV to date.    Mazda took the wraps off its new Mazda MX-30, the automaker's first battery-electric vehicle for the US market. The MX-30 arrives in California this fall, and Mazda officials said the EV will expand into other states in 2022. Mazda also confirmed it will look at a national roll-out over the coming years "based on customer demand."  Toyota has been showing teaser images of a small electric SUV that could be close to the RAV4 in size and is being jointly developed with Subaru, and now Toyota has released another teaser image, announcing that the small SUV is going to be unveiled April 19 at the Shanghai motor show.   Spread the word: If you know someone interested in staying on top of the rapidly growing EV segment, feel free to pass this newsletter along.
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Friday, April 16, 2021
Mercedes EQS debuts; two Audi Q4 EVs bow; Yamaha hawks electric motor.
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