Like all mainstream and luxury automakers, Mercedes-Benz has fully acknowledged that electric vehicles are not only here to stay, but it's vital to get a range of them to market fast. The German automaker kicked off this initiative late last year when it launched the EQC, which will be followed up next year with the EQA hatchback and EQV van. A large flagship sedan, the EQS will arrive by 2021 and EQB SUV was also recently given the production greenlight. Sounds like a lot of new product, right? Yes, but Mercedes isn't done.

According to Autocar, the EQE sedan has also just been approved for production with a 2022 target launch date. But wait, what'll be the difference between the EQE and EQS sedans? Sources claim the EQE will be slightly smaller and act as a sibling model to the more luxurious and expensive EQS.

Both vehicles will share the automaker's new MEA electric car platform that's made from heavy doses of aluminum for conserve weight. Like Teslas, it has a flat floor structure where the battery pack will be located in the center. Mercedes insiders claim the EQE will offer "class-leading interior space… (but) will be shorter in length than today's E-Class but offer space comparable to the existing S-Class."

Both the EQE and EQS will come standard with all-wheel drive while power is sourced from two electric motors – one located up front to power the front wheels and the second out back for the rear wheels. To broaden the appeal, specifically to attract enthusiast drivers, Mercedes is even considering a rear-wheel-drive EQE. Does BMW have something similar in the works? Unknown. Perhaps RWD all-electric performance sedans will soon become a thing. We'd have no complaints.

It's still too early to know precise power output, but somewhere around 400 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque is entirely possible. Other features the EQE is expected to incorporate are an active air suspension, four-wheel steering, and Level 3 autonomous driving. Thanks to battery advancements, expect driving range on a single charge to somewhere in the neighborhood of 370 miles.

Production for both the EQE and EQS will take place at a new factory in Germany. However, EQE production will also take place in China as part of Mercedes' partnership with its Chinese joint-venture partner, BAIC.